My Little Dynasty: Kung Fu is Magic

Chapters

Chapter 2: Task Taken
Chapter 3: Rainbows in the Dark
Chapter 4: Blue Bloods
Chapter 5: Of Apples and Gemstones
Chapter 6: Moral Crisis
Chapter 1: Falling Stars

Chapter 2: Task Taken

My Little Dynasty: Kung-Fu is Magic
By Goombasa

Chapter 2: Task Taken

“Breath deep... regulate the sensation. Move naturally. Be like water. Keep from stiffening. Raise the arm, drop the leg. Sweep, block... kick, punch, it's all in the mind...”

Twilight continued to whisper to herself as she ran through her morning kata, or form. Every movement was precise and calculated, by the book, exactly as she had been taught. Down below her, several kata scrolls remained open and spread out, detailing the movements from one form to another. Twilight didn't really need them. She'd been running the basic forms of this style since she was a filly and had them all memorized, both in her mind and in her body.

However, that didn't mean that she should grow complacent. She never ran through these forms without having a reference out in front of her. That way, if she needed to go back and correct a missed movement, she would be able to pinpoint her exact mistake, and move to correct it as fast as possible.

“And raise the sun,” she said, pulling her leg up high. “Then set it.” She dropped her foot down to the ground.

“Twilight!” came a call from outside the door. Twilight was startled, even moreso when the door was swung wide open, with a loud boom. A small dragon jogged in just as Twilight hit the ground, thrown right out of her peaceful concentration. “Geez, Twilight, for someone who insists on doing the same forms every single morning, you don't seem that enthusiastic about them,” he said, pointing to her sitting on the ground.

She gave a light grumble, tossing her mane from her face and tugging her tail out from under her as she pulled herself up on her knees. She took a deep breath, folding her arms together. There was no way she would be able to resume the forms where she left off, so she decided that now would be as good a time as any to end her practice for the morning. She'd have to do each form twice over tomorrow to make up for the lost time. She gave a quick, sharp glance at her familiar. “What is it, Spike?” she asked, in a no-nonsense tone.

The little dragon nodded and held out a small piece of parchment, neatly rolled and closed with the seal of the Empress. “Your brother just stopped by to drop this off for you.”

She blinked, shooting up. Inner calm forgotten, she moved to the door, hastily. “My brother was here, and you didn't tell me?”

“Well, like I said, he just stopped by to drop off this letter from the Empress,” Spike told her, sighing as Twilight turned back towards him. “He said he had to get back to the guard right away, so he didn't have time to talk, but he said that this was real important.”

Twilight gazed at the letter in her familiar's hand and nodded, rubbing her head. She had hoped she would actually have a moment to speak with her dear brother, but apparently such opportunities would have to be set to the side, as usual. Adjusting her practice gi, she walked over and took the letter, carefully breaking the seal so as not to damage the central sun decoration on it. She unfurled it, disappointed to see it was not in her mentor's distinctive handwriting, but was a dime-a-dozen scribe who had crafted this missive. Shrugging, she peered down at it, looking it over. “To Twilight Sparkle, personal student of our most honored Empress,” she read, clearing her throat to stop a bit of pride from welling up. She couldn't allow herself to get a big head after all. “Your presence is hereby requested by the Empress herself for a discussion of the utmost importance, to take place with the Empress' private meeting room, at the hour of the Tiger. Tea and cake will be served.” She frowned and blinked, her head raising up. “Spike, what time is it?”

The dragon turned his head to an ornate sun dial sitting just outside in the garden. “Um, five minutes til,” he answered.

Twilight squeaked. “Why do I never get these things with plenty of time to spare?” she shouted, turning and dashing out of the room. “You'll clean up for me, right?”

Spike sighed. She was already gone before he could answer and he looked down over the several dozen form scrolls, completely unfurled and littering the ground. “Oh sure, why not,” he grumbled, grabbing the closest one and starting to roll it up. “Look at me, a child dragon familiar with all the power of the Zodiac at my disposal and she has me rolling up scrolls. Life. Don't talk to me about life.”

Twilight was quite fast. Her training under Celestia had involved quite a large emphasis on parkour and thinking on her feet. One of her favorite activities when she had been younger, before she had the discipline she had needed to be a true student, had been to see how quickly she could get from one side of the palace to the other without causing too much confusion or destruction.

Right now, she was very grateful for all that time she'd spent doing that. It meant she actually had a small chance of making it to the meeting in time. She would NOT be tardy! She jumped over a few large wagons, ducked under a table, dashed into the main hall, and quickly twisted down the hallways, dashing by guards, who offered her quick hellos and other greetings of that kind. She knew most everyone who lived or worked in the palace, at least in terms of their name and position. Her studies meant that she had little time for fraternizing with those below her station.

Below her station... she hated that sort of descriptor, but she knew no other way of describing her situation. Her family was already quite high in society, a long line of nobility marked with dozens of prominent magicians, chi masters, and psychics that had remained high in the Empress' favor for decades. Her ascension to a personal student of the princess has only increased what was already a firmly established position of comfort. But did that mean she had to act like those around her were below her? No, she decided. It was merely a matter of circumstance. Surely, if her studies were not quite so heavy, she would have been a much more sociable unicorn, right?

Right?

She skidded to a halt right in front of two large, ornate double doors, made of the most solid oak. It had a huge, golden sun painted upon it, carefully carved to make it look as though the true sun itself were resting upon its door. Twilight had to stop herself and take several deep breaths. She hadn't pushed herself to go so fast in quite a while. She vaguely worried that she might be getting out of shape, but a quick touch of her toned stomach assured her that she was above average health. With one more deep breath, she calmed herself and raised one hand up, knocking at the door. She blushed as she realized the two guards standing at attention on either side of her were looking her over with a raised brow. “Um, just didn't want to be late,” she said with a nervous chuckle.

The guards just shrugged and resumed their stoic stance.

“Enter,” came the gentle response from within.

Twilight nodded, though no one was around to see it, and pushed open the door in front of her. She peeked inside, just in time to see Empress Celestia pouring hot water into two small cups sitting in front of her. An advisor sat by herself, her head bowed. “Forgive me, your highness, am I late? Or early? Or...”

“You are just in time, Twilight,” Celestia answered with a smile. “I was just finishing up some business with Dusty.” She turned to the advisor, who bowed her head even lower. “Have a brigade sent down towards the Everfree border,” she said. “And be sure that all villages are fortified in case the brigand attacks grow any worse.”

“As you wish,” the advisor said with a small smile, drawing herself up, bowing her upper body several times as she backed away, offering Twilight similar bows before sliding out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Twilight watched her go for a moment before she dropped to one knee. “Empress Celestia, I am so glad to see you again, and so humbled by your invitation.”

“And I am gladdened to see you here accepting my invitation,” the alicorn said, raising one cup up and blowing on it. “It's also nice to see you wearing something a tad more casual than normal.”

Twilight blinked, tilting her head before she looked down at her clothing. She flushed bright red as she realized that she was still wearing her practice gi. “Oh, Princess, I'm so sorry. The missive was just delivered five minutes ago and I didn't have time...”

Celestia raised her hand. “Now, now, Twilight, I'm well aware of how long it took you to get the invitation. You performed amicably, managing to get here before the meeting time.” She gave her a soft smile. “You certainly have been taking your exercises seriously.”

Twilight blushed again and toyed with her tail a little bit, sitting down at the table across from her mentor. “Thank you.” she said softly. She took up her own cup, blowing on it, politely waiting for her Empress to take the first sip before she took a soft gulp from her own. The soft flavor of spice and jasmine swirled around her tongue, making her instantly feel at ease. The familiar flavor was enough to break down any and all barriers she had erected around herself. “Ahhh,” she sighed.

Celestia chuckled. “I take it you enjoy the tea?”

Twilight giggled. “My empress, the tea you make is always perfect. I only wish I could mimic an ounce of your talent.”

Celestia smiled, taking another small sip. “Tea making is a simple art, Twilight. You have but to ask, and I would be happy to share my technique with you.”

Twilight bowed her head again. “I don't wish to inconvenience you in such a manner, Empress.”

She smiled. “Nonsense, Twilight. I always have time for my wonderful student.”

Twilight would never get used to the praise that the empress heaped upon her. She took her studies seriously, and she did her best in every endeavor that was put before her, but to be complimented by the high ruler of all Equestria, well... it felt more than a little weird, especially when she was just an ordinary unicorn.

Celestia pushed a plate with a small slice of chocolate cake towards her. “Cake, Twilight?”

Twilight looked over the treat for a moment before she shook her head. “I don't mean to be rude, but I did have a large breakfast.”

“Suit yourself,” she said with a shrug, taking a small nibble of her own slice.

They sat in silence for a while now, sipping their tea and enjoying one another's company. Patience, Twilight thought to herself. As curious as she was to know why she had been called here, she had learned not to rush her mentor. Whatever it was, she was sure that it could wait until they had finished their tea.

And indeed it did. As per manners and protocol, both cups were emptied and both mouths were wiped before Celestia assumed a more formal stance, adjusting herself so that she sat on her knees. “Now then, to business,” she said, reaching under the cloth adorning the table, drawing forth a small scroll. “I fear that dark times may be coming, my student.”

Twilight frowned, the sudden change in her teacher's demeanor instantly setting off warning sirens in her mind. She'd known Celestia to sway from incredibly informal to stone serious in a matter of words, sometimes within the same sentence, and it always made her uncomfortable, even moreso than the compliments. “Dark times?” she asked.

Celestia nodded. “I awoke last night from a dream I had only had one time before. Long ago. Even after all this time, I will never forget the feeling.” She took a deep breath and Twilight saw her shudder.

The unicorn almost gasped. She'd never seen her empress shaken, in any capacity, but seeing her shiver like that. Twilight started to feel a little scared.

After a moment, Celestia shook her head, unfurling the scroll. “Twilight, have you heard the tales of the Four Black Stars?”

Twilight tilted her head to the side. “The Four Black Stars?” she parroted. “Of course I know of them, it's just a foal's bedtime story, Your Highness. It's the story of four demons who each came from a different cardinal direction in an attempt to conquer the land.” She smiled, remembering the story well. It had been one of her favorites back when she was just a child. “They say it was the event that brought you forth from the sun.” She gave a shrug. “But you're ageless. You've always ben here.”

Celestia gave a slight smile. “Do you mean to say that I am old, Twilight?”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation, flushing deeply whens he realized what she'd said. “I-I mean of course not, it's just that... you are... and were... and here...”

Celestia laughed and waved a hand. “Calm yourself, my student, merely a joke on my part.”

“Ehehe... yes, of course.”

Celestia's stoicism returned. “Well, that aside, I'm afraid it was more than just an old foal's tale. Time and generations have twisted and altered the facts, but the truth remains.” She held up the scroll, offering it to Twilight. The young unicorn frowned, taking it and carefully unfurling it. It felt old, ragged, almost as though it would fall apart if not held by the gentlest of hands. However, despite the age of the parchment, the writing and drawings held within remained as pristine and unmarred as though they were applied yesterday. “That scroll is the only known recording from that time, Twilight. In it, I have written down everything I saw and learned of the four. Including the dreams that I had during the war against them.” She sighed. “Last night, my dreams were caked in a thick, dark miasma. Nothing was definite, but I could hear mocking laughter, pained screams, feel the pulse of their black magic.”

Twilight looked over the first few drawings presented in the scroll, a depiction of the four demons in question. “Princess, not that I question your ability, but... could it be that you are mistake? Everypony has nightmares at some points in their lives, right?” She shrugged. “I used to get them very badly when I was a foal.”

“I remember, yes. They continued well into your first year here.” She gave a light smile. “And while I wish that were a possibility, Twilight, there can be no mistake. The dream is the same, and I only ever had those dreams when those four roamed free.”

“But... the legend. I thought that it said you destroyed them, utterly.”

Celestia gave a slight sigh and for a moment Twilight worried that she might have upset the Empress, but her look was not one of annoyance. Rather, it was one of regret. “I should have ended them, yes. I had the power back then. I had found a way of annihilating them utterly, without any risk to my little ponies. After all they had done, it certainly would have been deserved. But my heart was soft. Certain events had transpired before the fateful encounter, and I... I couldn't bring myself to unleash the full power I had at my disposal. Instead, I merely encased them in stone and had their bodies hidden away where none would find them, under the pretense that everyone can chance and all deserve a second chance.” She bowed her head, running her fingers through her long mane. “It was... one of many mistakes I would make through my life.

Twilight's ears lowered. “Empress Celestia...” she said, attempting her best to find something to say. Nothing came to mind. This was a pretty big deal, and something that required the utmost care and patience when dealing with. Or, she could do what she felt like doing and absolutely panicking at the thought of four powerful demons being unleashed into the world again. She shoved those thoughts aside, however. “Can you not use this power again?”

“The power was lost to me the day,” she said. “The moment I made my choice, and the moment it was used, they left.”

“They?”

Celestia nodded. “I suppose I should explain. The legend equates total victory over the Black Stars to me, my student. That... could not have been further from the truth. I was powerful. I still am powerful, but in a straight fight against all four of them, I would most definitely fall. As much as my subjects like to think this, I am far from omnipotent. Just as every creature that lives and breaths in this world, I am fallible. I am vulnerable. Am I powerful? Indeed. But even I could not face this threat alone. Six warriors came forward, from all over Equestria, holding within them, something that I had never seen before, nor have I ever seen since. They held a strange... how to describe it... a strange spark within each of them, and when these sparks were united, their already considerable skills escalated to something far more. After seeing them together, against these dark forces, I decided to name their powers The Elements of Harmony, a true unity of all the six great elements that brings all life together in true unity.”

“But if they were the elements, why did you lose their power when the Black Stars were defeated?”

She leaned back. “The elements broke off their ties with me after my moment of weakness. They believed that I had made the wrong decision and that my choice would come back to haunt me. It seems that they were quite right in their assumptions. I never saw them again after that.” She smiled. “However, I know what they had did not die with them. It could not have. I believe that these six warriors, or at least their spirits, still live on in some form or another.”

Twilight's eyes sparkled. “Reincarnation?” she asked, happy to discuss something so metaphysical with her teacher.

Celestia chuckled, recognizing the spark. “Indeed. I believe that those six have been reincarnated at least once a generation. The sparks have never been brought forth since then, but I believe that they walk among us now, and they must be reunited if we are to put a stop to the coming storm before it can begin.”

“Absolutely,” Twilight agreed. “But how would we go about finding them? Is there any sort of family line we can trace? Perhaps some sort of artifact we could use to locate them.”

“As far as I know, the warriors had no families, or if they did, their lines have long since disappeared. The sparks, the elements, they weren't something I could easily pinpoint, as powerful as they were. I'm afraid that the task I am settling you with will be incredibly difficult.”

“Yes, well, I'm pretty sure that we...” Twilight paused, taking in her mentor's phrasing. “Wait, wait, wait. Forgive me, Empress, but I seem to have misunderstood you. Surely you meant that WE would have an incredibly difficult task ahead of US.”

Celestia shook her head. “I'm afraid not, Twilight. That is the real reason I have called you here today. I am afraid I must set the task of locating the six elements squarely on your shoulders, my most faithful student.”

Millions of responses fluttered through Twilight's brain at that moment. Most of them were not very polite or pleasant, so she just settled on a simple, “What?”

The empress slowly pulled herself to her feet, adjusting her pure white robes and spreading her wings out. “I'm afraid that I must remain here. If I leave, then the heart of the empire will be wide open to attack. If I step out, there is also the unfortunate possibility of ambush, and if word gets out that the Empress is out and about in the world, Ponies will talk. I must do all I can to prevent panic amongst the ponies. The less they know about this the better. That, and I am afraid that the timing of this event could not be any more terrible.”

“What do you mean, Empress?”

“You are aware of the state of our relations with Griffonia to the west, I assume?”

Twilight nodded. “I was aware that relations were beginning to grow more than a little shaky,” she answered.

“I'm afraid it is worse than that,” Celestia said, looking out her window. “While we have yet to enter open conflict, I fear that skirmishes along the border are inevitable, and once it starts, it will quickly snowball out of control. In addition to the cloud within, there is a war brewing just beyond our borders, and I must be here to observe it and doll out the necessary orders.”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “But, Empress...” she stated. “What exactly makes me such a worthy candidate for such an important task?”

Celestia smiled and walked forward, placing her hands upon Twilight's shoulders. “Because, my dear student, you have the power and perception necessary for this task.”

“But... I don't really have much experience dealing with other ponies, Empress.”

“I know. That certainly is a problem,” she mused, causing Twilight to blush. “But there is no one else I would trust with such an important task. You can move about the general populace without arousing suspicions, and your clarity for the magical arts and skill in the martial arts will surely be a boon to you in your search. But above all, I believe in you because you are my student and I know that you will not fail.”

Twilight felt nervous pride welling up within her and she gave a slow nod before standing up, straight and confident. “My empress,” she said, folding her hands together and bowing forward. “It would be an honor to undertake this task for you.”

“Thank you, Twilight.” She pat her shoulder. “I shall have some supplies prepared for you. You should go back and pack. Make sure Spike is ready for long travel as well.”

“Spike?” she asked blinking. “You want him to come with me?”

“But of course. I won't be sending you out completely alone, Twilight, and above all else, I believe that even a unicorn of your talents should not be alone. Your familiar is as much a part of you as your horn is. He should always be by your side, and chances are good that he will be an invaluable asset in your quest.”

“I don't doubt your wisdom, Empress,” she said with a small smile. “But I worry that bringing someone so young with me on such a dangerous quest...”

Celestia pressed a finger to her lips and shook her head. “Spike is a dragon. A baby dragon to be sure but a dragon nonetheless, and linked to you at the spirit, as is the case for all who gain a familiar of their own. You need not be concerned over putting him in danger. Besides,” she said with a slightly impish grin. “Even if Spike were told not to come with you, he would still find a way to follow, you know.”

Twilight giggled, rolling her eyes. “You're probably right. Very well then, Empress, I shall go and pack.”

“One last thing, my student,” she said. “While I cannot send a regiment of soldiers with you, as it would draw too much attention, I want you take at least one bodyguard with you. Before you leave, go to the Barracks and ask for a Wonderbolt to accompany you.

Twilight gasped. “A Wonderbolt? But empress, those are your most elite soldiers, practically your personal honor guard.”

“And it would do put my mind at ease a great deal if you would have one with you.” She smiled and clapped her hands. A guard opened a door. “Please call Dusty to my side again,” she said. “And prepare two packs of provisions for my student, as much as she and another pony can comfortably carry.”

“At once, empress,” the guard stated, bowing his head as he slid back out.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Well, I suppose that is my cue to go and get ready.”

“Your provisions will be delivered to you before you set out. And as I said, I leave the decision on which Wonderbolt you wish to take up to you.” she pat her shoulder before she bent down to be at her student's eye level, touching her horn to hers, making the unicorn blush slightly. “Be safe, my dearest student, Twilight Sparkle. I shall be counting the days until your return.”

Thank you, Empress Celestia,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she turned away. “I swear to you, I shall not fail. I'll find the elements, I will see that the Four Black Stars are stopped for good this time, and I shall see Equestria returned to its safe and peaceful state.” She gulped. “Somehow.” She walked out, slowly.

Celestia watched her go, letting out a deep breath. “Gods be with you, Twilight... and I pray I have not made yet another mistake.”

A few minutes later, A brown maned earth pony stuck her head in. “You called for me, Empress.”

“Indeed,” she said, motioning for her to come in. “Thank you for coming so promptly, Dusty.”

“Think nothing of it, Empress. As your advisor and personal attendant, I must always be as prompt as possible.” She smiled. “What can I do for you.”

“Have a missive written and delivered to the Barracks and inform Commander Spitfire to have her finest Wonderbolts prepared to present themselves to my student. She will be going on a journey, and one of them shall be attending to her on the trip.”

“Of course,” she nodded, adjusting the spectacles she wore and jotting down notes on a clip board held close to her chest. “Will that be all?”

Celestia was about to nod and dismiss her, but the uneasy feeling remained with her. She needed something to relax her. She shook her head, sitting down in front of the small table. “Actually, yes, there is something else you can do for me, Dusty.”

“Anything.”

“Would you... please help me to relax a tad?”

Dusty gave a soft blush and a smile, walking over and setting her board and her quill to the side. “I am always glad to be of service to you, my lady.” She bowed low before scooting her way behind the princess. With careful and steady precision, which came from years of practice, she spread one of Celestia's wings outward. Then, with long and loving strokes, she began to brush her fingers through her feathers, preening them.

Celestia took in a deep breath and let out a long, happy sigh, her entire body relaxing as her attendant's fingers ran through her sensitive feathers. “Ahhh, that is perfect.”

“Nothing but the best for you, my empress.”

“Thank you.”

“No, empress. Thank you.”

Celestia smiled, feeling a soft blush rise under her pure white coat. For now, at least, she could just enjoy herself.

Applejack carefully raised the lit incense to the wind, letting the small puff of smoke emanating from the stick to be carried of before she carefully placed it down on the small, gold cylinder plate resting between two small grave stones. They sat here, underneath the largest tree in the entire orchard. The first tree. While other members of the clan had opted for a more traditional burial, her father had always been the odd man out of the family, and her mother had only been too glad to mimic is want to be laid to rest underneath the place where they had confessed their love to one another.

She supposed it was fitting. They had cared for this land for their entire lives, and now, for over two years, they had been a part of it. They were at peace. They were where they wished to be.

But it didn't make their passing any easier.

As the incense continued to burn, the blond-haired mare bowed her head down to the ground before the grave stones, just as her mother had taught her to do when addressing the fallen. “Mom, dad,” she said, smiling as she rose back up, tilting the brim of the unusual hat she wore. Her father's hat. The hat he'd given to her the night that Applebloom had been born. She took a deep breath before standing up. “I hope it's enough of an offerin' for ya. I plum forgot to pick up more incense last time I was in town.” She smiled. “It's been a good harvest. I promise, we'll save some of the best apples for both of you.” She took a deep breath, waving to the two headstones before turning away.

As she turned and looked back down the hill, she frowned. Down at the small farm house, a small group of armed ponies were speaking with her grandmother. They didn't look terribly friendly... or clean. That wouldn't have bothered Applejack too much. After all, she was a farm pony, she and her family were never spotless at the best of times, but these didn't look like farm ponies. They didn't look like beggars either.

Mostly because beggars didn't carry blades that big.

She started down the way, frowning. Big Mac and Applebloom had come out of the farm house to inspect their visitors as well, though Mac was quick to usher the little filly back into the front door when he saw that they were armed. As she neared, her Granny Smith's voice began to reach her ears. “We don't have much, but we do have some spare harvest if you really need it. But we aren't going to just hand over our money, especially when we need all that we can save for the winter months.”

“Well that's a right shame, a black-furred earth pony holding a long dagger said, examining the rather worn blade. “Because, you see, my friends and I are in a bit of a state. We need just a little bit of money and food to see us through to town.” He smirked. “Surely you could spare just a little bit of your savings?”

Big Mac frowned, crossing his arms. He was a massive pony, standing all above everyone else present. “Nope,” he stated.

One of the ponies frowned. “You talk funny, boy. But we weren't talking to you. Quite presumptuous of you to speak for your whole family here.”

“Oh, he ain't speakin' for all of us, but he ain't wrong. We got nothin' for folks like you. We deal with yer kind all the time, and we ain't about to give in to a bunch of lil buckers like you.”

The black coated stallion scowled and turned on her. “You've got quite a mouth on you, little lady.” He drew closer to her. “And a strange way of talking, to be sure.” He raised brow. “Are you even from here.”

“Born and raised my whole life. What's it to you?”

He pointed to her hat. “Interesting headware as well. I haven't seen anything like that around here before.”

“You ain't libel to see somethin' like it anywhere else, neither.” She was growing tired of this conversation. Everyone always commented on her accent, and her hat... and...

He reached up and propped the brim of her hat up, raising a brow. “Your eyes...”

Said eyes narrowed at him. “What about em?”

He chuckled. The chuckle turned into full on laughter as he pulled her hat off completely. “Ahaha! It makes sense now! Oh Celestia, I don't know why I didn't see it before, especially on that giant of a man over there.” He twirled his dagger in Mac's direction. “You're a half breed! Mixed parentage!” He laughed again. The others began to laugh as well. Applejack could feel her blood beginning to boil. “So, who was the foreigner? And why did one settle for the other?”

Applejack growled louder. “Give me back my hat,” she ordered, her voice icy. “An' take back what you said about my pa.”

“Ah, so your father was from outside the borders.” He chuckled. “I feel so sorry for the mare who had to settle for one of those filthy barbarians from...”

He was cut off as Applejack grabbed her hat back, placing it back on her brow, her ears folding back in anger. “Leave,” she ordered. “I ain't gonna ask nicely again.”

“Oh, I'm shaking in my hooves,” he said mockingly. His gang, totaling five strong, laughed behind him. “Well, listen up, half breed, I don't care how nice you ask, we didn't come here to just walk away. Now, I'm through being polite myself. Hand over all your money, and as much food as we can carry and no one will get hurt.”

“Someone's gonna get hurt around here, but it ain't gonna be us,” the mare stated.

“And what are you going to- HURK!”

Before he could complete his question, Applejack gave him her answer, in the form of a powerful curled fist launched directly into his stomach. The bandit crumpled down, clutching at his stomach and coughing as he tried to keep from retching in pain. “I said get the buck offa my orchard,” she snarled.

The five other bandits, momentarily stunned at seeing their leader brought to his knees after a single punch, began to draw their own weapons. Applejack tensed, raising her fists up. “AJ!” someone called. She turned to see Big Mac holding two garden hoes. Granny Smith was retreating into the house, pulling a worried Applebloom with her. Mac tossed one of the hoes to her and she caught it, smiling and spinning it.

“Thanks, big bro!” she called.

Mac nodded, holding up his own makeshift weapon in a defensive stance. “Eeyup!”

She smirked as two of the five began to approach her. “You'll pay for that, girlie!” one of them hissed, holding a sword out in front of him. Applejack watched his stance carefully. He was off balance and didn't seem like he knew how to hold a sword. AJ smirked. They just made this way too easy. His compatriot lunged forward, swiping at her with one of two daggers he clutched in his hands. She chuckled a bit and spun the hoe, knocking the end against his wrist, making him stumble to the side in an attempt to recover. She pushed forward with her hoe again, bashing him in the nose as he stumbled, sending him to the ground with a yelp. The sword wielder drew forward and made an attempted stab at her. She stepped out of the way easily and caught him in the back of the head as he tried to pull back from his ill conceived lunge. The smack to the back of the skull caused him to lurch forward, straight onto his stomach. Before he could recover, Applejack raised the butt of the hoe up, slamming it down in the center of his back, making him howl in pan and roll over, writhing.

“Do yerself a big favor and get outta here afore I start breaking bones,” she ordered, stepping over the two downed enemies, briefly glancing to make sure that Big Mac was holding his own. He was doing just fine, but unlike her, he was far more of a defensive fighter. He never pressed after he pushed someone away. Sighing, she decided it was up to her to get the message across. She walked past the recovering leader, giving him a small crack in the skull to keep him down on the ground where he deserved to be before walking up to the first brigand attempting to break past her brother's defense. “Beg pardon, but I think yer bein' called away.” She grabbed the back of his muddy, tattered tunic and tossed him away with one might heave.

His call made the other two turn their attention away from the huge stallion defending the farm house and refocus their efforts on the crazy mare who seemed far more dangerous. Applejack backed away for a moment, letting them get their bearings, hoping that they would be smart enough to realize they were outmatched and outclassed. They didn't, instead attempting to flank her. She raised a brow. At least these two had a sense of strategy. Not that it would help them much.

Both of them attempted to charge her at once. She sighed and spun the hoe behind her, catching the assailant in the side, making him fall to the side. She twisted back around and sent the metal edge of the hoe towards his knee. It dinged against the sensitive bone with an audible ring, making the poor mare shriek. She fell backwards, dropping her knives and clutching her knee. Applejack pushed up the brim of her hat, smiling in satisfaction. “Easier than bucking apples,” she said happily.

The sound of a crack caught her attention and she turned to see Big Mac putting down another brigand who had attempted to rise back up after she'd floored him. He turned to her and pointed. “AJ, Watch yourself!”

She tensed, but before she could react, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her, gripping her arms tightly and spinning her around to face the black furred leader. He rubbed at his face, growling loudly. “That's it,” he snarled. “I'm going to take those pretty little eyes of yours, you bitch!” He began to stumble forward, raising his sword up high.

AJ snorted, writhing against the grip of her captor, raising herself up and curling her legs forward, planting both feet firmly into the chest of the charging stallion in one of the hardest kicks she had ever mustered against another living being. She imagined him as an apple tree, ripe for the picking, and the strength just came naturally to her. The kick sent the unfortunate target sailing backwards, spiraling through the air before he came to rest a few good trots away, clutching at his chest, coughing and groaning loudly.

Momentarily dumbfounded by seeing his boss launched a good distance away from a single kick, the goon holding Applejack let his grip loosen a little. The mare grinned and pulled her head forward before launching the back of her skull straight against his nose. He let go of her, crumpling like cheap parchment, falling to the ground and clutching at what was no doubt a broken nose. Applejack rubbed the back of her head lightly. “Ma always told me I had a thick skull. Thank the empress she was right,” She chuckled, turning away from the writhing stallion, back to the leader. Their eyes locked and all confidence drained away from his expression. She began to advance on him, and while he tried to push himself up, he was obviously still in pain from her kick, as he couldn't sit up without recoiling in pain. She towered over him, hand on her hip. “Now, what was I sayin' afore? Oh yeah.” Reaching down, she yanked the injured pony to his feet, holding him in front of her. “Get offa mah orchard,” she ordered.

He gulped and nodded softly, holding up his hands. “Yes ma'am, right away ma'am.”

She nodded. “Now that's what I like to hear.” she tossed him away. “An' ya can go an' tell all yer friends that if they come around here again, I'll be dishin' out the same to them too!”

The stallion nodded and he and his gang turned tail, limping away and clutching at their injured bodies. Applejack watched them go with a slight sense of satisfaction. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down from the adrenaline still pumping through her body. A large gentle hand rested against her shoulder and she smiled. “Thanks fer the help, Big Mac. Ya okay?”

“Eeyup,” he answered with a small smile. “You?”

“Never better,” she answered, turning back to the farm house. “Come on, let's go make sure Granny didn't have a heart attack.”

“Eeyup.”

The two of them walked back to the farm house and Applejack opened the door, only to see a small yellow blur launch itself at her, clinging to her leg. “Applejack! Thank goodnest yer okay!” her little sister said. “Ah was so worried when they started tryin ta hitcha!”

Applejack chuckled and pat the little filly's head. “Ah'm just fine, darlin'. Don't worry.” She sighed. “But ah am getting mighty concerned here. This is the third time this month we've had to deal with ruffians comin' round here.”

Granny smith, leaning on her cane, came forward, trying to raise up from her hunched state. She gave a slight cough. “It has been worse this year than others, yes,” she noted. “Ah mean, it's not uncommon to have an attack maybe once every few months, maybe three or four stragglers attempting to raid us for something to eat, but they've been getting bolder ever since the royal guards stopped patrolling out this far.”

“Why DID they stop comin' out here?” Applejack asked. “Ah remember sellin' off whole bushels to em back with Pa was around, fer their convoys back home.”

“I wish I knew, darlin'” the elder said, coughing into her hand a little. Her accent was a tad mixed. While she had been born here in Equestria, after her daughter had married an outsider, she'd taken on several of his speech mannerisms as well. “I suppose our little hovel out here isn't as pressin' as what's goin' on in Canterlot right now.”

Applejack sighed softly. “Well, we need help out here. Them bandits are gonna start overrunnin' our home, and the nearby towns if the capital don't send out someone to handle the problem.” She put a hand on her hip. “Ah mean, Mac an' me, we're good, but we ain't gonna get any work done if we have to keep crackin' skulls like this.”

“Nope,” her brother agreed.

“I never said that it was right,” Granny stated, walking towards her chair, and lowering herself down into it. “But we don't have much of a choice out here. It's one of the hazards of being out this far from the bigger world in Canterlot. It isn't like we're near Okineighwa or Neighasaki, or one of those other big cities. We're out in the back woods as far as the Canterlot elite are concered.”

“All the more reason they should want us safe an' sound!” she stated, patting her head. “Who do they think helps get 'em all those delicious apple treats they keep stuffin' their faces with all the time? They sure ain't growin' it themselves!”

Applebloom frowned. “AJ, are yah alright?”

She took a deep breath and hugged her sister. “Ah'm fine, sugarcube. Just more than a lil' peeved.”

Granny smiled. “Everything'll be all right, little darlin'. After all, we've been around for generations and this has always been our lot in life. It's...”

“Not a lot, but it's our life,” Applejack stated with a smirk. She chuckled. “Ah know. An' I'm proud to be a part of it, but if we don't do somethin' we might not be around for much longer.” She tapped her chin in thought, her mind working carefully as she looked around her. Memorabilia from all the past Apple family members to inhabit this home. Everything had been hand carved from the wood of retired apple trees, strong and sturdy as the hands that had crafted them. All the bedding, all the sheets and the clothes were hand stitched and handed down from generation to generation, made with the love, care and attention that only one dedicated to their craft could pull off. On the back wall, from the very top to the very bottom, a series of wooden plaques rested, each one listing the name of every member of the family along with what they were known for. She followed it down to the very bottom, with the three most recent plaques had been added. Her name rested between her elder brother and younger sister there. “Applejack,” it read. “Honest Determination.”

And it was the same determination that refused to think about generations of work being tossed away merely because they couldn't defend themselves and keep to their farm at the same time. “I'm going,” she announced at last.

“What's that dear?” Granny said, frowning.

“I'm going to Canterlot,” she said. “I gotta find someone who'll listen to reason an' help us keep our farm safe. I'll go all the way to the top an' talk to Celestia herself if I have to.

Applebloom tensed. “Yer leavin'? But... but why so sudden, AJ?”

“Them brigands must have hit you harder than I thought,” Granny Smith said. “We need you here, dear! The farm needs you!”

Applejack nodded. “Ah know it's spur o' the moment and whatnot, but Ah been thinkin' about this fer a while now. We can't just wait around anymore, waitin' fer things to go back to the way they were, 'cause chances are good, they won't. Ah gotta go and see if there's something, anything I can do to get the royal guards patrolling out this far again, an' if I can, find out why they stopped in the first place.” She smiled to them. “An' Ah know the farm needs me, but Ah think things'll be okay if I'm not gone too long. The harvest is almost done, yah got plenty of orders that'll be picked up before long, and yah got Big Mac. Ah'm sure he can handle things while I'm away.”

Big Mac walked over to her, patting her shoulder again. They stared at one another. She smiled. “Ah know. Ah'll miss y'all too. An' I know I ain't been to Canterlot before, but Ah know Ah'll be fine.” Mac continued to stare at her. “Now don't you be givin' me any grief, Macintosh.” She pat his shoulder. “Yah gotta trust me. Yah wanna keep this place safe?”

“Eeyup.”

“Yah wanna keep them bandits offa our land?”

“Eeyup.”

“An' you don't wanna go to Canterlot yerself?”

“Nope.”

“Well one of us has to, or we ain't gonna get anything done. We apples may be reliable and we can do a lotta things, but we can't stand on our own. Pa came here with nothin' and everyone turned him away til' he came out here and met Granny and Ma. And everyone here, even in town, they ain't treated him any different from them, an' they've done the same fer the three of us, despite the fact that we don't look like everpony else. Ah'm doin' this for them, just as much as I am.”

The room grew quiet. Big Mac smiled a little bit and hugged his sister close. “Pa would be prouda you, little sis.”

She blinked, not used to hearing her brother actually talk in a full sentence. “Er...” she sighed, smiling, appreciating his soft words. “Thanks. I swear, Ah'll be real careful. And Ah'll be coming home with help.”

“I've no doubt you will,” Granny smith said, standing up. “And it seems that your mind is set. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Ah not only want to, but I have to.”

She nodded. “Well, then, at least wait until tomorrow. Travelin' is always easier after a good night's rest.”

She nodded. “Well Ah wasn't just gonna go walkin' out the front door.” She gave a soft laugh.

“Indeed,” Granny smith said. “And you'll be needing something to defend yourself with as well.” She stood up and walked over to the small bookshelf which encompassed a very small collection of books and scrolls, mostly on farming and gardening and the basics of frontier living. She reached up to the top shelf, with some effort, and pulled a small box off the top. “Your father left you a good many things here on the farm after his passing. There was only one item that he had brought with him from his old home that he gave me very specific instructions for.” she turned to them.

Applebloom frowned. “Ain't that the box you told me not to go near, Granny?”

She chuckled. “Ah yes, that is correct little Applebloom.” She smiled. “And all things told, it is a good thing I scolded you whenever you got curious about this. I'd always had a fool's hope that I wouldn't have to open this, but your father insisted that, should the day come when one of his children wished to leave the farm, for whatever reason, I give them this.” She beckoned the three of them over. “Your father was not raised here. In many ways he did not believe in the philosophies of the martial. So he had his own way of compensating.” She cracked open the box, to the waiting eyes of three young ponies.

Inside was a gun.

Applejack's eyes widened. “Pa's old three-shot,” she whispered, looking up and down the gleaming silver barrel. “Ah thought it'd been buried with him.”

“No, my dear. He insisted that I hold it, for the day that we might need it. I told him we wouldn't, but he insisted that, as good as we were with our fists, it never hurt to have something extra.” She rolled her eyes. “It was foreigner thinking, but I suppose I can't fault his logic too much.”

Applejack found the thing absolutely beautiful. She'd seen her father firing it off a few times, practicing by setting up the old, rotten apples he couldn't sell out a ways from him, taking shots with strange, little round balls he made himself. He'd even let her fire it a few times. She'd never manage to hit a single target. She'd also learned quick enough how dangerous it could be, especially after she had tried to take it out on her own. She'd improperly loaded it and it had backfired. Not powerfully, but enough to leave her arm sore and bandaged for a month, and her behind sore for a week. Her father had certainly been quite upset. She'd never tried to reach the gun again, unless her father offered to help her practice.

She knew how to fire it. She knew how to load it. Her father had even shown her how he made his makeshift bullets from the earth. His own personal brand of magic, he'd called it. The process had amazed her as a child, but it made so much sense to her own. He'd even told her a few stories of his old home, how before the guns had been made infused with magic, there was a very dangerous kind of powder used in the earliest guns. It made them very dangerous and much more prone to backfire, but after a few special enchantments had been made, the guns were much safer and more reliable. He had said the gun was one of his only heirlooms from his old life.

Beside the gun was her father's personal ammunition pouch, holding a sizable amount of shot he had made. Beneath that was a small notebook written in her father's native tongue. It was a tad messy, something that she could read, vaguely, but the more complicated words were unfamilar to her. It seemed to be a journal of different kinds of shots he had made and experimented with, detailing materials needed, where they could be found, and going into great detail on what they should be used for. In the back of her mind, Applejack wondered something she hadn't wondered since the day her father had begun to teach her own to shoot: Had her father once been more than a farmer?

The question went unanswered as the box was handed to her, her grandmother beginning to cough a tad. Big Mac went to her side, supporting her. She waved him away as the coughing ceased. “No need to worry about me, my boy. I'm just getting old.” She chuckled and turned back to her chair. “I give you that knowing that you're smart enough to know when not to use it, Applejack. If you're going to go on this journey, then prepare yourself. You've not been off the farm before. The closer to Canterlot you go, I can assure you, the more the world is going to change. It is a very different place.”

Applejack let out a sigh. “Ah know it'll be different, but Ah think Ah can handle it, Granny.” She carefully pulled the gun up out of the box. It felt much lighter than she remembered. More memories came flooding back to her and she checked the safety and then the chambers to see if they were loaded. They weren't. She smiled and spun the gun in her hand, like she had seen her father do dozens of times before when he was showing off to her and Big Mac. She'd never managed to master the simple motion, despite his instruction, but now she managed three spins before catching the handle again and holding it tight.

Applebloom gasped nearby. “How'd ya do that, sis?” she asked, eyes wide with wonder.

Applejack blushed a moment and smiled. “Y'all can thank Pa fer that.” She replaced the gun in the box and tucked it under her arm. “Ah should really go an' pack, Ah think. Make sure Ah don't forget anything Ah'll need when I head out tomorrow.”

Her little sister frowned. “Are yah sure yah gotta go?” she asked again.

Applejack smiled at the filly, gentle calm and patience on her face as she looked to the stairs leading up to her room. “Yeah. I do.”

Applebloom looked less than happy with this answer, but she lowered her head and nodded.

Her sister smiled at her, reassuringly. “Hey hey, it ain't like I'm headin' out now. Ah promise, we'll spend one more good night together, we'll all say good bye tomororw, an' then when Ah come back an' the soldiers start patrollin' around here again, Ah bet Ah'll have a lotta real swell stories to tell yah!” She grinned at her, rubbing her head.

“Yah... promise yer comin' back?”

“Course!” she said with a grin. “Already said I was, didn't Ah?”

“It's just... ah don't wanna lose yah, big sis. Ma and Pa are already gone, an'... an'...”

The smile faded, and it took a great deal of self control to keep herself from misting up as she saw her little sister beginning to sob. She took off her hat and bent herself down to be at eye level with her sister. “Listen to me, sugarcube,” she said with a soft whisper. “Ah ain't gonna leave like that. Ah swear, I'm comin' home, safe and sound, an' Ah'm gonna keep workin' on the farm when Ah do. If Ma and Pa had a choice, Ah know they'd still be here with us, okay? Ah got a choice in this, an' it's just something Ah gotta do, for all of us.” She drew her sister into a tight hug, taking a deep breath. “Ah promise. Ah'm comin' home.

The filly whimpered, clinging to her sister. The two sat there for a moment before they felt the strong arms of their elder brother wrapping around them as well, holding them both close. Applejack sniffed a little bit. “Y'all ain't gonna start cryin' too, are yah Mac?”

She could hear him sniffle as he pressed his head against her hair, holding his sisters close. “Nope,” he answered, his voice cracking.

Granny Smith watched from her chair, her old eyes, already strained with the burden of age, beginning to mist over. She smiled and wiped an eye softly, sighing and leaning back as she watched her grandchildren. “Jonathan,” she said under her breath. “You left behind three wonderful children. I only wish I could have apologized to you for all the strife I caused. I never said it when you were alive, but... I'm proud that you married Ida.” She took a deep breath. “So you'd best watch over your daughter while she's on the road.”

“Yah say something, Granny?” Applejack asked, slowly raising up off the ground, smiling behind her.

The elder smiled and shook her head. “Nothing, dear. Just the ramblings of a very old Mare.” She grunted softly. “Mac, come with me and help me get lunch started? Far too much sadness in this house right now.”

“Eeyup,” he said, smiling and going to her, taking her arm and helping her towards the kitchen.

Applejack smiled. “Well, Ah gotta go and sort through mah things. Gotta see what Ah'm takin' with me.” She smiled down at Applebloom, still trying to get her sniffles under control. “Yah wanna come and gimmie a hand, lil sis?”

The filly brightened up considerably at the offer. “Yeah! I'd love to!” She smiled and eagerly took her sister's hand, the two of them making their way up the stairs as Applejack panicked within her own mind. For all her conviction and bravado, she didn't think she had much of a plan to work with. 'Well, sugarcube,' she thought to herself, 'Yah done gone and gave yerself this task. Now how in the hay are yah gonna pull it off?'

END OF CHAPTER 2

Chapter 3: Rainbows in the Dark

My Little Dynasty: Kung-Fu is Magic
By Goombasa

Chapter 3: Rainbows in the Dark

“Come one and come all!” a small orange filly announced, shouting at the top of her cracking voice. “See the greatest acrobat this side of Equestria, the one and only Rainbow Dash!”

The rainbow-maned mare grinned to herself as she heard Scootaloo down below her singing her praises. Even with the wind roaring in her ears, she could always hear when someone was saying something that would boost her ego, which, in her mind, translated to boosting her skills. She twirled herself into a corkscrew, rocketing through a huge cloud in her way. It dissipated into vapor as she tossed herself through it, curling her body into a small ball and then launching herself straight down her wings folded. Down below, she could see a crowd of wide-eyed onlookers beginning to gasp and point as she hurtled towards the earth. She felt tears stinging her eyes as the air whipped past her, blurring her vision. But she wasn't worried. In her mind, she counted down the seconds until impact.

Five seconds...

Three...

One...

Her wings snapped open and she pulled up, just before she got intimately acquainted with the pavement. A cloud of dust kicked up around her and as her head turned towards the sky, she could see the backdraft knocking a few unfortunate ponies down to their rumps. She would have laughed if her breath hadn't been caught in her throat. She shook a bit of the exhaustion from her brow and gave one final twirl before ending her routine with a perfect, one foot landing atop a nearby building. Scootaloo ended her cries of adoration with a all for applause, which the audience was only too happy to offer. Rainbow gave a modest bow, though a very large grin rested on her face. She flipped her multi-colored mane back and waved to her adoring fans. “Thank you, thank you, you're too kind!” she called. She hopped down from the roof, hovering down onto the ground next to Scootaloo, who was holding up a small pouch up. It jangled with a few meager proceeds they had already managed to gather earlier in the day.

“If you enjoyed the might Rainbow “Danger” Dash's exploits, then please donate a few coins so that we may continue her exciting shows!” She held the bag open and smiled wide at the crowd. Rainbow chuckled and held out her own hands to a few passing stallions. The crowd was already beginning to thin, but a few generous ponies tossed some coins their way. They gathered them up hurriedly and dropped them into Scootaloo's sack. When the last audience member had filtered back into the streets, merging with the rest of the crowd, Rainbow leaned against the wall and sighed, letting herself slide down to the ground.

Scootaloo joined her, and the older mare gave a smile as she caught her breath. “So, how'd I do, squirt?”

Scootaloo smiled, her eyes wide with admiration. “Your best performance yet, Rainbow Dash!” she said, her tiny wings flittering on her back. “It was so cool the way you dashed across the sky, all looking and whizzing by like that! And then that last dive that you did, I seriously didn't think you were gonna pull up in time! But you did, and it was so AWESOME!”

Rainbow smiled, a blush rising on her face at the praise and her ego swelling as her biggest fan poured it on, thick and sweet, like syrup on pancakes.

Mmm, that reminded her... she was starving!”

“How'd we do,” she asked, leaning forward, her eyes traveling to the bag of coins clenched tightly in the filly's fist.

Blinking, Scootalook to a moment adjust her messy mane before she looked down into the sack, pouring its contents into her lap. “Um, let's see here...” her tiny fingers worked quick to pick through and count up what they had been given, tossing the junk aside. Every once in a while, some smart aleck thought it was okay to toss in a bolt, or maybe a slightly rounded stone, perhaps as a joke. Neither of them found it particularly funny. The child's face fell a little as she finished counting up the coins. “Well, we did better than yesterday,” she told her. “But it still looks like it'll be just cabbage soup again.”

Rainbow's fur bristled a tad and she crossed her arms. “What? Are you sure?” she asked, waving her hand over the coin pile. “I mean, look how many coins we have!”

“Yeah, there are a lot of coins,” Scootaloo agreed. “But they're all the smallest denomination.” She held one of them up. “Look. It's copper. Common.” She sighed. “They're all copper. With what we have here, we'll be able to either keep ourselves for a week on cabbage stew, or we could splurge and eat a really good meal of bread, cheese, and apples, but only for tonight.”

Rainbow groaned. She was so tired of eating cabbage stew! Ugh, it was utterly bland, flavorless, and it wasn't exactly filling. She supposed it was at least keeping her alive and flying, but still, she craved something more. Something with flavor, something that wouldn't leave her wanting after it was gone. Would it be too much to ask for a slice of salted meat? Perhaps a little bit of cheese? Even a few chunks of ginger candy?

Ah, ginger candies. The thought of those succulent treats brought back wonderful, amazing thoughts of days long past, back when her mother had been around. The sweets made her think of her mother, and her mother made her think of the Wonderbolts. Firefly had been her name, and she had been a chief general when Rainbow had been a filly. Rainbow hadn't known her father, though Firefly would often tell her that her mane was something he had passed to her. Despite him never being around, her mother did speak well of him, saying that he was quite an explorer, always out wandering the world. But every time she had spoken of him, there was an underlying sadness. While she'd questioned her mother as to WHY he never came back, she'd received no answer. Just as small smile and a shake of the head.

That wasn't to say that Firefly was always available either. As commander in chief of the princess' most elite soldiers, her time at home was sporadic at best, and Rainbow would often fend for herself, living with a few family friends until her return. And every time she returned, Rainbow had been greeted with a great big hug, a huge kiss, and a giant sack overflowing with ginger candy.

Except for the time when she hadn't come home...

Rainbow shook her head to banish the train of thought. There were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. For example: having to choose between a feast for a night, or a steady stream of bland sustenance for a week. Neither choice was very appealing to her, especially when it was never a guarantee that they would even make enough for a single meal from day to day. “Urgh,” she finally said with a sigh. “Damn it, I can't think on an empty stomach.” She pat her growling tummy. “Come on, you, let's go. Cabbage stew or not, we're gonna get something in our gullets right now.”

Scootaloo smiled, pouring the coins back into the bag and standing up, tossing her tail to the side. “Yes ma'am!” she said, snapping a smart salute.

Rainbow smirked. Her mother had taught her that salute when she was just a filly, and it made her happy to see Scootaloo doing the same that she had done in her youth. She snapped back with a similar salute and hopped up onto her feet. “Come on.” She grinned. “Maybe there'll actually be something besides a cabbage in the stew today.”

The two of them took comfort in the thought, though it probably would be for naught. The small little soup carts that they got most of their meals from were not exactly made to be gourmet establishments. Heck, it was a stroke of luck if they even had a little bit of salt to go into the soup. And when there was salt, the cooks would often overcompensate and make them too salty.

Canterlot had many different bazaar streets scattered throughout it's huge circumference. The closer to the center, the larger and more extravagant they got. Rainbow and Scootaloo lived near the center, for a few reasons. The first was the risk-reward mentality that Rainbow Dash had learned quick enough when she started doing stunt acrobatics to pay for her meals. Everything was more expensive on this particular street. Everything. However, it also meant that only those that could afford to toss their money away would live here. Thus, so long as she performed well enough to loosen their tight fists, she and her little friend were always guaranteed to eat at least something.

Most of the time.

Sometimes, there was just no loosening tight pockets. And sometimes, that meant no meals for the two of them.

The other big reason was far more personal for Rainbow, and a perfect summation of it could be seen floating up above the bazaar at this very moment. Three spear wielding pegasi flapped their way over them, settling down behind the walls of a large barracks. Yes, the Wonderbolts made their main base of operations away from the palace, as the Empress had insisted they be placed where they could respond quickest to the people who needed it the most, where basic patrols were not enough. They were also close enough that patrols were stationed at the palace and moved regularly from the barracks to the empress' side.

Rainbow had always wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, but fate had done all it could to keep her from her goal. She'd been turned away, due to her inexperience (that reason still puzzled her; how was she supposed to get experience if she couldn't get in?) and her lack of respect of authority. Neither seemed like a big deal to her, and she had reapplied several times, only to be turned away for various similar reasons. Commander Spitfire herself had even once offered her a compliment on her natural talent, but had told her that the Wonderbolts weren't a place for performers, but for fighters.

It wasn't like she hadn't been in a few scraps in her time. She could kick the flank of anyone who got in her way. In fact, she'd kicked a LOT of flank after she'd lost her home. That hadn't been pretty. She was lucky that they hadn't tossed her in a dungeon for assaulting all those tax collectors who, truth be told, were really only doing their jobs. She hadn't paid taxes, or really any bills since her mother left. She'd always just assumed she'd go straight into the Wonderbolts and everything would be just fine.

Only it hadn't been. So here she was, homeless, with nothing but an orphaned, flightless filly for a companion, performing her amazing feats for pocket change, which would then be spent on the most meager of meals.

She forced those thoughts away again, rubbing her face. Boy, she was very melancholy today. She stopped and sniffed the air, letting out a longing sigh. Scents all intermingled with one another and her mouth watered. Breads, sweets, meats, everything made her stomach rumble louder. But she forced herself to walk past it. They couldn't afford any of it anyway, and she'd decided that it was better to have a guaranteed meal every day this week, no matter how bland it would be.

She looked down at her companion, who was making no effort to hide the longing in her own expression. Every time they walked by a steaming cart, the seller touting their wares. Fruits were sliced, meat was steamed, and merchants shouted over each other like children trying to convince their friends that they were so much cooler than their peers. She was practically drooling and her eyes slid from one cart to another as her wings buzzed in excitement. She was probably hoping that Rainbow was going to splurge what they'd made on something more grandiose than the usual stew.

Her face fell quite far when they stopped in front of old Green Leaf's cabbage stand. He elder earth pony was spooning thick, goopy ladel-fulls of his trademark cabbage stew into small, wooden bowls, to be served out to the hungry crowds. Green Leaf was a simple, friendly old timer. He'd been shilling his wares on this street since before Rainbow had been born. It certainly wasn't gourmet. It wasn't seasoned, and was about as bare a meal as one could hope for. Even as far as cabbage stew was concerned, this was decidedly average. However, there was one thing he had over almost every other street vender at this bazaar.

He was cheap.

His smile grew wider as he saw Rainbow Dash approaching. “Rainbow! Scootaloo!” he greeted loudly. “How're my two best customers feeling?”

Rainbow smirked. “So we're back to being your best customers again? Must be a really slow day.”

He chuckled gently. “Now now, you should watch your tone, my dear. I could always refuse your patronage.”

“But you won't. Because you love money.” She smiled and pointed to the sack. “So, serve up two of your finest bowls of stew.”

“Of course, of course.” He gave her a mock bow. “Anything for the wonderful Rainbow Dash.” He chuckled and took two already filled bowls, both still steaming, the stew bubbling a little, and handed them to Rainbow. “Enjoy.”

“I always do,” she lied, with a false smile to accompany it.

Scootaloo counted out a small handful of coins and offered them to the elder pony, who took them with a gentle nod. “Thank you both. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.” He chuckled and pocketed the coins.

The two of them nodded and walked off with their meager meal. They sat down at a street corner, just outside of the bazaar. Rainbow blew on both the bowls before handing one to her little friend. “Here. Try not to burn yourself this time, huh?” She smirked. “We can't afford a healer.”

Scootaloo pouted and gave a small sip of the thick soup. She gave a light wince and leaned back. “Ugh.”

“I told you to let it cool first, squirt,” she said, taking a big gulp of her own, and immediately spat it back into the bowl. “Ugh! ACK!” She coughed, rubbing her hand over her tongue. “Bleh... rotten cabbage,” she grumbled. “That old swindler really needs to talk to his gardener.”

Scootaloo nodded. “But... we already paid for it, so... I guess we gotta eat it right?”

“Are you kidding?” she huffed, tossing the bowl to the side, not caring as its contents spilled out into the streets. “We eat this stuff, we'll be spewing it back up in no time!” She growled and huffed. “Probably most of the rest of his stuff is tainted too.”

“Well, maybe if we went to him and just told him what's wrong we could get a free bowl and chance it?”

Rainbow snorted. “He's a nice guy, but he's also a business pony. He won't just give out products for free, even if it were tainted.” She rested her chin in her hand, her ears twitching in irritation.”

“So then... we just wasted some of our money?”

Rainbow nodded. “Looks like it.”

The filly groaned. “We shoulda just splurged! Now I don't think we can even afford a decent loaf of bread.”

“I know scoots, but at least we'll still have enough left over to get something tomorrow morning.”

“What, another cabbage breakfast?”

“We'll see if we can spring for some milk or something,” she assured her.

“But... I'm really hungry now,” she mumbled.

The downcast look on her face made Rainbow cringe in guilt. She hated seeing the little filly in such low spirits, but what was she supposed to do about it? It wasn't like something to eat was just going to drop out of nowhere and answer their prayers, right?”

A large cart rumbled past, the driver straining to keep his compatriots under control. “Not so fast, you idiots, the cart is overloaded as it is!”

The stallion pulling the cart wiped his brow and glared back at the driver. “First you say we're not going fast enough, and now you say it's too fast. Honestly, it's like I'm in bed with you or something.”

“Shut up, now is not the time or the place to discuss that. Just pull the damn cart!”

The stallion gave another grunt and wrenched the cart forward, rather hard. Something fell down off the back, tumbling back. It was a huge, juicy, thick watermelon. Naturally, it shattered as it hit the cobblestone ground, but even split in twain, it looked just as delicious and yummy as before.

Both of them looked to one another, and then back at the fallen fruit. They just stared at it, and Rainbow vaguely wondered if this was some kind of cruel trick that the fates were playing on her. No one else seemed to have noticed the melon, all wrapped up in their own affairs. That was often the case with the people who lived in this area of the city. They had no time to waste, so they didn't. They just kept on the move, and often times if it wasn't right in front of their faces, they just ignored it or didn't notice it. After another second of admiring the melon, still glistening with a few drops of dew from the morning, Rainbow's stomach gave an assertive growl, practically commanding her to get up and go to it.

She obeyed, hopping up and dashing into the street, gathering up the two large segments of the melon before running back to Scootaloo, grinning. “Well, I suppose if you ask, you shall receive.” She smiled and offered it to the filly, two took it greedily.

“Is this really okay?” she asked, though she was already breaking off pieces of its thick shell to make it easier to gnaw at its delicious, red innards. “I mean, we didn't really pay for it.”

Rainbow took a huge bite from the middle of the melon, wiping the juices from her chin and spitting out the seeds at her side. “Hey, it fell off the back of the cart, right? Which means they must not have cared too much about their product if they were foalish enough to let it just slide out like that. I say first come, first serve.” She took another huge bite, groaning in delight at the sweet taste.

That answer seemed to satisfy her companion, he just shrugged and continued to gnaw at their price. The two of them ate quickly, and loudly, having not had such a luxury in such a long time. A few passer byes turned odd eyes on them, but quickly shuffled past them. Soon enough, Rainbow was staring down at the empty husk of melon skin left behind after all the deliciousness had been cleaned away. She glanced over at Scootaloo, who was doing much the same. “It was good, wasn't it?”

“Yeah.”

“Really good.”

“Yeah.”

“But you wanted more, right?”

“Yeah...”

“But we're not gonna get more...”

Scootaloo sighed. “Yeah.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Oh well. It was a nice treat, and we at least got something in our stomachs. Something awesome.” she smirked. “And I don't know about you, but I feel like doing an evening show tonight after this.”

Scootaloo raised a brow. “Really? You remember what happened last time you tried to perform in the evening.”

“Hey, it wasn't my fault that lady didn't have the good sense to put up some candles in her window! And I didn't cause that much property damage.”

“We're just lucky she bought your 'blind pegasus' routine, or we wouldn't be eating anything now.”

Rainbow chuckled. “I'll say. But I've got it figured out this time, and so long as I finish up the show before the sun finishes setting, I should be just fine.”

“Well, if you insist, but I can't keep spinning excuses for why you keep crashing. The audience is generally smart enough to know when you screw up.”

Rainbow pouted. “I don't screw up. I just take a risk and it doesn't pan out quite as well as I'd hoped.

“That's screwing up.”

“Oh shut up.” She huffed and began to pull herself up, when a guarded trotted over to her. He was dressed in street garb, the only indication that he was a guard being the blade at his side and the bright red silk sash that covered his chest. She frowned as he stopped in front of her, sizing her up as she drew herself to standing height. Scootaloo did the same, ducking behind her friend. “Can I help you?”

He nodded. “Yes. Care you tell me where you two got that watermelon?”

she frowned and looked down at the hollow shell in her hand. “Um it fell off the back of a cart,” she answered, attempting to push away the slight bout of nervousness churning in her stomach.

“Oh really?” he asked, brow raised. He had the look of someone who had heard that excuse several times already.

“What? It's the truth.” She huffed, shifting the shell from hand to hand. “What, you honestly have never heard of something just falling off of a cart before?”

He nodded. “Indeed, things like that do happen, but I don't think they happen quite as often as everyone wants me to believe.” He grunted. “I need you two to come with me, please,” he said, holding out his hand expectantly.

She looked at his hand, her mind quickly brimming over the possibilities. She could go with him, but she doubted that he, or anyone else she would be forced to talk to would believe her story, especially since there weren't any reliable witnesses around. If she and Scootaloo were charged with thievery, which they probably would to pin on the, Rainbow could lose her hand. Scootaloo would at least be let off with a minor beating, but neither sounded very nice. So, Rainbow decided to do the only logical thing she could think of.

She quickly reared back and slammed the shell of the melon over his head. “Run for it, scoots!” she said, turning tail and dashing off, grabbing the confused filly as she did so. She briefly thought about flying, but that would mean carrying Scootaloo, and while she wasn't a heavy pony, she'd still slow her down. Plus, if she took to the sky, she risked inviting bow fire. She had no doubt he would attempt something like that either, specially after the melon on the head. At least on the ground, she didn't have to worry about him firing into crowds or whatnot.

She could hear him shouting at her to stop as she dashed into the crowd, shoving people aside as she tried to hide herself inside the busy street. Did that ever work, she wondered. Did anyone actually stop when he shouted at them while they were actively running away? She doubted it. She chanced a glance back at him, and her eyes widened as she saw him running after her, hand on his hilt. A few other patrolmen, drawn by the shouts of their companion, joined in the chase. “Oh buck me,” she grumbled as she ran. “You okay, there Scoots?”

“Yeah, but I can't exactly keep up this pace forever!” the little pegasus shouted, pumping her tiny wings to try and keep pace with Rainbow.

Rainbow would be the first to admit she wasn't not an ultra-intelligent mare. She considered herself smart enough to know how to survive, and right now, her mind was pushing for the divide and conquer technique. “Scoots, at the upcoming split, head left, I'll head right.”

“What? But...”

“Listen, I'm faster than you and chances are good they'll go after me since I'm kinda the one who got them pissed in the first place. That and you can hide in the crowd a little easier. So you go left, stay low, and I'll draw them away! We'll meet up in the usual place, got it?”

The orange filly whimpered, but nodded after a moment. “Okay. Just be careful, Rainbow.”

“Don't worry, kid, I promise, I'll meet up with you eventually. But if anything, ANYTHING goes wrong, you lay low and save your coins, okay?”

“Okay...” she said hesitantly.

“Alright,” she peeked over the crowd as she dashed past them. “We're coming up on the split. When I tell you to, you run, got it?”

“Right.”

“Okay... NOW!” she shouted, letting go of her. She glanced behind herself briefly, just in time to see her friend stumble through the crowd. She smiled and dashed her own direction, chancing a glance. She couldn't see the soldiers anymore, but she could definitely hear them still in hot pursuit. She dashed as fast as she could, ducking and diving past everyone, a few curses thrown her way, but she ignored them. She didn't have time to get into a shouting match over proper street etiquette when her poor, beautiful hand was on the line. Possibly even more now that she was evading arrest.

Her heart was starting to pound again. Adrenaline was beginning to pump. If it weren't for the underlying current of fear she was feeling, she'd actually call this amazing, just like her stunt flying.

But right now, she needed to hide. She needed to get away. She was still too nervous to take to the skies, fearful of being pelted with arrows, especially now that there were more guards chasing her. She craned her head to the right and the left. Nothing stuck out to her. The only thing she could figure to do is to go over the wall. And that was what she did. Spreading her wings, she gave one great push, leaping into the air and hopping up onto the wall, before disappearing behind it. She gave a light sigh and dropped down, leaning against the wall. She was between the stone wall and some sort of shed. She pressed an ear to the stones and listened, carefully. The guards were shouting and howling as they ran by and she nodded, satisfied. “Hehe, no one can ever keep up with The Dash,” she said happily, raising her head up in an egotistical fashion.

She started to walk out from behind whatever shed she'd ended up behind, assuming that she had just ended up in someone's back yard, maybe a carpenter, or a stone cutter...

Or perhaps she had just ended up the back of the Wonderbolt barracks! She squeaked and shrank back as two leather armor-clad pegasi walked past her hiding place. 'Oh buck, oh buck, oh buck,' she thought to herself. If running from an ordinary guard for thievery was bad, sneaking into the Wonderbolt's barracks was going to cost her a whole lot more than just a hand. What's worse, if any of the recognized her as the one who kept getting rejected when she was younger, it was just going to get worse!

She chanced another peek out into the field. Drills were being run at the moment. She could see them running laps, doing pushups, and of course the instructors shouting insulting things to keep them motivated. None of them were looking in her direction, so she was pretty sure she hadn't been spotted. But that wouldn't last long. She obviously couldn't sneak out the front door, and if she went back over the wall, she risked being spotted as well. She was between a rock and a hard place. “Crap,” she grumbled. “What do I do, what do I do?”

She knocked against the edge of the shed she was hiding behind in frustration. There was a soft snap and she blinked. One of the boards was loose. Taking another peek back outside to make sure no one was coming her way, she grabbed onto the loose board, wiggling it. It gave a soft squeak and wiggled back and forth. Grunting, Rainbow applied a bit more force. It squeaked a little louder, and then when a small click and pop, the board came loose. She pulled it away and peeked inside. Maybe she could at least hide out in here until the coast was clear...

Or not. It was a storage shed, holding several spare suits of armor, and a few spears and such. There was no room for him to squeeze inside. However, another idea began to come to her mind. She smirked and tested the other boards. She found another that was loose and carefully worked it free as she had done with the first. That done, she leaned inside and began to tug a few of the spare armor pieces through. “Okay, let's see... mom showed me how to do this, I think.”

She began to assemble the armor on her body, piece by piece. She was actually really surprised by how much she remembered. “Let's see... pads before plate, helmet on last, leggings after chest, greaves after legs, gauntlets afterwards.” She took a deep breath as the weight of the armor began to ad up and she felt herself grow steadily heavier as the last piece of armor was put into place. She looked down at herself, smiling as she realized she was in official Wonderbolt armor and uniform. “Hehe, I wish you could see this mom. I probably look just as awesome as you did.” She grinned and reached back though, pulling out a spear to complete the ensemble. “Whoo,” she took a deep breath. “Alright, Rainbow, just try to look like you belong here, give a few salutes, stand up straight, and walk right through the front door. Ditch the armor afterwards, and go and find Scootaloo.” She took a deep breath and gripped the spear tight, looking back around the shed. The drills seemed to be breaking up for the moment. “Alright... here goes nothing...” She took one step forward and exhaled as she walked right into into plain sight.

The first few steps weren't that bad. No one seemed to pay her any mind, and she moved just as slowly and carefully as she could, trying her best to seem like she belonged there. So far, so good. Now, she just needed to find the exit and get out while the getting was good. A quick scan of the perimeter showed what looked to be the main exit just past the mess hall. Nodding towards it, and trying to carry herself like she had some sort of air of authority, the rainbow-maned pegasus started for her gateway to freedom.

She walked by a small group of recruits. They barely noticed her. “That's it...”

She almost bumped into another near the entrance of the mess hall. He swerved around her and continued on his way. “Just a little bit further...”

The guard shift appeared to be changing, as the two standing near the gate began to walk past her, giving her a casual wave as they did so. She nodded and offered a wave of her own, mimicking his movement. “I'm gonna make it!”

“You there!” a voice shouted from behind her.

Rainbow's entire body froze up and she stood tall and rigid for a second before forcing herself to turn around, though she adjusted the helmet she wore as she did so, so as to better conceal her eyes and mane. She loved this mane of hers, but it made blending in very difficult, being the only mare around with all the colors of the rainbow trailing down her back. She faced forward and came face to face with one mare she had particularly hoped to avoid here. Commander Spitfire. Remembering the protocol her mother had taught her, she was quick to snap a sharp salute and hold her spear tight at her side.

The golden-coated pegasus, her head bare of any helmet and her arms folded neatly behind her back, walked forward, inspecting Rainbow with a very critical eye. “Where do you think you were going, recruit?” she asked.

Rainbow thought quickly, but she remembered her training when dealing with anyone she didn't want to talk to for very long. Just keep the answers short and sweet, try to stick to brief 'yes' and 'no' answers, and never give away more than you can afford to. “On patrol, ma'am,” she answered, lowering her voice slightly in hopes that her distinct, gravelly tone wouldn't alert the commander that this particular pegasus happened to be one she'd rejected several times before.

Spitfire raised a brow, shaking her head. “Didn't you hear? All Wonderbolts are to remain within the compound until further notice. We have a very important visitor coming here before long, and all Wonderbolts of every rank are to be present for this occasion.” She crossed her arms.

'Oh horsefeathers,' she cursed to herself. “Erm, well you see, the thing is...”

The military mare leaned forward. “Are you arguing with me, filly?” she asked, putting a growl in her voice.

“Uh, no ma'am!” she said smartly, holding up her chin.

Spitfire's eyes narrowed for a moment. “Hmm...” she drew forward, walking around Rainbow, making the poor mare sweat a little bit. “Interesting tail color.”

Rainbow winced. 'Horseapples!' she hissed in her mind. She'd taken care to hide her mane, but she'd forgotten about her damn tail. But her mind kicked into overdrive and threw her a bone. “I dye it, ma'am,” she answered. “My ordinary mane is very plain and I prefer it to look a bit more unique.”

Spitfire raised a brow. “Oh?” she asked, nodding. “Hmmm, interesting practice for a Wonderbolt.” She placed a hand on her hip and walked back around to Rainbow's front. “I don't think I've seen you around here before. In fact, I don't recall admitting a mare of your mane and tail color any time recently. Tell me, how long have you been here?”

“Uh... I...”

A gong sounded all through the barracks and Spitfire looked up towards the top of the wall, near one of the lookouts. “It would see that our guest is arriving a tad early.” She looked at Rainbow. “Well, you'd best go and get in formation,” she stated. “We'll continue this discussion after I've greeted our guest.” She was still looking at her with that appraising eye. “In my office.”

Rainbow tried her best to keep her gulp inaudible. Spitfire turned away and Rainbow let out a deep sigh. “That was way too close. Saved by the gong, it seems.” She turned back, intent on walking back through the entrance before she could be be caught again... only to see that the door was being forced shut. She blanched. “Son of a bucking buffalo!” she practically snarled. “Now what?”

She looked back, seeing all the other members of the Wonderbolts lining up into formation. “Well, no choice now,” she mumbled, turning back and reluctantly tromping her way towards the rapidly growing group of armored bodies. “Just gotta hope I can get outta here before Spitfire gets another good look at me.” She reached back and toyed with her tail, glaring down at it as she walked. “I think I hate you,” she grumbled at it. The tail, being a tail, did not respond.

Twilight gave a slight sigh as Spike yawned from his perch on her back, clinging to her shoulders. “I told you that you really should stop sleeping in the middle of the day, Spike,” she stated. “You're just making yourself very sluggish.”

“I can't help it. I get tired all the time.”

“I've noticed.” She huffed. “Of course it would be my luck to get such a lazy familiar.”

“Hey, I'm plenty efficient.” He pouted.

“I know, I know.” She smiled and reached over her shoulder, patting his head. “but still, you are lazy.”

“And you are far too uptight,” he countered with a grin. “Why exactly do we even have to go and choose a Wonderbolt anyway? Why not just ask to have Commander Spitfire or Captain Fleetfoot or Soarin accompany us? Heck, we could even ask for Corporal Surprise. I bet she'd be a pretty good bodyguard.”

Twilight rolled her eyes a bit, still a little surprised that Spike was taking the whole 'gotta go and find magical warriors reincarnated from one thousand years ago so they can stop ancient demons' thing pretty well. In fact, he'd seemed quite eager to take this journey, moreso than she would have thought. The little dragon was usually looking for any excuse to drop his work and just curl up in bed with a nice meal. “We couldn't do that. I don't want to break the chain of command, Spike. And just because they're of a higher rank doesn't mean they'd necessarily be better bodyguards. You've seen some of the ordinary captains walking about the palace, haven't you? Some of them barely seem to know which end of the sword they're supposed to hold.” She sighed. “It makes me wonder how they even managed to secure their positions in the first place.”

“Nepotism?” Spike ventured.

Twilight raised her mouth with a grin. “And where did you learn such an impressive word?”

“Well, you keep bringing home books and constantly have your nose buried in them when you're not practicing or with the princess, so I have to do something besides eat and sleep. Most of them are pretty boring, but there are a few winners.”

“There is no such thing as a boring book,” she chided, looking round. They'd arrived at the barracks a few minutes ago, and been ushered through the back entrance that led straight into the commanding officer's office. Twilight had spoken, briefly, with Commander Spitfire in the past. She knew her as a tough but fair commander, quite a capable warrior and a cunning mind, even if she could be very rigid... and loud... at times.

“So, Spike ventured as they waited. “How exactly are you going to choose which one comes with us?”

She shrugged. “I'm not really sure. I guess I'll just have to hope that one of them speaks to me a little more than the others.”

“I'm pretty sure they're under orders not to speak unless being spoken to.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That's not what I meant, and you know it.”

Their conversation ended as the door opened up. Commander Spitfire walked in, giving her a brief bow. “Twilight Sparkle,” she greeted softly. “You honor us with your presence.”

The unicorn coughed, waving her hand back and forth. “Please, Commander, there is no reason to stand on ceremony. I am here to begin a very important task for the Princess, and I don't wish for my station to complicate things. After I and my chosen bodyguard leave here, I want us to keep as low a profile as possible.”

“Of course,” she nodded. “I've rallied them all, and they are waiting for you right out here.” She motioned to the door, pushing them open. “Please, follow me.”

She nodded, walking after her, out into the field. Spitfire walked briskly, and Twilight needed to trot a bit to keep up with her. Ahead of her, she could see the two main captains, Soarin and Fleetfoot, examining the soldiers, correcting their forms, and shouting at them to present their arms. Twilight watched as the uniformed, armored Wonderbolts turned to face her, snapping a firm salute, all at once, in unison. It was as if they were all of one mind at this moment.

Except for one. A single pegasus, out near the edge of the group, seemed to be having trouble keeping up with the others. Her timing was a mere fraction of a second off compared to all the others, who moved as a perfect singularity. She ignored it, shrugging. There was always at least one.

Twilight moved with Spitfire, moving along the front line of the soldiers. “How many Wonderbolts are there currently on active duty?” she asked.

“One hundred strong, my lady,” he said with a nod.

“Impressive,” Twilight said. “I would have thought that there would be more though.”

“We are extremely selective on who may become a Wonderbolt, my lady.” She motioned to them. “None but the finest, the fastest, and the strongest of pegasi may have the honor of joining our ranks. We aren't considered the finest soldiers at the Empress' beck and call for nothing.”

“I'm well aware of your reputation,” she stated. “And I've seen many catalogued examples of your victories and exploits.” She began to look over her choices. All of them faced forward, eyes hard and unmoving, not a twitch in body or mind. Their stoicism unnerved Twilight a tad.

But there was one exception, yet again. She caught sight of a rainbow tail waving and lashing back and forth in an antsy manner. Ignoring the others in the front, she moved towards the mare at the side, her head tilting in curiosity as she neared her. “Hmmm,” she said.

Spitifire followed and Twilight stopped in front of the squirming, antsy mare, who straightened as she realized that she was faced with someone of importance. And also Spitfire. She almost opened her mouth to speak, but remembered that she was supposed to be a Wonderbolt right now, and Wonderbolts didn't speak to a superior unless they were prompted.

Twilight tapped her cheek. “You seem... different from the others,” she noted with a frown.

“Indeed she does, doesn't she?” Spitfire noted. “I've been wondering about you for a while, Soldier. I'm fairly certain I haven't seen you around before, and I get very familiar with new recruits that actually make it in.”

Rainbow tensed. This was it. She was going to die. She'd be exposed, and then thrown in prison. She'd never be a wonderbolt. Hay, she'd be lucky if she went on living after this.

Twilight shrugged a little. “Commander, I'm sure even you can't keep track of everyone. As you said, your forces are one-hundred strong, and I would have trouble keeping track of ten, much less one hundred.”

Spitfire gave a snort, but she accepted the words with a gracious attitude. “As you say... perhaps I am mistaken.”

Twilight shrugged and turned her attention back on the twitching mare, who seemed to be growing uncomfortable. “You seem... uncomfortable here. Tell me, what is your name?”

Rainbow coughed for a moment. “My name? It's uh...” she muttered out her name, unable to think of an alias off the top of her head.

“I'm sorry?” Twilight asked. “I don't think I caught that.”

She coughed out her name again.

Spitfire huffed loudly. “Speak up, soldier!” she ordered.

“Rainbow Dash!” she answered, automatically and loudly.

Twilight nodded. “That's certainly a fine name,” she said, looking towards her tail. “And quite fitting, I should say.”

“Yes... it certainly is.” Twilight turned to see Spitfire fix the soldier with a quite cold stare. “Though not fitting of a Wonderbolt.”

Twilight blinked. “Beg pardon?”

“Forgive me, Twilight, I'm not sure how this happened, but this mare here is NOT a Wonderbolt.” She walked forward. “Her mother certainly was, but I've rejected this one several times now. I have no idea what she's doing here, in full uniform.” She crossed her arms. “And I don't think I'll be seeing her again after this.”

Rainbow gulped as she stared into Spitfire's eyes. There wasn't any hatred or malice behind them. Instead, she got a distinct motherly feeling from them that made the poor pegasus squirm all the harder. It was the same sort of stare her own mother had given her during times of extreme disappointment, and there had been more than a few of those over her lifetime. That nervous feeling in her gullet only increased as she realized without looking that every pair of eyes in the yard was beginning to turn towards her, fixating on the rogue who had the audacity to sneak into the Wonderbolt barracks like this. “Ma'am, I can explain...” she squeaked quietly.

“There is nothing to explain,” Spitfire said, cutting her off. “Perhaps we should continue this discussion in the privacy of my office.”

“No need, Commander,” Twilight said with a small smile. “I think that I have an alternative punishment in mind for her.”

Spitfire and Rainbow looked towards her. “You do?” they asked in unison.

She nodded. “I would like her to be my bodyguard.”

“What?” Rainbow asked.

“What?” Spitfire echoed.

“What?” Spike added from her shoulder.

She shrugged. “Princess Celestia did say that I was to choose a Wonderbolt, and she is wearing the wonderbolt insignia.”

“But that doesn't make her a Wonderbolt, nor a qualified protector for you, Lady Sparkle.”

“Perhaps, but I do see potential in her,” Twilight explained. “I mean, she did manage to sneak in after all.” She smiled. “Honestly, the real reason that Twilight didn't want an actual bodyguard was pretty simple: She didn't want one. Standing here, in front of all these soldiers, it gave her quite a discomforting feeling. Surely they were powerful in their own right, quite capable fliers and fighters, but the longer she stayed under their gaze, the colder she felt. They were so strict, so regimented. She knew that guards could be stoic, but this... she'd rather not have anyone traveling with her if this was the kind of pony she would be having with her. “My decision is final. We'll consider her punishment taken care of so long as she accompanies me on my task.”

Spitfire frowned. “I see... and you would rather not take one of my soldiers? All of them are well trained and diligent, and would be far better a choice for a dangerous and lengthy trip.”

Twilight suspected that the real reason was she would rather not have to explain to the princess why Twilight had chosen a common pegasus mare compared to a regimented soldier. To be honest, Twilight wasn't sure she could answer that question either. The logical part of her brain was screaming at her, stating quite the obvious: that she was likely to die traveling with a stranger off the street rather than walking away with an actual Wonderbolt. Her odds of success were much longer if this were the case, but... there was just something about this mare. Something she couldn't shake. Just standing here, looking at her, it made her feel... safer. “Tell me,” she said, addressing the rainbow mare. “Rainbow Dash, was it? Have you had any experience fighting?”

“No ma'am,” she admitted, shaking her head. “But my mother was a Wonderbolt. I was taught and trained their basic katas, and I've been training my body in athletics and speed flying since I was a filly. I make my living as a street acrobat at present.”

“I see.”

Spike tugged at her head on top of her head. “Twilight, I really would feel a whole lot safer traveling with someone who could actually use a spear.”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed slightly. “What's that supposed to mean, Lizard boy?”

The dragon shot a glare right back. “Exactly what it sounds like, Prism brat!”

Twilight held up her hands for silence. “Enough. My decision is set. I'll be waiting at the palace gates. Spitfire, you will see her properly outfitted and escorted there, won't you?”

“Of course,” she said. “I'd also like a moment alone with her myself.”

“Very well. Then I will take my leave.” She nodded. “I thank you for your time, and I hope that my decision does not affect your conviction. I do not know how best to describe it. I merely feel that this is the right decision.”

“It is your decision,” Commander Spitfire observed. “As such, we will abide by it.” She looked at Rainbow with critical eyes. “Well, you heard it. If you would,” sh snapped her fingers and the two soldiers nearest Rainbow stepped behind her, holding their spears at the ready, “Please, accompany me back to my office.” She turned to Twilight. “Do you require an escort back to the palace?”

“No thank you, I think I can manage. Thank you.” She gave a light bow, which was returned by every soldier in the place. She turned and walked her way out, hearing the commander shout for all of them to return of their regular duties. The front gates were opened for her and she walked back out onto the streets, giving a slight shudder. “Well, that was uncomfortable.”

“I'll say,” Spike said with a roll of his eyes, clambering his way up so that he was sitting on her shoulder, making the young unicorn tense to avoid stumbling to the side. “Seriously, Twilight, what were you thinking?” he asked, crossing his arms. “You honestly think she's going to be anything but a nuisance?”

“No idea,” she said with a shrug, which almost sent the dragon tumbling off of her shoulder. “I just had a feeling.”

“A feeling?” he asked, raising a brow. “As your familiar, AKA, your better half,” he shot her a glare as she started giggling at this assertion, “I'll have you know that while following your instincts is a very good idea, here I can't help but think that you've made a very big mistake.”

“Maybe,” she said. “But with any luck, she'll just take off at the first opportunity.”

“Wait, you're actually hoping for that? Well what was all that 'feeling' stuff about anyway?”

“Like I said, it was just a feeling, and at this point, it stands to reason that a mare of her meager capabilities might just want to cut and run as soon as she's able. If that's the case, I say we don't stop her. At least she won't have to endure any sort of punishment for her mistake.”

“I'd say impersonating a soldier is a bit more than a mistake,” Spike observed.

“I'm sure she had her reasons. I'm not acting naïve, I saw the look in her eyes. She was nervous and scared, and she didn't have any malice in her face. I'm willing to bet that she's a good mare who was just in a bad situation. Princess Celestia always says that...”

“...kindness is akin to enlightenment,” Spike finished for her, with a very bored expression. “I'm pretty sure that she didn't mean to give that sort of kindness to total strangers.”

“Well, it's done now,” Twilight said. “And I only have minor regret for my decision.”

“Meh, that'll grow,” the dragon said, examining his claws.

Twilight huffed. “You're going to act like this during the whole trip, aren't you?”

“Yep.”

“Damn...”

Spitfire gave a frustrated sigh, pacing back and forth in front of her desk. Rainbow Dash sat in front of her, on her knees, stripped of the ill-gotten uniform she had been wearing. “Well?” she asked. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I... don't really have anything to say, ma'am. Not sure what you mean. I mean, I've already explained the situation to you...”

“Indeed you have,” she stated. “And I still can't believe that the daughter of Firefly would be such a moron.”

Rainbow winced at the words. Spitfire gave another sigh. “Attacking a street patrolman, resisting arrest, sneaking into a private military compound, stealing property, impersonating a soldier... I can certainly tell you that if it were not for Lady Sparkle, we'd be having this conversation down in the palace dungeons, or if you were REALLY unlucky, up on the hangman's stand.”

Rainbow began to toy with her tail again, twisting the top of it, twirling the colors together. “Heh, I guess I really am lucky then, right?”

“Incredibly lucky.” she stated, hands on her hips. She let out yet another heavy sigh. “Whatever am I gonna do with you, Dash?” she asked.

“Uh, let me go?” the mare suggested.

“That's not what I meant and you know it.” She rubbed her face in agitation. “I do like you, Dash. You're the daughter of one of my best friends and my former commanding officer. We were all sad when Firefly...” she paused and her own eyes traveled to the floor along with Rainbow's. “But my personal feelings aside, what you did was pretty bad. Again, if Twilight hadn't specifically asked for you, well...” she shrugged. “Even my word isn't above the law. But someone so close to the Empress, she has a lot more sway.”

Rainbow blinked. “Wait, what's her relation to the princess?” she asked, scratching her head.

Spitfire almost laughed. Almost. “Really? You haven't heard about her?”

“I don't keep up with current events,” she said. “I'm usually more concerned with just keeping myself fed.”

“I see.” She shrugged. “I suppose that makes sense. Well, allow me to lay it out for you. You were just chosen as a bodyguard and assistant to Twilight Sparkle, personal student of the Empress herself.”

Rainbow tensed. “She's... that close to Empress Celestia?”

“None sit closer to the Empress than her student.” Spitfire crossed her arms, leaning down on her desk. “And you have been allowed the dubious honor of accompanying her on what I understand will be a very long, potentially deadly romp all across the country search for... something.”

“Something?”

“The missive I was given did not go into any sort of detail about the task at hand. I can only surmise that it was on a purely need to know basis, and no one but she, and whoever is accompanying her, need to know.” A small smirk tugged at her features. “The question now is, what will you do?”

Rainbow frowned, tilting her head to the side in a quizzical manner. “What do you mean?”

“Well, obviously I can't hold you for your crimes if you are being taken on this journey with Twilight. But she is taking you as a friend and a companion, not as a prisoner, so I doubt she'll be keeping a close eye on you. What do you plan to do about that?”

Rainbow frowned. “What are you trying to imply?”

“Nothing at all,” Spitfire stated, though her tone suggested otherwise. “It's just, in the times that I've seen you, namely the... what was it... twenty six or so times you've applied to the Wonderbolts, you tend to leave things... wanting.”

“Wanting?” she frowned, looking insulted. “I always gave it my all when I applied! You even told me so after all my performances. You'd heap all that praise on me after I showed you what I could do in the sky and you always just brushed me off and away! It's like all that praise means nothing!”

She nodded. “It does mean something, but you're conveniently forgetting everything else.” She tapped her desk. “The written test, for example. Handwriting aside, and let's not beat around the clouds, yours is atrocious, you demonstrate a complete lack of interest in the answers you give. In the drill and teamwork exercises during tryouts, you are constantly showboating, attempting to make yourself stand out. You do that plenty in the individual segments of the tryouts, but your lack of skill in teamwork and your lack of respect for authority, namely mine and the other captains, shows that you are not ready to be a Wonderbolt, and your actions here have only further cemented this thought into my mind.” At Rainbow's crestfallen look, she raised a hand. “Make no mistake, you are talented... but raw talent is not enough. Anyway, let's not wander off topic. Do you plan on seeing this task through to the end?”

Rainbow raised her head, her crestfallen look replaced with one of determination and spirit. “Commander Spitfire,” she stated, standing up and clenching her fists. “I'm going to see that this task, whatever it is, gets done. I promise.”

Spitfire's smile became genuine. “Are you now?”

“Well, I do kind of owe her for, you know, saving my life and all, and I'm sure not going to just let her wander around without help.”

“She'd have the dragon with her.”

“Yeah, I'm sure that snarky little thing would be a lot of use if she ever got in a fight.” She pushed her fists together. “She wants a bodyguard, she's got one. I might not fully understand what's going on, but when someone helps me, I repay my debts.”

She nodded. “Loyal as your mother was.”

At the mention of Firefly, both mares became somber for a moment. Sptifire took a deep breath. “Lady Sparkle explained that supplies would be provided for you both before you left. I'll have a guard escort you to the palace, so we can avoid anymore unpleasant misunderstandings.”

She nodded, smiling a little brighter now. “Got it. But... ma'am...” she said, reluctant to continue.

“Speak,” Spitfire stated, in a commanding tone.

Rainbow nodded. “If I could, I would like to ask a personal favor.”

Spitfire's brow raised. “I can't let you into the Wonderbolts just for agreeing to this task,” she stated.

“No, it's not that,” she said, waving it away. “You're familiar with the old, run down pagoda just outside the Bazaar street near here, right?”

“I should hope so. The old thing's been standing since my grandfather was a foal.”

Rainbow nodded. “I've been living there,” she said. “With another. A little orange orphan filly named Scootaloo. Before I leave, I want to see that she knows I'm leaving. And...” her eyes took on a pleading look. “Perhaps if I could count on someone to look after her while I was away?”

Spitfire blinked. “You never seemed like the motherly type to me, Rainbow.”

The cyan mare gave a soft blush. “It's not like that. She was an orphan, she needed some help, and I wasn't just gonna let her starve. If anything, I guess you could call her like a big sister or something.”

The commander chuckled. “Very well. Captain Fleetfoot will take you by there before you go to the palace. She'll be brought back here and I'll have her placed in my care until such time as you return.” She refrained from using the word 'if' in that statement. No need to cast doubts in the mare's mind at this point. “Will that be acceptable.”

“Just so long as she's treated well.”

Spitfire looked a tad insulted. “I can assure you, she'll be just fine under my eye.” She stood herself straight and walked to the door, opening the door, whispering something to the guard at her door. He stepped in and nodded, motioning to Rainbow. “This guard will help you to the captain's quarters and deliver my orders to Fleetfoot. Be well, and the Empress bless you.” She snapped a salute, which was quickly returned by both other ponies in the room. “Now get on your way!” she ordered. “March!”

Both of them blinked and quickly dashed from the room, leaving the commander alone. She sighed and walked behind her desk, pulling one of the bottom drawers open, pulling its contents out. Needly folded and carefully wrapped in aging grey and brown ribbon was a series of parchment letters. Every single one of them was addressed to her, and sent by Firefly. Carefully undoing the knot that held them together, she fumbled through the old letters, to one from the middle of the stack, smiling a little bit as she pulled it free, her eyes passing over the first informal line. How like Firefly that was.

To my Favorite Recruit,

I hate sick-leave. I'm not even sick and yet I'm forced to refer to it like that. I just had a baby, it isn't like that time I got stabbed in the flank. Alright, that's a bad example. After all, that was a really embarrassing reason to be laid out for a week.

Anyway, I'm just sending this to let you know I'm fine. Things have been pretty boring around here since little Rainbow was born. Blitz is having a panic attack that he might be called away for an expedition any day now. I keep telling him he's a moron, but he won't calm his silly tail down. The whet nurses here won't even let me take a jog around the house! I just popped all the fat out of me and I'm only going to get it all back if they insist on me laying here like I'm made of glass. I guess taking down a griffon general while in free fall over a torrential river didn't prove I'm not that delicate, right? Take my advice, kid, if you want a foal of your own, don't announce it to everyone on the force. People tend to treat you different when they know you're expecting. Not like I sent any of the recruits out to get me those weird cravings I was having...

Okay, maybe once or twice, but someone kept eating all my thistles! So no jokes, recruit! Anyway, I should try to keep from rambling so much, but having no one to talk to but your husband and a newborn for the last week makes you a little stir-crazy. I love them both to death, but I just hate laying here. Let me know when you get this letter and tell me how the place is holding up without its number one Commander there. You better be behaving, or else! I should be returning some time within the next week, so long as Rainbow Dash doesn't give me too much trouble. I'm sure you've noticed the drool stains on the edges of the parchment by now. That's not me, I swear. That's my little bundle of joy.

That's about all I have to send right now. You keep your chin up and keep training. I'm looking forward to bossing you around again when I get back. You and everyone else. Talk to you soon, Spits. Fight the good fight, and Empress bless.

Your most epically awesome commander,

Firefly

The last few lines became hard to read as they were blurred behind a small wall of tears. She wiped them away furiously and carefully replaced the letter back in its stack, beginning to retie the stack. A knock at the door made her jolt and she quickly cleared her throat before attempting to speak. “Speak up!” she called.

“Your pardon, Commander,” Soarin's voice wafted through the door, “But the Empress has sent another missive. She wishes to meet with you and I about a private matter, tomorrow evening, if you are available.”

Spitfire almost snorted, but refrained from doing something so disrespectful. One did not simple say no to an invitation from the Empress. “You can tell her that we will be there,” she answered. “Thank you, Soarin.”

She waited until she was sure that he was on his way before she turned her attention back to the letters, retying the ribbons and replacing the stack back in the same drawer it had been drawn from. There they would remain until the commander was once again reminded of her dearest friend.

Scootaloo shifted uncomfortably on the tiny cot she had been sleeping on for the better part of a year. After she was sure she hadn't been followed, she had done just as she had been asked and returned right back to their hideaway, the second story of an old, abandoned pagoda that stood tall above all the other buildings around it, staring down at the world below, and across at the palace in the distance, and even more impressive, and far more lavash building.

She couldn't shake the worry she felt for her dear friend. Where was Rainbow? She'd been gone hours now. Had she been caught? No, she couldn't believe that. Rainbow was fast, super fast, even on her feet. There was no way a bunch of guards could catch up with her, even if she were being slowed down by a crowd and even if they did have better endurance than here. There was just no way that Scootaloo could comprehend someone that fast and that... that awesome being caught by a bunch of lame guards.

But she was taking too long. The filly began to pace, her little wings buzzing in agitation behind her back. She'd never taken this long to get back before. Never! Sure, they'd had a few run-ins with some local thugs are more than one or two occasions, and when they'd run, Scootaloo had always run with her, and had never split from her. Why had she made them split this time? Was she really that worried about getting caught? By guards of all ponies?

Her fears were aleviated when she heard the front door to the building being pushed open. It was a heavy thing, very tough to open by herself, and extremely loud from the inside, its echo resounding from top to bottom of the structure. “Scoots!” she heard a familiar voice shouting, “I'm back!”

Her wings began to flutter again, this time in elation and relief. It was Rainbow Dash! She was okay! Scootaloo hopped up and began to dash down the stairs. “Rainbow!” she shouted. “I was so worried about you! I thought you'd been caught, and when you weren't here when I got back and I didn't hear from you for like an hour, I was so scared that you'd gotten hurt or something! But I'm just so relieved that you're...”

Her frantic stream of words was interrupted when she got about halfway down the stairs of the first floor and realized that there was someone there with Rainbow. Someone who was in armor and uniform. Someone who was armed. She screeched to a halt, grabbing hold of the banister on the stairs to keep herself from tumbling the rest of the way to the floor, her eyes widening with fear. She flicked a concerned face from one mare to the other, letting out an audible gulp. But Rainbow's smile put her at ease immediately. Her big sister was okay, and apparently they weren't in trouble. “Hey squirt. Sorry to make you wait.”

Scootaloo resumed her happy dash, jumping into the rainbow-maned mare's waiting arms. They hugged for a moment, Rainbow rubbing her head. “Thank Celestia. I thought they'd actually caught you.”

“Heh, caught me? Please, they never even got close.”

“Yeah, instead you got a little to close to where you didn't belong,” came a chiding, but good natured voice to the side.

Scootaloo looked up from the embrace, frowning at the mare in Wonderbolt garb before her. “Who's she?” she asked.

Rainbow bit her lip. “Scoots, we gotta talk for a second.” She looked uncomfortable. “Er, this is Captain Fleetfoot, part of the Wonderbolts.”

The white-maned mare gave a soft nod and offered a warm smile. “A pleasure to meet you, Scootaloo. Rainbow had only good things to say about you.”

Rainbow gave a soft grunt. “Hey, ease off, I don't need her thinking I'm getting all mushy.” she sighed. “Listen, Scootaloo, I gotta go away for a while.”

“Wh-what? You... aren't in trouble, are you?”

She shook her head. “No, not at all,” she assured the filly. “But I... I gotta go. I need to help someone with something very important.”

Scootaloo frowned. “But... when you say leave, you mean...”

“It's gonna be a really long trip, Scoots. And I gotta leave Canterlot to take care of it. Not sure how long or how far I'm gonna end up going. Okineighwa, Kyoato, Tokhayo, we might be going either further than that.”

“Then I'm gonna go with you,” The filly said adamantly.

Rainbow shook her head. “No. I'm sorry. But I can't let you come. This is gonna be a really dangerous mission, and I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you.”

“But...”

“There's no room for arguments, Scoots. I'm sorry, but you can't come with me.” Her own face fell when she saw the disappointment in the filly's eyes. “I just... I needed to tell you, so you didn't worry. But listen, it's not like I'm abandoning you. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'm gonna come back, and when I do, I promise, everything'll go back to normal.” She pat her shoulders. “In the meantime, I had a talk with Commander Spitfire. You're gonna be staying with her for right now, okay? She's gonna take care of you while I'm off.”

“But Rainbow...”

Rainbow Dash held up a hand to her chin. “Listen, I don't wanna have to leave you behind, but I owe this person. She's basically the only reason I was able to come back in the first place. I gotta make good on this. But I promise, you'll be taken care of, and I'll be just fine. Heck, I might even find a way to write to you.”

“But you can't write... or read.”

Rainbow blushed. “I can so. My mom taught me. A little bit.” She coughed. “Point is, I'd know enough to at least keep in touch with you.”

“Are you sure I can't go with you?”

“I'm sorry. No.” She held her little friend in her arms, tightly. “Now, go and get packed, okay? You're gonna come with me and Fleetfoot. I'm gonna go and meet with the person I'll be traveling with, and then she's going to take you to the commander, okay?”

The filly still seemed less than convinced. But she nodded, slowly, ears laying back. “Okay,” she whispered, drawing closer to her big sister, sniffling slightly. She heard sniffles coming from Rainbow too.

“Now don't you start that,” Rainbow said. “You're gonna make me get all sappy.” She took a deep breath. “Now come on. Go and pack. We gotta get going.”

“Okay,” she whispered, reluctantly breaking the hug and moving towards the stairs, hopping up them, her usually boundless enthusiasm nowhere to be seen in her movements.

But as she started upstairs to gather up her meager posessions, she craned her ear back towards the bottom of the stairs, listening as she heard Captain Fleetfoot speaking to Rainbow. “She really is a good filly. You really just took her in?”

“More like we look out for each other. I couldn't just leave my little sister out in the cold, now could I?”

Fleetfoot chuckled. “A very good point, Rainbow Dash.”

End of Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Blue Bloods

My Little Dynasty: Kung-Fu is Magic
By Goombasa

Chapter 4: Blue Bloods

Twilight took stock of what she had been given. Two large bags had been packed and were waiting for her when she had arrived back at the palace, as well as a change of clothes to make her look more like a commoner. She had briefly considered packing at least one nice outfit before starting out on her journey, but thought better of it. Better to be thought of as just a commoner than to be pinpointed as Celestia's student, she reasoned. The tunic she'd been provided with was comfortable enough, though it felt a little large to her. It was also quite plain and unassuming, but at least it was clean and crisp, like it had been woven fresh that morning.

Apart from clothing, there was a bedroll with each pack, an emergency supply of money, as well as enough food to last them for about two weeks, if it were rationed carefully. The water was in similar supply. Twilight worried that it would be a lot to carry, but her studies under the Empress had left her with more than enough muscle to handle it. And if it did end up straining her to much, she could always just use her magic to levitate it. Her magic was even stronger than her muscles after all. She was also gratified to find a special bag from the Empress near the back of her pack that held enough crushed jasmine leaves for about three cups of tea. With it was a note that read, “For whenever you feel homesick.”

She gave a light smile and made sure to reinsert it carefully back where she had found it, hiking the bag up and over her shoulder. “There. Do I look like a drifter now, Spike?” she asked with a small smile, facing her familiar and doing a small spin for him.

“Actually, you look more like a priestess in training,” he noted, rifling through the other bag, obviously hoping to sneak a snack before they got under way. She pulled the bag from his grip in her magical aura, pulling it towards her with a light glare. He blushed and gave a shrug, walking over to her and sliding up her side, coming to rest on her shoulder once again.

She smiled and gave his head a small pat. “Hmmm, well, that might be a bad cover story if I have to give an explanation for why we're out wandering.” She pat the lovely white tunic. “Think I'd be a convincing priestess?”

“You're certainly anal enough to be one,” the dragon quipped, earning himself another glare.

Before Twilight could begin a massive scolding, however, she saw three figures approaching from down at the bottom of the stairs. Captain Fleetfoot and Rainbow Dash she recognized, but the little orange filly with them was new to her. She smiled a little bit and nodded as Fleetfoot gave a soft bow in her direction. “Fleetfoot, as I said with Commander Spitfire, there is no need for us to stand on ceremony, especially now. I'm eager to get underway.” In truth, she wished that they could have been on their way much sooner. She'd been given this task early this morning and now it was past afternoon tea. She had been so busy arranging her affairs and whatnot, she had not even had a chance to go over her lunchtime exercises, and she would have preferred to already be on the road. That could have at least been used as a viable excuse. She forced her worries from her mind and offered a pack to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow blinked and took it, lifting it up and down in her hand a bit. “Supplies?”

She nodded. “Everything we'll need for at least the first leg of our journey. Hopefully by then we'll have an idea of where our search is headed.”

“Um, okay...” The mare said, scratching her head. “Whatever you say, boss.” She shouldered the pack, adjusting it so that it would fit more snugly against her. She turned to the filly with them. “Okay, Scootaloo, this is where we gotta split. You go with Fleetfoot, and behave for the commander, okay? It was real nice of her to agree to take care of you, ya know.”

“I do know,” she said, hugging the older mare tightly before she turned to Twilight, who blinked as she saw that the little filly was glaring at her. “You better take care of Rainbow Dash,” she stated, point a finger at her. “Or else.”

Twilight blinked a little bit and Fleetfoot hastily pulled her back, offering a quick apology to her. She shook her head. “I promise you, young lady, Rainbow will be just fine, and I'll see that she gets back here in one piece.”

Rainbow smiled. “I'll do the same for you then. Least I could do after all.”

“Well, the least you could do would be nothing, but then that would mean you'd be in in a dungeon right now, wouldn't it?” the dragon on her shoulder commented with a snide smirk.

Rainbow glared at him. “You keep this up and the next words you speak will be muffled by your own tail,” she warned.

The dragon responded by sticking his tongue out at her, eliciting a growl.

Twilight held up her hands to try and calm them. “That's enough,” she stated, as calmly as she could. “We don't have time to waste on petty squabbles.” She looked to fleetfoot. “A carriage should be along any moment to take us to the city limits, correct?”

Fleetfoot nodded. “Aye, I believe so, though I do have to question why you feel the need to leave Canterlot to begin your search for... whatever it is you're looking for.”

Twilight shook her head. “If what I'm looking for could easily be found within the city limits, I would like to think that the Empress would have already found them.” She gave a respectful nod. “I thank you for your help, captain. Be well, and Empress bless.

“And you as well,” Fleetfoot answered back. “Should you have need of us again, Lady Sparkle, you know that our door is always open to you.” She looked to Rainbow Dash. “And as for you,” she stated, her tone hardening slightly. “You'd best keep to your word to keep Lady Sparkle safe. And take care of yourself. I'll not be one to deliver bad news to the commander, do you understand me?”

Rainbow groaned. “I get it, I get it.” She sighed a little bit. “Geeze, I'm sick of hearing the same thing over and over.” She rubbed her ear. “Just get going.” She looked down at Scootaloo. “And keep Scoots safe.”

“Don't worry, she'll be plenty safe,” she promised, taking the filly's hand in her's gently. “I swear to you.” She smiled. “And you of all ponies should know what a Wonderbolt's promise is worth.”

Rainbow nodded, snapping the same salute she had given to Commander Spitfire. “It's akin to them putting their heart in your hands. If I can't trust that, I don't know what I could.” She smiled.

She chuckled and returned the gesture. Much to her amusement, Scootaloo did the same next to her. Twilight watched this with a hand over her lips, trying to hide the amused smile on her face. It was just too adorable for words.

With some reluctance, Fleetfoot and Scootaloo left them, just as the carriage pulled up at the feet of the palace stairs. Rainbow looked towards Twilight. “Our ride?”

“Yes,” she answered, and began to walk down towards it. “Rainbow, if I may ask, what was your connection to the Wonderbolts? I know that they said you weren't one when I sort of blew your cover, but...”

Rainbow shrugged and waved away the rest of her statement. “My mom was one,” she answered. “and I've tried out for them a lot.”

“And you never made it?” the dragon asked, raising a brow. His tone wasn't teasing or taunting, it was genuine curiosity.

Still, she took a little offense to the question. “Well hey, I figure if I keep trying, I'm bound to get in at some point, right? Just gotta keep brushing up on my skills to make sure I don't get rusty.” She spread her wings and gave them a proud flap. “Someday, I'll show that it's not just bragging when I call myself the fastest flyer in all of Equestria.”

“Well, that might be a little bit of a stretch,” Twilight said. “I mean, according to some of the public records I've seen available in the Canterlot archives, some of those flight records are pretty impressive.”

She snorted. “Well no one's been there to record my awesomeness,” she stated, crossing her arms. “Maybe during this trip I'll get a chance to show you exactly what I'm capable of.”

Twilight took in a deep breath, trying to play off the other's bragging. “Yes, well, chances are good that if you have to, it won't be to show off.”

Rainbow's smirk dissipated quickly when she saw the darkening expression of her new traveling companion. “Hey, Twilight...”

“LADY Twilight,” the dragon said with a smirk, holding his head up with a bit of pride. “Don't forget who you're talking to after all.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Spike, enough. Stop being so rude. Besides, she won't be able to call me lady anything before long. Once we're outside the city limits, I'm just going to be like every other mare out there, got it?”

“Yep, a mare with a dragon on her shoulder,” Rainbow mused with a an amused huff. “Anyway, what I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted,” she shot a poignant glare at the little dragon, who glared back, forked tongue darting out of his mouth, “I wanted to know... what exactly are we doing out here?”

The lavender mare looked away for a moment. “Well, I suppose that if you're going to be involved, you should at least know the details.”

“Uh, duh,” Rainbow said, crossing her arms. “You know, for the Empress' personal student, you sure don't catch the obvious very well, do you?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, deciding to ignore the comment. “Well... get comfortable. It's going to be a bit of a tale.”

Rainbow shrugged and looked around the incredibly cozy interior of the royal carriage. “I'm not going anywhere,” she said, crossing her legs and smiling. “Fire away.”

Twilight nodded. “Well, okay then.” she sighed. “How much do you know about the Four Black Stars?

Trixie reached up to her neck, adjusting the heavy metal collar that hung around her. Several links of thin chain trailed down the front of it, in a sort of leash. While it wasn't attached to anything, she'd found quite soon that the collar itself was enchanted with barrier spell that gave her quite a nasty shock if got near any open exits from this place. This, of course, included windows, so she'd been quite eager to avoid them as much as doors in this place she had been brought to.

Where had she been brought to? She wished she knew. All she could make out was it was somewhere deep in the wastes, in an old, rapidly deteriorating castle. Every wing of the castle seemed to have been designed by a different architect. Well, she used the title in the loosest possible terms. Madmen would have been a more accurate descriptor for whoever was crazy enough to make this funhouse. But that was not what put her off most about this place. It wasn't even her situation as a slave to four demons. Rather, it was the fact that she hadn't seen the sun once since they had arrived. She was certain that the sun should have risen some time ago, but it had never happened. They weren't in a cave or anything. She could get close enough to the windows to at least observe that the outside was a wide open space, and the sky above was affixed with a beautiful array of stars and constellations. But no sun. At all.

She'd seen Sunset only twice since she'd been here, and both times she had been in no better state than when she had seen her back in the cavern after Discord had... done something to her. She shivered a little as she considered the fact that it could have been her on the receiving end of his touch if she hadn't been 'spared' by Chrysalis' need to eat.

Eating... it was the only saving grace of her situation. The four were not so heartless as to let her go without food, and in fact the meals they had provided her thus far had been quite palatable. Almost as good as what she had eaten at the palace even. But then she remembered, this was not a display of kindness. It was merely a way of ensuring that their new toy remained as fit as possible.

The hallways were drab and unfurnished, but at least they weren't infested with things that went bump in the night. Trixie was allowed to wander them as she pleased, with the knowledge that, at any moment, she could be summoned by her captors, for whatever purpose. So far, her 'purpose' seemed to be as a supply of constant food for the emotion eater of their happy little family. She had tried to tell herself she was getting used to it, that being sucked dry of her feelings, basically having her chi removed, was something that wouldn't be too terribly bad after the first few times.

But it was just as bad the tenth time as it was the first.

At first, it had just been fear. She'd sapped it straight out of her, and she'd been left writhing and cold on the floor, only to recover in a few hours and have the process repeated once the insectoid's hunger began to take hold again. But then, she had been managing to suppress her fear, especially now that, for the foreseeable future, she didn't have to worry about death. They didn't seem to want to hurt her either, at least nothing more than a little smack now and then when they thought she was moving too slow, but nothing that had left more than a light sting. But when her new masters had seen that her fear was dissipating, they had turned to other methods. Chrysalis had begun to talk to her.

And Trixie had been foolish enough to talk back.

Talks of her exploits, her life, her shows. She had not realized what was happening until it was too late. The memories brought with them feelings, and feelings were exactly what Chrysalis had wanted. And she took them. Forcibly. Trixie had tried since then to stop herself. Remain silent during the conversations, for example. But all that had to be done was for a few specific words to come up. All she needed was one trigger and she couldn't stop herself from feeling something. Fear, sadness, anger, happiness.

And then she'd become a meal.

Escape seemed to be impossible at the moment. Trixie was not one to give up so easily. There was a way out of here... she just had to bide her time and wait for the perfect moment. That was an important part of being a magician after all. You had to wait until the very perfect moment, when you had the audience's full attention before you revealed the trick and dazzled them with your sleight of hand.

So she would wait. She would wait, she would find a way to restore Sunset, and she would get them both out of here. Heck, if she could escape from these demons, it would make one heck of a story to tell. Might even be worth a meal or two at a tavern if she could add some impressive flourishes to it.

She felt a tingling in her spine. Her vision started to blur and the world around her began to melt away. She stood stark still, recognizing it as a teleportation spell. She groaned. Was it feeding time again already? It seemed like she'd been sucked on a dozen times today already! She closed her eyes to keep herself from feeling dizzy. This kind of teleportation was slow and terribly nauseating. She would have preferred the instantaneous type, even though it would have been more stressful than the caster. Of course, the odds of the demons actually wasting any more of their precious energy on her was slim to none, and she wouldn't have put any odds on slim.

“Lady Chrysalis,” she said, attempting to keep her voice even and sound as polite as possible, “is it feeding time already? I would have thought the sadness at the memory of my parents' death would keep you satiated for quite a long time.”

“I know not of what you speak, little mare,” came a voice that was decidedly not Chrysalis. It was deep, and gruff and growling, and held an air of dangerous sensuality that was countered by the fear-inducing rumble within. “But I would love to hear that story some time.”

She shuddered and opened her eyes. She was in some sort of black throne room, covered in darkness and shadow, despite the large hovering bottles of brightly glowing fireflies jumbling around in their prisons. Upon the throne sat Sombra.

Trixie gulped loudly, her body quavering. She'd grown used to Chrysalis' presence. She was tangible. She could be seen, touched, understood, for the most part. But Sombra? Every time she looked at him, all she saw was a wisp, a hazy representation of a unicorn. His face was clear enough, as was his blood red horn. His armor moved and clanked, giving a representation of his body, though beyond that, all she saw was a cloud of darkness floating about him. It contorted and floated outward, sliding like it had a mind of its own. “L-Lord Sombra,” she said slowly, sliding backwards a step.

“Surprise,” he chuckled, raising himself off of the throne. “Forgive me, I know you were so looking forward to seeing Chrysalis again, but she is indisposed at the moment.” He smirked. “In the meantime, I thought I would spend some time with her plaything.”

She shuddered. “I-I am honored,” she squeaked softly. “But um, why not Sunset Shimmer? I-I am sure she could offer you something more than I could.”

“Perhaps she could, but Discord is hogging her to himself.” He snapped his fingers and the dark cloud before him contorted into something resembling a mirror. He scowled as it cleared enough to show the draconiquus clapping his hands and laughing as the grey and listless mare next to him stood on her forehooves, balancing there.

“Now dance!” he ordered.

Sunset danced for him.

“Kick yourself!”

She reared her foot back and managed to kick herself in the flank.

“Bark like a dog!”

“Arf! Arf!” was the response.

He snapped his fingers and a large bowl of brown powder appeared before her. “Eat some cinnamon!”

Sunset took the comically oversized spoon provided and took a huge mouthful of the powder, only to immediately spit it back out and collapse in a heap nearby, hugging her stomach and coughing, almost retching. Discord reared back on the comically tiny throne he had made for himself, throwing up his mismatched arms as he laughed in childish glee at her pain.

Trixie shuddered and looked away for a second. “Why is she acting like that?”

“You mean aside from the fact that Discord could squash her just as easily as I could?” the dark lord asked, descending the small stairs before him, and moving towards her. She didn't have to look to know he was drawing closer. She could feel the cold, dark power radiating off of him and getting stronger as he got closer. “Discord's power of chaos has the ability to take one and make them the opposite of their true selves.” He chuckled. “So the fiery spirit of Sunset was replaced by an obedient, soft-spoken, monotonous doormat.”

Trixie felt a massive hand rest upon her shoulder. The freezing metal of his black gauntlet brushed against her neck. It was barely a touch, just a soft brush against the edge of her fur, but it was enough to make her entire body seize up, as though frozen. Her fur prickled, her pupils became pinpricks. She couldn't even shiver now. The only think she could feel moving on her body was her heart, and it was beating so fast, she feared it would wear itself out before long. The fear she'd first felt when she had seen them, or even when she had been feasted upon by Chrysalis did not denote the kind of fear that she had felt merely at the touch of his massive unicorn.

“It is a shame,” he whispered to her. “She was far more interesting as herself, but as she is now, she is fun only to Discord, and is only useful to us as a source of information.” His finger slid down over her chin and she couldn't stop a whimper from escaping her mouth. “But you, I'm afraid... you are merely a court magician. Anything you could tell us, she could tell us in much greater detail. This means that your only real use is as a food supply for Chrysalis, as far as I can see, and we are in preparations to move out into the world once again. This means that your usefulness is almost at an end.” He stroked her mane. It was gentle, soft, and cold... and it made her cry in fear and sadness. Not from his words. Just from his touch. That terrible, gentle touch.

“I can help you,” he said, his voice dropping to a low hiss. She hesitated to call it a whisper. “I can keep you safe. All you have to do,” he chuckled, “is give yourself to me. If you do so, I promise, no harm will ever come to you, so long as you do everything that I ask.” She felt the dark cloud that swirled around him stroking along her arms and legs. “All you have to do... is just say yes.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, finally breaking herself free of his grip and stumbling forward, breathing heavily. “No... no please, leave me alone,” she whimpered, no longer concerned with being polite. She just wanted to get away from him.

He frowned, standing up again, looking down at her as she panted and whimpered. “Are you certain that is your answer?” he asked, tapping his fingers together. “After all, I can give you anything that you want. All you have to do is give yourself to me, and you won't have to worry about anything ever again.” A green glow came to his eyes and Trixie cowered under her. “You could be a queen. A queen of the new regime.”

Trixie wanted power. She wanted respect. She knew that she deserved it. But she also knew that it was not something that could be given without being earned. Trying to force some strength into her voice, she shook her head. “I refuse. I have my pride,” she stated, drawing herself back up to a respectable height. “I will not 'give' myself to you, as you call it.”

He raised a brow and gave a soft shrug, drawing away from her, arms crossed. “Very well then. But let it be known that my offer will stand... for a while at least.” He grinned. “Besides, you will come to me eventually. After all,” his eyes glowed again. “Death can do quite a bit to change a mare's mind.”

Trixie whimpered again. She'd won a small victory, to be sure, defying him, but she knew that what he said was the truth. What use would they have for her when they moved out into the world and could find more ponies to serve their purposes?

The poor magician used all her remaining strength to swallow the whimper that came to her as she considered the thought.

The door to the throne room was thrust open before she could wallow in depression any further. Nightmare moon stood there, arms crossed. Her own aura, a gentler darkness than Sombra's pitch black cloud, pushed away at the darkness, covering the entranceway in something resembling the night sky, soft and dark, but beautiful to behold. Sombra glared at her, returning to his throne. “It seems that you still haven't mastered the art of knocking, even after all these centuries.”

“Never mind your quips. I've been trying to find that mare for a while now.” She pointed to Trixie, who shrank back as attention was placed back upon her shoulders. Normally, she reveled in being the center of attention, but right now she wished she was anything but.

Sombra raised a brow. “YOU need her?” he asked, chuckling. “Whatever for?”

“I have a task for her,” the mare stated, brushing a finger over her recently preened wing. “I had assumed she was with Chrysalis again, but I happened to feel something other than your black aura in here. I figured you would have a visitor.”

“Indeed I did.” He smiled. “How is Chrysalis coming along?”

“She's finished laying. A good sized clutch. It should only be a few days.”

“Excellent. Then perhaps Discord can cease his constant pranking and get some new playthings. You know how dangerous he is when he's bored.”

She rolled her eyes. “Indeed I do.” She sighed and pointed to Trixie again. “You, come with me.”

Trixie winced and nodded, shuffling forward and bowing her head in fearful respect, her reserve of strength gone. Sombra laughed as she stepped outside the door. “I do ope that you aren't going to be using her to warm your bed, dear Nightmare. She is, unfortunately, far too cold for that.”

Nightmare just snorted and closed the door behind her, none too gently, which made the mare jump. “Come,” she ordered, turning down the hall and walking at a brisk pace, Trixie dashing to keep up with her.

Trixie wasn't sure how long they walked, nor if the path back would be the same as the path they had taken. While she'd been allowed to walk the halls with impunity, the magician had noticed and distinct laugh of stability in the castle's layout. Hallways seemed to shift and contort with no rhyme or reason, and no matter what, there was no way for her to tell if what she was walking down was a path she had already been on, or something totally new. Her initial reaction to it as something of a funhouse was becoming more and more true the longer she tried to make sense of it.

So she followed the elder demon, through every winding corridor and twisted doorway, staying as close as she dared to the sky-like mane, that seemed to flick towards her in a beckoning manner every few steps. Trixie never dared to get within reach of it.

Soon enough, they were walking up a large spiral staircase. Up and up and up they traveled, and Trixie had to wonder just how high this staircase went. Was it a tower? A gateway to the heavens? No, how would a demon get anywhere near the heavens? But at the rate they were going, it did seem as though they were going to be up above the clouds by the time they reached the top. Trixie could feel her legs starting to get more than a little sore after the repeated motion of pulling herself up step by step.

Eventually, she saw the literal light at the end of the tunnel, the pulse of gentle stars hovering in the sky, letting through a tiny sliver of light in the otherwise dark and dismal tower. Nightmare Moon hopped her way up the last few stairs, stopping for a moment to bask in the starlight. She almost seemed, Trixie thought, to be happy in that moment. But it soon passed and her stoic frown returned, her cold eyes turning back on the mare, who backed up a step. She almost went backwards, but caught herself. She did not want to stumble all the way down the spiral only to have to climb her way back up again. “Well?” the demon grunted. “Let's not waste time. Come on.” She stepped outside, her mane flicking towards Trixie again.

The magician took a glance back down the way she had came, wondering if her odds would have been better if she had just stayed downstairs and waited for Chrysalis to come and feed on her again. Then again, going back down towards where Sombra was didn't seem that appealing either. So she went up and out through the door, taking a moment to adjust her eyes to the brought starlight outside.

What she saw astounded her.

Up above her, a shroud of night sky remained. Behind it, Trixie could clearly see the sun, but its warm rays were kept at bay by a shielding of stars, flowing all along the sky, decorated in elaborate patterns and dotting the world above her, shining so brightly that it felt almost like a clear and crisp summer's evening. The first time since she had been abducted... no, the first time since she had been cast from the Empress' court... Trixie felt herself relaxing. Truly relaxing, like she didn't have a care in the world. So relaxed, in fact, that she decided it was a good idea to ask a stupid question. “You made this?” she asked.

If Nightmare Moon was perturbed by a question with such an obvious answer, she did not let it show. In fact, she did not even look towards the mare. Instead, her eyes remained upon the sky, and her horn glowed with a gentle blue aura, matching the the deep blue of her mane. The stars above began to shift and contort, swirling about in gentle synchronic patterns, bobbing and weaving as though they were swimming through the air. “Yes,” she answered. “I am the artist of the night. My magic is my brush, and the sky my canvas. I do not wish for the sun to lower so that I might have it back, and so I decided to make my own, here. While it is a pale imitation of the entirety of the true sky, it at least allows me a chance to practice a craft that I have not worked for many, many years.”

Her tone was not commanding nor confrontational. It wasn't sinister, demonic, or boisterous. It was merely the words of a frustrated pony doing something that they enjoyed. Trixie drew a little closer. “It's a beautiful sight,” she commented, off-handedly.

“If only others would agree with you,” she said after a moment. She grunted and allowed the stars to rest where they lay. “But I did not bring you up here so that you might admire my work, marvelous as it is.” A hint of ego entered into her voice and she raised her chin up proudly. “I brought you here for a bit of peace and quiet while we talk. My dear companions might be capable demons in their own right, but they have no respect for serious conversation.”

Trixie wasn't sure how to respond, so she merely gave a soft nod.

Nightmare continued, with a broad wave of her hand. “Soon enough, Equestria will be looking upon the majesty of my night, just as it should have been all those years ago. But before that, some obstacles must be removed.” She looked towards Trixie who winced under the gaze. “You, magician, are going to help me in that regard.”

Trixie blinked, gulping and rubbing her hands together. “Um, forgive me, but I'm afraid that I don't know what help I would be to you, your magnificence.” She bowed her head, attempting to look as humble and lowly as possible without devolving into groveling. “I am merely a magician, after all. My magic is not strong, suited more to parlor tricks and sleight of hand than anything you are capable of. Even Sunset Shimmer, being taught by the Empress herself, would be a better choice.”

“It is for that reason you are perfect for this task.” She waved her hand and, to Trixie's amazement, several stars began to descend towards them, glowing brighter before they shrank and swirled, traveling around Nightmare Moon's hand by some sort of unknown pull. “You and Sunset shall help us secure our power. I and my compatriots are finishing our preparations. We must maneuver smartly, of course.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “No doubt the Empress is already well aware of our return.” She looked back at the curious mare, frowning. “But that is besides the point. You are to go out into the world and find something for us.”

“Um... what did you have in mind?”

“Six particular ponies.” The stars around her hands contorted into something resembling a constellation of herself and then from the black night of her mane, a physical shape took form, brightening into a soft lavender cover, though the stars remained fixed in their positions. It was a cape. A long and flowing cape. Soon, a hat formed much the same way, bearing stars straight from the night. “These six are far more of a threat to our plans than the Empress could ever be.”

Frowning, Trixie tilted her head, wondering what the significance of these six could be? Could they really be more power than the Empress herself? Trixie didn't want to consider the possibility that such a thing were possible, but before now, she wouldn't have thought it possible to see an old mare's tale standing right in front of her. “I suppose I'm not given a choice in the matter?” she asked, tentatively.

For the first time since they had come up here, Nightmare Moon's frown turned into an outright scowl. “Oh, you are free to refuse, but...” she raised her hand and Trixie felt the metal collar around her neck beginning to shrink and tighten. She gasped and clawed at it, but was unable to get her fingers around it before it tightened enough to start constricting her throat. “If you do refuse, then we really won't have much of a use for you, and trust me, it would be a kindness if I just took the short road and killed you now rather than allowed Sombra to use you as he plans.”

Trixie whimpered, writhing as she struggled to breath. “I... understand...” she gasped out.

Nightmare lowered her hand and the collar returned to its normal dimensions. Trixie coughed and gasped, taking in several deep breaths. “Good, so long as we understand one another.” She held out the cape and hat to Trixie. “These were forged with the power of my stellar magic. Essentially, they are a part of me. You will venture out into the world in search of these six ponies. The hat and cape will act as a beacon should you come near one of them.” She clenched her fists. “I will never forget how their magic felt. So different from anything else. So...” she couldn't seem to find a word to describe it, and so abandoned her train of thought. “The point is, you will know if you are drawing close to your targets. Sunset Shimmer shall accompany you as well.”

“Sunset? Will she be...”

“I've spoken to Discord. While he's been very reluctant to hand over his plaything, he knows the importance of this task, and has pretty much pulled all useful knowledge from her mind anyway. She'll work far better for us as an outside agent. As will you.”

Trixie shivered. “I see...” She looked over the cape, fitting it over her shoulders. It fit well, even with the collar still around her throat. She put the hat on and was surprised to find that it sat well over her mane. She smiled a bit. It felt.. somehow, right on her.

“You wear it well,” Nightmare mused after a moment. “Now, these items will act as more than just a beacon. I will be using them to keep my eyes on you two as well. They will also find their way back to you, should you ever... misplace them.” She gave her a penetrating stare. “But I'm sure you won't ever misplace them, now will you?”

She shook her head quickly. “No ma'am!” she promised. “I swear, they will be by my side at all times.”

“Excellent. I think you might find other uses for them as well, though that remains to be seen.” She snapped her fingers. “Now go and rest. We'll be sending you and Shimmer out in a few hours, and I'll not have excuses such as you being tired or hungry.”

“Of course, ma'am.” Trixie began to shuffle back towards the stairs, but stopped, looking up at the sky. “Actually... Nightmare Moon?”

“She gave a soft growl, stopping her hand in mid wave, the stars ceasing their movements along with it. “This had better be important.”

“I was just wondering, if it would be all right with you... if I may stay here and watch you work until I am required to leave.”

Nightmare's eyes turned towards her, her brow raised in an inquisitive manner. “You... wish to stay here?” Trixie nodded. “To watch me work?” Another nod.

The demon didn't seem to know how to respond at first. “I see. Hmmm...” She finally gave a soft shrug. “I suppose so. But you will remain silent,” she ordered. “And no distractions of any kind.”

“Of course not!” she said with a nod, lowering herself down onto her knees and craning her head upwards, smiling a little bit.

She was so transfixed on the sky above her, she didn't see the wide smile on the demon's face, as she went back to work on her practice sky, making the stars dance, twice as beautifully as before.

“Stitch by stitch, stitching it together...”

Rarity's lyrical voice drifted all over the room as she drew her needle and thread through the fabric in front of her on the table, several other small tools gripped in her magic hovering around her. Her tail swayed back and forth under the bright white dress with purple trim she was wearing at the time. A hand flew back to her mane, pushing it over her shoulder as she tried to put the finishing touches n the seam.

“Piece by piece, snip by snip, croup, dock, haunch, shoulders, hip, bolt by bolt, never stressed, and that's the art of the dress!”

She blinked and her voice trailed off quickly as she heard the front door. She coughed and adjusted her mane, setting down her things and walking back through the large curtain that separated her work room from the front of the shop. “Welcome to Blue Blood's Carousel Boutique,” she greeted with a small smile. “Where every outfit is chic, unique, and magnifique! What can I help you with today?”

“Howdy!” came the reply. Rarity almost winced in surprise at the sudden rustic accent that hit her. “Sorry to bother y'all, but Ah just rolled into town an' was wonderin' if y'all could tell me where I could get a place ta stay?”

Rarity zeroed in on the sound of the voice, looking beyond her counter and past the few racks of premade dresses and sample patterns, spotting a ratty, old hat covering a blond mane, attached to an orange pony in a tattered and muddy tunic wandering around. Screwing on a polite smile, she leaned forward. “Erm, I would be happy to assist you, miss...”

“Applejack,” she answered. “Ah'm from Sweet Apple Acres, bout a day's walk from here.”

Rarity blinked. “A day's... walk? You mean, you walked here?”

Applejack frowned. “Well, yeah. How else would I get around?”

“Er, well, I would have thought that a carriage or a wagon would have been a better option. It can't have been a quick trip from your farm all the way here.”

“Yeah, it was a bit of a trip fer mah feet, but I'm just fine,” She smiled. “Y'all got a right purdy setup here too.”

“Well thank you.” She tapped her chin. “Hmmm... you have a... very interesting accent, dear.”

“Well thank yah kindly, ma'am.” She nodded and tilted her hat. “Anyway, sorry to be a bit of a bother, but ah really need a place to stay tonight. Ah got a real long trip ahead of me, miss...”

“Rarity,” she answered.

“Mah pleasure,” she said with a small smile. “So, think yah could tell me where I could find a good place fer a nap?”

Rarity frowned. “Well, I'm afraid there aren't that many places available here in town. You see, we're mostly just a tiny transfer village. Most of what we do is based around farms along the outskirts, like yours.”

“Ah'm well aware of that, missy, but it don't rightly answer my question.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I'm merely saying, if you're looking for an inn of some kind, I'm afraid that there isn't anything like that here.”

“Nothin'?” she asked with a frown.

“I'm afraid not. Most people don't stop here for the night, so we don't have a need for it.”

“Ah see...” she sighed, setting her pack down for a moment. “Well that puts a damper on mah plans, that's fer sure. Ain't smart travelin' at night.”

Rarity's detailed eye traveled up and down the mare with odd curiosity. Beneath the ratty, old tunic and unkempt mane was a very muscled mare, looking far stronger than any mare Rarity had known before. Of course, most of the mares that Rarity knew were seamstresses, chefs, or mothers. But it wasn't the obvious muscle that made her so interested. It was her eyes. Those soft, round eyes. Around here, everyone kept themselves as guarded as possible, only showing what was behind their eyes to their closest friends and family members. But this mare... she walked around with her heart on her sleeve. One glance told Rarity everything she needed to know about her. She could see everything that was going on behind those eyes.

Unfortunately, she didn't see much going on behind there at the moment.

“I am quite sorry, but I'm afraid I need to ask you to leave if you aren't going to make a purchase,” she stated. “My husband will be in before long and he doesn't take kindly to loiterers.”

Applejack sighed and shouldered her pack again. “Right, right. Sorry to waste yer time, ma'am. Thank you for yer help.”

“I do wish I could do more for you.”

Applejack frowned and started for the door before pausing and looking down at her shoes. They were her work boots, thick and heavy and powerful. They were very practical for farm work, but not so much for long, tough travels. “Actually... mah family did give me a bit of money fer essentials Ah couldn't get on the farm.” She walked over and slid her boots off of her feet. Rarity scrunched up her nose as the scent of well traveled soles reached her nostrils. She did her best to ignore the stench, backing away a step. “Ah was wonderin' if yah could get me some footwear that's good fer walkin'?

Rarity coughed a bit, waving her hand back and forth in an attempt to disperse the scent. “Oh, of course we do.” She gave a slight smile, clearing her throat. “If you'll just tell me your size, I'll fetch some for you.”

Applejack thought about it for a moment, tapping her chin and scratching her head, just under her hat before lifting up one muscled leg and setting her heel down on the top of the counter, flexing her toes. “Shucks, Ah don't know much about mah size. Ah just always wore whatever was comfy.”

Rarity shrank away from the foot, attempting not to visibly recoil at the scent. “I see, yes. Please, put your foot down.” Applejack shrugged and pulled it down as Rarity turned away. “Let me just go in the back and see what I can find.”

Applejack nodded in thanks and rarity excused herself back to her workroom, which also served as a sort of storage area for excess clothing that she couldn't display. It was a hassle, but her husband had refused to dump any of his precious resources into the shop, so she couldn't expand, and was rapidly running out of storage space for her things. Well, at least he let her keep enough of the proceeds to keep the shop open. She'd promised her parents back in Canterlot that she would not give up on this place, even after things started to go badly, and she had fought him every step of the way to ensure that she could keep this shop, even after her husband had dismissed it as a massive waste of bits.

That wasn't true though! She made money... some money. Enough that she could have at least lived on her own if she'd wanted. Well, she did want to, but that was beside the point. What was she looking for again? Oh, right, shoes.

After a few moments of hunting, shifting around large bolts of fabric, a few racks of thread, and her emergency needle supply, she finally came across her store of shoes. “Ah, here we go,” she mumbled. “Now, she said she needed something that was good for long travel... um... hmm... oh, sandals are definitely in right now! Oh, but I don't have any built for long trips. Hmmm...” she finally sighed. “I guess I'll have to settle on some of my less fabulous work for this.” She pushed several, more regal looking pairs out of the way and reached deep into the pile, pulling out a pair of plain, hard shoes, some of the first she had made in her new shop. They'd been sitting down there for probably a year or so now, just waiting to be plucked by the right customer. They were made quickly, and with limited resources. They were tough, plain, and not at all meant for anyone who wanted to look good.

“Perfect!” she stated happily.

As she turned away from the pile of shoes, she heard the door open, the bell up above it ringing quite loudly as the door was pulled open and then slammed quite hard. Before she could move to the front and offer her usual greeting, her ears were assaulted by the familiar, posh mannerisms of the pony she called her 'husband.' Ugh. “Rarity!” she heard him shout, his voice reaching for power though it came out as a coltish whine. “Where are you, dear Rarity? I need to talk to you!” There was a light pause. “Ugh, and who are you?”

“Howdy! The name's Applejack. Pleasure ta meetcha, partner!” came the cheerful reply of her customer.

Rarity could perfectly picture her husband's reaction to the sweaty, shoddily dressed, dirty farm pony. He'd be cringing back away from her, his brows raised and a distasteful sneer on his face. And then she heard his response, and she could almost guess it word for word. “Ugh, I see... Well, perhaps you have the wrong shop, the farmer's market is down at the other end of the town.”

“Naw, I'm just passin' through, sir. Just needed some new shoes. Miss Rarity said she'd get me some.”

“Yes... of course.” He snorted. “Well please, put your own shoes back on, you're starting to stink up my store.”

Rarity decided it would be a good time for her step back out before her husband drove off another potential customer. “Funny,” she said, with a small smirk. “With the amount of time you spend in here, no one would guess it was yours, my little dandelion.”

He scowled and turned on his wife. “Whatever,” he said. Rarity let her eyes travel over him, as they had over Applejack before. He was well groomed and dressed as fancily as possible... in a suit she had made with intent to sell, which had been commandeered for his own purposes. That purpose, of course, was to look as good as possible. Never before had she felt that someone was so unworthy to wear what she had made. “Anyway, I don't have time to argue with commoners like Applesauce here.”

“Erm, Applejack, sir,” she corrected him.

“Don't interrupt!” he snarled, glaring at her, making the pony recoil a little bit in surprise. “This is serious, Rarity, dear.” He leaned forward. “Somepony broke in last night and took a good bagful of my personal savings.”

“Only a bag?” Rarity asked. “Then what is the big deal? Did your mother and father cut you off from your allowance or something.”

His eyes narrowed. “I don't appreciate your tone, dear.”

“You don't appreciate a lot of things nowadays, my minnow,” she countered, setting the shoes on the counter. “I know for a fact that losing a single bag of bits is nothing to you.”

“Nothing? Nothing, it's the principal of the thing!” he stated, slamming his palm on the table. Rarity didn't seem phased by his outburst. “Someone in this little hovel is a thief, and I'm going to find out who.”

“And how do you propose to do that?” Rarity asked. “Everyone in this town hates you, basically.”

“You hush up!” he ordered, pointing at her. “Your smart mouth is starting to get on my nerves.”

“And your whining is always getting on mine,” she countered.

Applejack shifted uncomfortably beside the two arguing ponies. “Er, about those shoes...”

“Fine then, if I can't find out who did it, then I'll just increase security!”

“How do you plan on doing that? No soldiers are coming down this way anymore, and I doubt your parents would be nice enough to send some of their personal guard all the way out here when someone is stealing your pocket change.”

“Then I'll hire mercenaries!”

“What mercenaries? No one but farmer caravans and confused day trippers come through here! Besides, who would be foalish enough to volunteer to work for you?”

“Ah'll do it.”

Both of them blinked and turned their attention tot he young mare standing nearby, toying with her hat and adjusting her long, blond mane. “You?” they said simultaneously.

She shrugged. “Well, Ah don't rightly care fer thieves, and back on the farm we've been havin' some trouble with brigands ourselves. Ah think Ah could handle guard duty fer a night if I have to.”

The stallion let a lazy eye wander over again, obviously with distaste, though Rarity's careful eye caught his gaze lingering on her... assets. “You can fight?”

“Yessir. Ah'm right handy in a brawl.”

“I see...” He gave a light sneer before sighing. “I suppose you'll want a hefty payment for your sevices?”

“Not at all, Mr...”

“Blue Blood,” he answered. “LORD Blue Blood.”

“Right, right,” she nodded, giving a slight bow. “All Ah want in return fer mah services is a cozy place ta sleep and a hot meal in mah gullet.”

Blue Blood still didn't seem too keen on it, but the alleviation of actually having to pay for something seemed to loosen him up. “Very well then,” he stated. “My mansion rests at the center of the village. I'm sure my lovely little sunflower,” he jabbed a thumb at Rarity, “would be happy to show you there after she's closed up her little shack for the day.”

Rarity shot an icy glare at him. If looks could kill, the stallion would have been on the ground right then and there. “I'll certainly see to it, my little piranha fish,” she stated.

“Good. Now I've wasted enough time here, so I'll be off.” He paused and looked to his wife. “Any sales today?” he asked, a bemused smile coming to his face.

Rarity's pretty face contorted into an ugly scowl. “None, save for these shoes,” she answered.

He chuckled. “Oh.” He nodded and turned away, a coy smile on his face, walking out with a happy little whistle.

Rarity felt herself bubbling over with rage. She thought dozens of insults she could have hurled at him, though it would have done little good, even if he were still in the boutique. So she just scowled and glared at the door, wishing that her husband would just burst into flames on the other side.

“Well ain't he a nice piece of work?” Applejack asked, snapping her out of her rage-filled thoughts. “Sorry fer askin', but after that, Ah gotta know, what's his deal?”

She sighed a little bit. “That's Blue Blood.” She huffed. “My husband.” She said the word with contempt. “He's from one of the lower noble families back in Canterlot.”

“Lower nobles?” Applejack asked.

Rarity tapped her chin. She wasn't really about to explain hundreds of years of noble bloodline tradition to the farm mare, they didn't have the time. “It means his bloodline isn't as pure and prestigious as some of the other families.” She snorted. “Though you wouldn't know that from the way he flaunts himself all over, like some sort of preening peacock.”

She nodded. “So, uh... how's a mare like you end up with a stallion of his... caliber?”

Rarity stifled a laugh. “That's a nice way of putting it,” she said happily. “As to how I ended up with him, I can assure you it was mostly due to my own stupidity. I am naught but the daughter of a seamstress and a chain maker.” She placed the back of her hand against her head with a dramatic flourish. “I had nothing but my passions and dreams.”

“Er, is this gonna take very long?” Applejack asked, tapping her still bare foot against the ground.

Rarity gave a huff. “Fine, fine.” She sighed. “No one has any tolerance for a dramatic performance anymore,” she lamented. “Anyway, as I said, my family was neither prestigious nor rich, but what we did, we did well, and eventually I did manage to open up a little street stall selling little things I created at home. Then the Blue Blood family came along and I suppose they were rather impressed with what I did. Their son seemed quite charming at first. He complimented me quite heavily for my skills, though I now know that he was merely complimenting himself and twisting it to sound like one to me.” She rubbed her face, embarrassed. “I was quite the fool, and was very smitten with him. The social status he offered was quite appealing as well.” She shrugged. “So, in the end, I mistook blind ambition for love and ended up marrying into his family. The only good thing to come out of it was that my parents were at least given a large pension, enough to live off of, and some of the Blue Bloods were decent enough people to them and to me, but my new husband showed his true colors soon enough.”

Applejack frowned a little. “Ah'm sorry. Don't sound too pleasant.”

“It wasn't. It still isn't. It was my own fault, of course. For a while it did allow me to expand my craft a tad.”

“Ah see,” she nodded. “But then, you an' him lived in Canterlot, right? So what're ya doin' all the way out here?”

She sighed. “Well, apparently Blue Blood isn't very well liked even within his own family. They called it a chance for him to establish his own seat of power, but really, they sent him out here specifically to get rid of him. And I, of course, being his humble wife, had to accompany him. They were at least kind enough to arrange for me to take charge of my own shop, though it doesn't do much for my business, all the way out here.”

“Ah'll bet,” the orange mare said, gently running a hand over some of the dresses hanging nearby. “Yah made all these yerself?”

She nodded. “Indeed I do.” She held her face up nice and high. “All from scratch, all designed from my own patterns, made with nothing but the best materials I could get.”

Applejack smiled gently. “Ah gotta say, ah know nothin' bout dress makin, an Ah sure has heck don't look good in anythin' like this. But ah ain't never seen anythin' this purdy before.” She set her hat atop her head. “Now, bout those shoes?”

“Oh!” she gasped. “I'm terribly sorry, I'd forgotten all about it, what with that gust of hot air blowing through here.” She nodded and pushed them forward. “These should serve your needs quite adequately.” She held one out to her.

Applejack took it, tugging at it, examining it. She banged the shoe against the table once or twice and smiled. “Solid as an apple tree trunk,” she proclaimed. “How much.”

Rarity smiled a little bit. “Five bits will be fine.”

Applejack frowned. “Only five? That seems a lil' on the cheap side, hon. Ah mean, with all the stuff yer sellin' here, these've gotta be, what, sixty? Seventy bits? At least?”

Rarity shrugged. “Well, honestly, these shoes aren't my best work.” She rubbed the back of her head. “And I can't really charge for something so old. These have been waiting for an owner for quite a long time.. So please, just five bits.”

The farm pony gave a slight shrug. “Well, all right, if yer really willin' to part with em so cheap.” She reached into her pack and pulled out a small bag of coins, counting out five of them and dropping them down onto the table in front of the pure white unicorn. “But, just between you an' me... how much would these be goin fer normally?”

Rarity smiled and looked down at them. “For you? Still five bits. An ordinary pony, down on their luck? Ten bits perhaps. For someone who could obviously afford to lose the money? Fifty.” She grinned. “For my husband, five hundred.”

Applejack blinked and snickered after a moment. Rarity began to chuckle as well, and soon the two of them were laughing uproariously, as though the thought of making Blue Blood pay that much for shoes were the greatest joke ever told.

As their laughing fit began to come to an end, the door began to open for the third time that morning. Rarity blinked, wiping the tears of laugher from her eyes. She wasn't used to so much traffic coming through her store within a single hour. Unfortunate, it wasn't a customer, but instead a good friend, carrying a large, and by the look on the light green mare's expression, incredibly heavy box. So heavy in fact that she had to use both her arms and her magical aura to keep it in off the ground. Rarity smiled. “Hello there, Lyra. Is that the new shipment of design parchment I asked for.”

“Yes... heavy... take... pleeeease!” the mare begged, groaning.

Applejack frowned and quickly walked over, tugging the box out of her hands. Rarity noticed that the mare wasn't even struggling as she hefted the box over and dropped it down onto to the counter, making the entire surface shake. Rarity blinked and, out of curiosity, attempted to lift it herself. She gasped and coughed after only a moment of attempting to lift it. “Who would have thought simple parchment could be so heavy.”

“Shucks, it don't feel any heavier to than a good sized bushel of apples,” she said with a smile.

Rarity blushed a little. “Yes, well, thank you for your assistance, Applejack.” She looked to the panting unicorn who was attempting to retie the frayed braid that kept her long mane in check. “I still have about an hour before I normally close up my store, and I have to talk with Lyra and make sure I don't need anything else ordered.”

“I pray that's the case,” the newcomer mentioned, taking one last deep breath and brushing off the front of her dark brown, slightly frayed tunic. Rarity gave a frown. It looked rather itchy. The unicorn approached the shopkeep, tapping the box. “Well, let's get it into the back with everything else.”

Rarity nodded, taking hold of one side of the box, both of them combining their magic to lift it.

Applejack frowned. “Yah sure y'all don't need some help?”

“No, I think we can manage,” Rarity said with a gentle grunt, carefully lifting it up off the counter, both of them straining at the weight. “If you do want to help, could you keep an eye on the front while I'm talking with Ms. Heartstrings.”

“Well, sure, but ah don't rightly know much bout sellin' dresses.”

“It should be fine. I don't think we'll have anyone coming in anyway, but I'd just feel better if I had someone there to keep watch.”

Applejack smiled and rested a hand on her heart. “Well then, don't fret non, Miss Rarity. Ah'll take care of it.” She shuffled her way behind the counter and leaned on it, smiling all the way.

“Thank you,” the white mare said, hefting the heavy box through the curtain, into the back room. Extending her dextrous magic outwards, she wiped away a small pile of seam rippers, scissors, threads, and fabric bolts to make room for it on the counter. The two of them set it down and groaned. “Did you really have to make it so heavy?” Rarity hissed.

Lyra jerked herself up, arching her back, making it pop several times. She stretched the same way a cat would just after it woke up. “That was Bon Bon's idea. My better half didn't want to take any chances on my being discovered.”

“Lyra, you're a delivery mare. Of course you wouldn't be discovered. Robbed, maybe, but that didn't seem to be an issue.”

“Hey, you only get robbed if you're outside the village, and I haven't gone out there since those thieves took my lyre.”

Rarity pushed a finger against her mouth. “Shhh! We do have another mare in the building, you know.”

Lyra sighed. “Fine, sorry, right. It's just a sore spot for me.” She undid the string keeping the top of the package stationary. She slid off the front and began to pull out several stacks and rolls of parchment paper. “Anyway, I can't complain much when her ideas actually do work. If it were up to me, we would have left it out on the street with a coded note for her and you could have just picked it up at your leisure.”

“Yes, because that wouldn't have looked suspicious at all,” Rarity stated, levitating a few more stacks out of the way. “And I have to ask, are you certain that doing this a second time is a good idea? Blue Blood is already suspicious and paranoid after a single sack of bits went missing.”

“Yeah, but a single sack of bits won't go far if it's divided up between the entire village. And you said yourself, his 'allowance' would more than cover what he loses, right?”

“Well, yes, but no one likes having bits taken from them, even if they can afford it.”

“Yes, but we're doing good, right?” She smiled and removed the last few stacks of papers. “And I should remind you, you had the original idea. You organized it.”

Rarity nodded. “I know. I'm not going to backpedal, I'm just trying my best to allay my own worries. If we're discovered...”

“Then your husband will throw a tantrum, oh boo-bibbly-doo,” the mare said, waving her hand and dipping down into the near empty box. “Even if he tried to bring charges against us, who would prosecute a group of sweet, innocent mares such as us when Blue Blood is the one trying to bring the charges against us?”

“Anyone who wants to line their pockets as quickly as possible.” She smiled as two very distinct weapons were pulled from the bottom of the box. Two small swords, far too short to be katana, but too long to be daggers. “Two wakizashi? I only asked for one.”

“I know. We got you two, just in case.” She offered them to Rarity. “After all, carrying extra protection is always important for emergencies and spontaneous situations.”

Rarity raised a brow at the grinning mare as she took the two swords, sliding the blades out of their sheaths for a moment, looking them over. Brand new, polished to a mirror shine, light but powerful, and amazingly sharp. “We got really lucky that we didn't have to use anything more than a blinding spell last time. I pray I won't have to use these this time either.”

Lyra nodded. “We won't have to. You've seen the kind of people that your husband employs. All thumbs, no fingers, and barely any toes.” She sighed. “To be fair, that probably means they wouldn't be very good dancers either. Oh, maybe that's why they only ever get actors to play soldiers in plays. Hmm, makes sense, since they are called plays and don't really involve a lot of realism...”

Rarity sighed and snapped her fingers several times. “Lyra, snap out of it, you're wandering again.

“Huh? Wha? Oh!” She blinked and shook her head. “Sorry. The point is, no, no one wants to hurt anybody, and chances are good you won't need em, but if we're gonna keep this up, we gotta make sure we're well protected.”

Rarity nodded. “Right, agreed.” She sighed and hid the two short blades underneath a pile of fabric scraps. “I'll come back for them tonight. We'll meet up here, just like last time.”

“Okay.” Lyra stroked her mane. “I gotta get back to the bistro. Bonny's probably back from handing out last night's spoils by now.”

Rarity nodded. “Go quick, and with my blessing, my friend.”

Lyra nodded. “Be safe. She turned and started out to the front of the story. “Bye-bye, Miss mighty mare! Nice to meetcha!” she called, as she left.

Rarity giggled and walked out as the door closed behind the minty-colored mare and looked towards a confused looking apple farmer. “What's up with her?” Applejack asked.

The unicorn shrugged and adjusted her robes. “I wish I knew. What Bonbon sees in that loopy thing, I'll never understand.”

“Whaddya mean 'loopy?'” she asked.

Rarity shrugged. “Lyra just... seems to exist off in her own little world most of the time. It's best just not to question it.”

Applejack shrugged. “Whatever you say.” She smirked. “and you weren't kiddin' about it stayin' quiet here.”

Rarity sighed. “Yes, I know...” she looked around the shop, full of dresses that she had poured her heart and soul into creating. Very few of them would be leaving these racks any time soon. The best that she could hope for would probably be a caravan coming through who would want to buy and resell them up in Canterlot. Of course, by the time they got all the way up there, the signatures would probably be altered or removed and her name would not be heard by anyone who ended up wearing them. Still... at least they were getting out there. To know that someone was wearing her art, that was something. She'd take whatever victory she could. “Well, I don't see any harm in closing up early today.” She brushed her palms together and reached underneath the counter, pulling a small key on a long string free from its hiding place behind a pitifully empty bit jar, save for the five that Applejack had handed over earlier. “Besides, you do look like you could use a good meal after a day on the road.” She looked her up and down again. “And perhaps a bath.”

“Bath?” she laughed. “Ah washed off real good afore Ah started down the road. Ah think Ah'm plenty clean, thanks.”

“Yes, but you're also sweaty,” she stated.

“An' Ah'm gonna get sweaty again when Ah continue on mah way tomorrow. Ain't much point in gettin' all clean if Ah'm just gonna get messy again right after. Ain't like I got anypony to impress right now.”

“Well, this is true,” she mused.

Applejack grinned. “Well, certainly not yer husband at least.”

Rarity blinked, and then laughed softly as she walked over to the front door, drawing the blinds on each window before she opened the door. “Well, let's be off then. And Applejack, I wanted to thank you?”

She tilted her head as she stood in the doorway. “Fer what? Fer a few bits and fer complimentin' yer dress-makin'? Ah'm just bein' a good pony is all.”

Rarity nodded softly and smiled as they walked out. She turned back to close and lock the door behind her. 'Yes,' she thought to herself. 'You are a very good and friendly pony, which is why I hope in the name of the Empress that I won't run into you when I put my plan into action tonight...' She took a deep breath. 'The sun forgive me if I'm forced to hurt you...'

END OF CHAPTER 4

Chapter 5: Of Apples and Gemstones

My Little Dynasty: Kung Fu is Magic
By Goombasa

Chapter 5: Of Apples and Gemstones

Fluttershy took a lot of pride in her garden. Not so much for the plants themselves, though she took very good care of the flowers and tiny saplings she'd placed there. It was more for the lovely birds and animals that came there to hide themselves in her nature. Birds chirped and bees hummed, and all around her, life continued uninhibited. Life was good here, especially out here near the edge of the wastes. Some considered it cursed land, but while Fluttershy would never go out into the wastes themselves, but she saw no problem on living on the edge here, especially when wildlife seemed to team there.

She began to spread sunflower seeds down on the ground, humming to herself as she did so. She squeaked, stumbling over her robes and sighed a bit, pulling up the hem. “I really should get some shorter robes for myself,” she mumbled. “These ones are just too long.”

A gentle kick to the back of her leg made her blink and she turned to see Angel Bunny standing there. “Oh, hello Angel,” she said with a small smile, ignoring the perpetual scowl on her familiar's face. Being a practitioner of druidism, Fluttershy had summoned her spirit animal, or familiar, when she had just been a little filly, and Angel Bunny had been the result. At first, Fluttershy was convinced that she had done something wrong, as the rabbit, while intelligent, refused to speak as other familiars did to their magical masters, and he was constantly in a surly state. But, as he had proven time and again, his loyalty was unchecked, and whenever tears had stained her face, he had come to her and comforted her the best that he could. She bent down and offered him a few of the sunflower seeds in her palm. “Would you care for some sunflower seeds? Just don't eat too many. The sun will be setting soon, so I'll be starting dinner before too long. Don't want you to spoil it, you know.”

The mute rabbit shook his head, grabbing her hand and shaking it, pointing back towards the little cottage she called home. “Oh, does Paw Print need my help again?”

The rabbit nodded.

“Oh, okay.” She tossed the last few seeds to the window, into a small group of gathering song birds, who pecked the shells open and gulped down the innards. Gripping her staff, she picked up the rabbit, setting him upon her shoulder, and made her way back inside, tugging up her robe a little to keep herself from tripping. She pushed open the door and made her way through the cottage to the back, where a large addition served as the office of her husband, Paw Prints, a practicing veterinarian. She stopped at the large door with a series of carefully carved paw prints moving up from the bottom of the door all the way to the top. It was a cute addition that she had suggested during the process of building. Smiling as the memories of renovating the old shack came back to her, she knocked at the door. “Paw Prints, dear?” she called.

“We've been over this, honey, you don't have to knock.” Came the soft reply.

“Oh, um right.” She smiled and blushed, giving a soft giggle at her own shyness before she opened the door and pushed it open. She took in the tiny area that served as her husband's office. He was at the tiny writing desk a kindly old woodcutter had made for him as a wedding present to the two of them. He was scratching way at a long piece of parchment, two little field mice sitting next to him and munching on a few cracked walnuts. One of them had its tail bandaged and the other a cast on its paw. “I'm sorry to interrupt.”

“Not at all, love, you know it's not interrupting when you walk into your husband's office.” He smiled and set the quill down, turning to face her. “I see your little demon did I asked him for a chance.”

Angel Bunny stuck his tongue out at the dark blue stallion and hopped down off of his master's shoulder. Fluttershy merely rolled her eyes, knowing that it was pointless for her to get between the two of them. Much as she loved her husband, he and Angel had never gotten along, and she suspected that the only reason they tolerated one another was due to her presence. “Yes, he did come and get me,” she said, walking up. She pet the two field mice softly along their head, making them both squeak out a thanks. “Oh, you're very welcome, little ones.” She glanced over his desk for a moment, tilting her head at all the notes and paperworks and odd diagrams he kept there. Most of them were theorems and facts he had been working on, during his studies of different species. It seemed like every week he was working on some new theory or a new operation that he was sure would help to save lives of livestock or pets in some part of Equestria. His eccentricities in his field was one of the reasons he had customers, after all, even all the way out here, near the wastes. Her eyes rested on a small pot of soil and a large wilting flower dipping down over it's edge. “Oh dear... you haven't been taking care of your Healer's Touch very well.” She reached forward and brushed her fingers over the limp petals, concentrating. She took a deep breath, her wings fluttering for a moment and felt the power of her magic sliding through her fingertips. The flower began to perk up, its color returning and its stem turning a bright green and standing tall and proud. “There, that's better.”

He smiled up at it. “Sorry, my love. I suppose I've been focusing a little too much on my work over the past week.”

“What exactly have you been working on?”

“I've been trying to figure out where that sudden epidemic of Trots came from. There hasn't been any big, inordinate rat activity or anything, so I can't see how it could have spread so quickly.”

“Oh dear, there isn't any worry of it spreading out this far, is there?”

“No, dear, from what I've been told I think it's staying mostly within the bounds of Okineighwa for the time being. Still, the fact that it just cropped up like that does not sit well with me.” He tapped his chin. “Oh, I'm sorry, I'm rambling again.” He smiled at her. “I did call you in from the gardens for a reason.” He held up a small, folded piece of parchment. “I received a letter from one of my contacts in Canterlot, Dr. Hoofen Mouth. He's having a tough time of it with a particularly persistent pet, and the owners insist something is wrong with it. He feels that there night be something... spiritual to do with it.”

“Oh my,” she frowned. “What kind of pet?”

“A ferret, a very young one, that seems to go into spasms at random moments, eats off and on, refuses to drink water... the family is worried that is might be possessed.”

Fluttershy couldn't help but give her head a little shake. All things considered it probably wasn't much more than an irritable ferret. And if it was anything spiritual, it wouldn't be possession. “So you told them about me?”

He shrugged. “Well, I didn't, but Hoofen did mention that you are a practicing druid and might be able to... well, if not help, at least give them peace of mind.”

She nodded. “I'd be happy to. When will they be coming down this way?”

“Oh, um...” he rubbed his head. “Well, the thing is, they can't exactly come down here.”

“uh, what?”

“Well, dear, I'm afraid they can't afford any long term travel. The family is fairly large, with four children. The mother works as a tea maker and the father is a freelance scribe. They don't have the funds to come out here, nor could they afford so much time away from their work.” He looked up at her with a slight smile. “So... they were hoping that you might be able to... you know, come up there?”

Fluttershy gave a slight shiver and toyed with her fingers. “Oh, I don't know. You know how I get whenever I have to go into a city. It's just, it's always so noisy and crowded and congested.”

“I understand. The letter did say that aside from the concern of the family and the occasional fits, the ferret was fine, and all his vitals were up to snuff.”

Fluttershy shuffled a tad. “Well, I... I don't want the poor animal to suffer any. Are you certain they can't bring it down here?”

He shook his head. “I'm sorry dear, but Hoofen made it very clear that they couldn't make the trip, and they didn't know anyone who could take it out here either.”

“Hmm, well...” she poked her fingers together. “Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if we went down there together.”

Her husband coughed lightly and turned back to his work, picking up the quill and nibbling on the end of the tattered griffon feather.

Fluttershy frowned. “You... won't be able to come with me, will you?”

He sighed, looking up at her guiltily. “Fluttershy, honey, my flower, you know that I would if I could...”

She smiled and waved away his words. “I understand, my dear.” She leaned forward and pecked his cheek. “You don't have to defend yourself around me. I know you are busy here.” She pat his shoulder. “Lots of customers coming down soon?”

“You remember the Uppercrusts? They'll be bringing down their prized peacock collection, all seven of them, for a routine checkup, and you know how snippy they can be.”

“Well, I don't know, a few gentle pats and a little bit of preening and they can be just as docile as any other bird I've met.”

“I was talking about the Uppercrusts,” he said teasingly.

She blinked and let out a light giggle, smiling at him. “Oh Paw Prints, they aren't that bad.”

“Yes, I agree, I'm probably being a little too nice to them.” He grinned. “I guess you just bring out the best in me, my love.” He nodded to her and stood up. “As I said before, the choice is yours. I don't think it will be that big of a travesty if you can't make it up to the city.”

She nodded, though she still looked a little uncertain. Angel leaped up onto her shoulder again and ran his paw through her pink locks in a comforting manner. She smiled. “Oh, thank you Angel.” She reached up and tickled under his chin. “I don't have to make a decision right away, of course.”

“Indeed.” He nodded. “Now, I think it's time I took a break.” His stomach grumbled and he blushed a little. “Er, and get something to eat. I kind of forgot to have lunch today.”

Fluttershy clucked her tongue. “Oh, dear, what would you do without me.” She smiled. “I'll go out and pick something fresh for dinner. Why don't you go and set the table?”

“Certainly.” He stood up, grunting a bit, his legs popping after having been stationary for so long.

Fluttershy frowned. “Has your leg been acting up again?”

“No, dear, it's been fine.” He gave his left leg a light rub. “Just a little stiff. I'll be fine.” He reached to the side of his desk and took out a small walking cane, far smaller and more practical than the bulky staff she carried with her. “You go on, I'll have the table set when you come back in.”

She nodded. “Of course. Is soup all right for tonight?”

“Sounds lovely,” he agreed. “Carrot?”

“How about peas as well?”

“You always did like the eclectic mixes, didn't you dear?” he teased softly, making her blush.

She giggled and nodded. “I'll be back before long.” She gave him another kiss. On her shoulder, she could hear Angel giving a mock gag as she pulled away. “Oh Angel, don't be like that.”

“Yes, we could always throw your cut to the cows out back.”

Angel let out something of a hiss and Paw Prints just laughed. Fluttershy giggled as well, stroking the rabbit's head to calm him. “Come on, Angel Bunny. We have some work to do.” She nodded to her husband and then headed out the way she had come, resuming her humming.

She walked around back, past a small fenced area where a couple of cows mooed their greetings to her. She nodded to them, waving at them as though addressing other ponies and continued on her way, to the very back, where a small, tilled area rested, the vegetable and fruit garden. The plants looked quite healthy, but as it was the end of the season, not many of the plants were producing right now, and those that were didn't have much to show for their efforts. Fluttershy set her staff to the side and lowered herself down onto her knees, clasping her hands together. Angel dropped off of her shoulder and to the side. She took a glance back towards the house to make sure her husband wasn't watch and smiled. “Now be sure to stay quiet about this, Angel. You know how Paw Prints gets when I use too much magic at once.”

The rabbit gave a nod and mimed zipping his mouth shut. Nodding her thanks, the pegasus took another deep breath, closing her eyes and bowing her head, resting both of her hands down in the soft soil. All she had to do was imagine herself as a root, snaking its way through the ground towards her pants. She just needed to concentrate, to let life flow naturally as she shared her energy with the world around her. She felt it flowing out of her, trickling down and out into the soil, naturally seeing out the closest living beings that it could find. She smiled, feeling as though she were being held by the roots, like she was one with them.

Her heart sped up and her breath quickened. She felt herself growing lightheaded as energy was dripped from her. She let out a groan, trying to her best to regulate how much of her energy she was letting free. This was a very delicate process. Release too much energy and she could fall unconscious, or worse. It was basically the equivalent of starving herself, and she had learned very early on to be very conservative with her magic. But if she didn't release enough of it, quickly enough, the magic wouldn't take hold and would not have the desired effects. Such was the unfortunate trade-off when using druidic magics.

Her ears perked as she heard plants shifting and writhing nearby. Her body trembled when she felt herself letting loose, but she did not stop. She gave one last push before opening her eyes again. The world was spinning around her and she shivered, removing her hands from the soil. She flopped backwards, onto her back, her wings sprawling out, her arms and legs laying limp along with them. She took in deep, calming breaths, and waited patiently for the sky above to realign itself. She rolled her head to the side, where a more patient than usual Angel was watching her, his arms crossed and his foot tapping against the ground, though his eyes showed a large amount of concern.

“Don't worry about me,” she said, her voice quiet. “Just need to.. lay down for a second.” She took another breath. “Think I might have pushed too hard again. Angel, how'd I do?”

The rabbit looked towards the plans she had been working on and gave a happy nodded, clapping his hands together.

“Oh good,” she said with a nod. “Then we did get enough for a decent meal.” She breathed out again. “It's always harder to will a crop to grow when it's getting close to winter,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, attempting to keep away. “Come on, Fluttershy, you have to go and get dinner ready,” she scolded herself, forcing herself up to her knees again and taking a look at the fruits of her labor. A small patch of carrots had grown to full size, and the bean plant near the front had fostered a good basketful of sprouts. As she stared at them, she felt herself saddened by the fact that she could not share this power with others. Druidism, the act of living through nature, was an art that not many ponies believed was a proper way to live. There were, of course, the sacrifices one had to make for the training, and it was a very harsh art to learn. But the benefits were certainly worth it.

Drawing herself up to her legs, Fluttershy took a minute to make sure she was still able to move without flopping back down onto her face, and then moved to begin drawing the newly acquired harvest from the ground.

As she plucked, Angel moved to assist, drawing carrots from the ground, and tossing them into her basket. She smiled at the little familiar as he moved from carrot to carrot, of course helping himself to one occasionally, but there was nothing she could do about that. “Not too man,” she commented. “Don't want you to spoil your appetite for the soup!” She hummed and dropped a handful of bean sprouts into the basket on top of the carrots. “There, that should be plenty for three.” She frowned and looked over the plants. “And I think that might be the last time I'll be able to use my powers for a while. I don't want to overdo it. The spirits might think I'm taking advantage of them.” she picked up the half full basket, which angel had decided to deposit himself in, and started back towards the cottage, but stopped when she felt Angel swatting at her hand. “Angel?” she asked, looking down at him with a frown. “What's wrong? Did I miss a few sprouts?”

The rabbit began to point frantically out towards the wastes and her eyes followed his erratic motions. Her eyes widened as she saw two figures stumbling towards her cottage out in the distance. She squinted, placing her hand over her eyes to keep the sun out of them. It looked like two ponies. Two ponies out in the wastes? What in the name of Tartarus were they thinking? Picking up her staff, her exhaustion forgotten, she dashed out to meet them halfway, waving her staff back and forth. “Hello!” she called out, raising her timid voice as loud as she dared. “Hello out there!”

The two seemed to have heard them because they waved back, one of them, a light blue mare with a silver mane shouting back, “Hello!” in a tired, parched voice.

She nodded and met the two of them at the edge of the wastes. “What,” she started, looking at the two of them, “are you two doing out here?” she asked, her eyes traveling over the two. Both were dressed in ragged, well worn tunics, but the blue mare that had spoke also wore a rather well woven cape and hat, decorated with lovingly crafted stars and constellations running all over them. They were in notably better shape than the other clothing they wore.

The blue mare's companion, a golden-furred mare with a yellow and red streaked mane, wiped her brow and looked back out into the wastes. “We uh... got stranded,” she said.

“Stranded?” Fluttershy asked. “But who would take you into the wastes to begin with? Everypony knows that place is to be avoided at all costs.”

The blue mare shook her head. “Expedition,” she answered. “We Were working out there. Trying to figure out what made it tick.” She shook her head. “Attacked by something... strange. Lost track of the others. Wandered around until we got back out here.”

“Oh my... are you two all right?”

“Tired,” the blue mare said.

“Thirsty,” the golden one added.

“Hungry,” they both said at once.

Fluttershy nodded. “Well please, let's get you two inside and rested before you go and collapse on us.” She motioned to the cottage and took their hands. “Angel, be a dear and go let Paw Prints know we have guests?”

the rabbit crossed his front paws, glaring up at the two strange mares with penetrating black eyes, a scowl all over his face. Fluttershy frowned down at him. “Angel,” she said with a sigh, “Please, go and let Paw Prints know that we will have guests for dinner.”

The rabbit still glowered at the two of them.

Fluttershy frowned and put her hands on her hips, and glared down at the unfortunate rabbit. Her eyes seemed to radiate a strange kind of power. The rabbit shrank back and shuddered a little bit, hopping away a bit before he turned away, prancing back inside the open door. “There we go,” she nodded. “He can be a little stubborn, but he does listen after a few gentle nudges.” She looked back at the two confused mares. “I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your names.”

The blue mare gave her a slight smile. “Trixie,” she said.

“Sunset Shimmer,” the other said. They bothered offered her quick bows as they were ushered inside.

“Well don't worry,” fluttershy said with a slight smile, adjusting the basket of vegetables at her side. “We're going to get you both feeling much better before long.” She started to walk inside, but as she entered, she could vaguely here one of the mares whispering excitedly to one another.

The only words she caught were, “She's one of them...”

Applejack couldn't help but feel impressed when she was let inside of Blue Blood's mansion. She was a farm pony, and the biggest building she'd ever seen before had been her family's barn. That had been a simple, wide open area for storing produce and taking care of what few livestock they kept. But this? This put their barn to shame. She was certain she could spend a week exploring all the different rooms around the place and still not see everything that they had to offer. “So this is how noble ponies live,” she mused as a scribe ushered her inside. Rarity stood by her side, the smile she had been wearing before completely absent from her face as she assumed a distressingly stoic expression.

If there was anything that seemed to impress Applejack more than the place's apparent size, it was how gaudily it was decorated. Well, perhaps 'impress' was not the right word. Surprise her might have been a better way to put it. After all, this was all just things. All useless, gaudy things, and he had them decorating the entire wall and sides of the mansion as if they served some practical purpose. “Ah can see why somepony would wanna come in here Y'all got so much fancy stuff, it's like a thieve's paradise.”

“For the most part,” Rarity stated, waving her hand at one of the large statues sitting at the corner of one of the wider hallways. “It would take an entire team of stallions to lift that thing on their own.”

Applejack shrugged. “Still, havin' all this priceless stuff just layin' around? I'm surprised y'all haven't been hit by brigands already.”

“This is a pretty quiet village. While thieves are a problem, my husband's personal guards do usually keep them out, and back when the Canterlot soldiers patrolled the area, we never had to worry about them at all.”

“Same fer mah farm. Ever since them patrols stopped, we've been havin' run-ins with brigands quite a bit.” She chuckled and pushed her hate up. “Sure is lucky fer us they ain't the brightest set, or we might've had quite a problem on our hands.”

Rarity chuckled. “To be sure, yes.”

“Where does all this stuff come from anyway?”

“My husband purchases it, when the caravans come through. There are a few ponies who specialize in selling expensive odds and ends and Blue Blood fancies himself something of a collector.” She rolled her eyes. “Whenever an opportunity arises to add to his collection, he's quick to take it up.” She pat the edge of a large landscape painting by one Water Colors, of the Canterlot castle during the Summer Sun celebration. “Though, half the time, I don't know if he really knows or cares what he's buying so long as it happens to have an outlandish price tag upon it.”

She frowned. “Well that makes about as much sense as an apple pie with no crust.” She shook her head. “An' how does he keep getting all this money in the first place? Most ponies hafta get a job fer that to happen.”

She sighed. “He's nobility, as I said. Even if his family practically banished him out here (and me along with him), they do still provide for us. He receives a sizable allowance from his parents' estate back in Canterlot, and that is what pays for our luxury.” She sighed. “While most other ponies around here are living day to day, hoping to keep up enough to pay for their meals.” She closed her eyes. “Coming out here... it really highlights quite a difference between Canterlot and the rest of the nation.”

“Whaddya talkin' about?” Applejack asked. “I hear plenty of talk about those fancy cities all over the place. Like up in Tokhayo or somethin'.”

“Yes, the cities are always in good condition because they have a good bit of economy and opportunity to them. But out here? Farm communities and transfer villages like this live and die based on whether or not they can make a product to send to one of those big cities. I'm sure you're aware of that much at least.”

“Well yeah, but mah family never really needed to worry before. Our apple farm's always got plenty of buyers from all over Equestria. We ain't never lacked fer money to keep us cozy.”

“You're lucky. Smaller farms are often lucky to get enough to see them through the winter, and the ponies who aren't lucky enough to be perfect artisans or farm ponies find it a bit difficult to find steady employment.” She sighed. “And I hate the fact that they go hungry while I'm stuck in here.”

“Well, why don't you just give away some of the money yah don't need?” Applejack suggested.

“Yes, that seems to be the best idea,” she stated. “The problem is, I'm married to Blue Blood.” She gave a short, humorless bark of laughter. “That tightwad probably wouldn't loosen his purse strings if his mother's life depended on it.”

Applejack massaged the back of her head, uncomfortably. “Ah don't mean to sound crass, but if yah find yer husband so downright despicable, why're you still with him?”

Rarity closed her eyes. “For my own family's sake. The money is good, and Blue Blood's more affable family members have seen to it that my mother, father, and little sister have been well cared for since I left home. I fear that if I leave this thing I call a husband, then his family will cut them off. I wouldn't see them furnished in luxury only for it to be taken away because I made a selfish decision.”

Toying with her hat for a moment, the farm pony nodded. “Gotta say, that's pretty dang big of ya, Rarity.”

“I'd like to think so,” she shrugged. “But I got myself into this bed, so I might as well sleep in it.”

Applejack pushed away the interesting images that conjured of Rarity actually having to share a bed with the upper class stallion and grunted, focusing her attention back on the gaudy décor surrounding her. “Where exactly are we goin' anyway? Feels like we've been walkin' ferever.”

“To the dining hall. My precious stallion,” she rolled her eyes again, “is most likely indulging himself at this time. He always eats whenever he's annoyed or frustrated or paranoid.”

“Does he eat often?”

“I'm surprised he can even afford all the paintings and statues after dealing with his food bill,” she answered.

The rest of their walk was spent in silence and soon enough they found their way to the dining area. Prince Blue Blood was indeed there, sitting at the edge of the table, several sweets surrounding him. Just from a glance, Applejack noted the presence of at least three kinds of pudding, two cakes, two pies, and several fancy looking pastries she'd never seen before. Was he really going to eat all of that? How'd he manage to keep his figure if he was that much of a glutton? She decided it was best to not question it.

Rarity approached him and smiled, lifting one of the goblets containing a chocolate pudding off of the table, which instantly drew a glare from the one consuming them. She picked up a spoon and, with a dainty scoop, drew a small spoonful from the cup, depositing the sweet substance into her mouth and giving a feline like face as she enjoyed the sensation in her mouth. Applejack surmised that she didn't eat sweets very often if that was her reaction.

Her husband continued to glare at her, even as she set the goblet and spoon back down. “Hello, dear,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Hello,” she greeted, sounding just as sweet as the pudding must have tasted. Maybe the pudding was the only thing that kept her civil around him, Applejack thought, as the two unhappy ponies began to stare one another down.

“I don't recall asking you to join me.”

“I don't recall having to ask your permission for anything that I do.”

He snorted. “Fair enough, but this is for my nerves, dear.” He tapped the large, sugar-saturated plate in front of him. “I'd appreciate it if you didn't touch my sweets?”

Rarity frowned. “I think you've had plenty, dear. And I doubt getting so hopped up on sugar that you'll never sleep again will truly help you should that thief return.”

“Oh shush,” he waved her away. “I'm not going to be dealing with the thief anyway.” He pointed towards Applejack. “That is her job.”

“For the night,” she stated. “And if the thief has any brains, they probably won't strike two nights in a row.”

“I refuse to take a chance,” he stated. “Besides, striking twice would probably be something that wouldn't be expected, so by taking extra precautions, I'd like to think I was actually being quite intelligent.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Very well, whatever you say. But what will you do when our new bodyguard,” she waved to Applejack, who had stepped back a pace as she let the two of them talk, “needs to leave? She's only here for a night after all.”

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he stated.

“Yes, and then you'll fall through it.” She leaned forward and poked him in the stomach.

He glared at her. “You better watch your tone.”

“Or what?” She asked, glaring right back. “You'll 'punish' me?” she asked, rolling her eyes again. She backed away and set a dramatic hand against her forehead. “Oh woe is may, I might have to endure the feeling of your hand against my poor buttocks, or perhaps a night without dinner.” She snorted and tossed her mane to the side. “You know, if that thief does come back, I hope they take a bit more. Maybe the loss of your funds would actually teach you a bit of humility.” She turned away and began to walk off.

Growling, Blue Blood stood up, and walked up behind her, rearing back and striking at her backside, making the white mare jump in surprise. “You'll learn some respect one day,” he growled, rubbing his palm.

Applejack gasped a bit, worried for her friend, but the mare just shot her husband a glare, rubbing at her flank in mild annoyance as she exited the room with her nose in the air. The farm pony watched her go and frowned. “There weren't no call fer that, Mr. Blue Blood.”

“LORD Blue Blood,” he reminded her, crossing his arms. “And I don't need a farm pony to tell me how to deal with an errant wife.”

Applejack bit back a retort about how Rarity was about as errant as he was generous, but she didn't think that he was very good as recognizing sarcasm, so she let the issue go. “So, exactly what'll ah be guardin' while ah'm here?”

He grunted and wiped his mouth before snapping his fingers. A nearby servant began to clear the table, taking even the plates of goods he had yet to consume. “Follow me, Applepie,” he stated.

“Applejack,” she corrected.

“Whatever.” He began to move towards the hall.

She sighed, toying with her hat again. “Great. More walkin'.” She followed after him, down another gaudy hall so full of statues and useless testaments to his wealth that she was surprised they could even walk safely down it without tripping over something. They ascended a flight of stairs, which were, of course, decorated in an even more lavash fashion, before finally arriving at a set of ornate double doors. “This is my personal chamber,” he stated, opening it with a small smile and motioning for her to come in.

She raised a brow. “Is it really necessary fer me to go in there? Ah'm here to guard yer money, ain't I?”

He nodded. “Yes, well, I tend to keep my money nearby.”

“Uh-huh.” She raised a brow. “An' so the thief still managed to get in here, steal a bag, and take off?”

“Yes, that's right. Knocked out the guards in front, threatened to cut off my beautiful tail,” he gave his permed tail a cautious stroke, “forced me to give up the location of my safe, grabbed a large sack of bits, and took off again. None of my bodyguards were able to stop him.”

“Ah see.” She nodded, slowly walking into the room. If the rest of the house was gaudy, then his room was nauseating. Every inch of it was covered in tributes to himself. The walls were lined with portraits of him in several different poses and places, but all of them bore his trademark grin, that disgusting, smug look of self satisfaction. Along the floors, and lining the dressers and other odds and ends were several other sculptures and statues, all bearing his annoying visage, each crafted with great care down to the last detail to make sure that it was clear just what a pompous ass he was. Applejack felt truly sorry for the poor artisans who had wasted hours, days, perhaps even weeks to create these worthless testaments to one stallions ego. Still, she hoped they were at least well compensated for their time.

Perhaps the worst of them all was the absolutely massive mural that hung above his belt, a large circular mattress easily large enough to fit four and piled high with far more pillows than any one stallion would need. It depicted him, a rose in his mouth, shirtless and barely decent, laying on the very bed that laid below it, looking out at her with a come-hither stare.

It took a sizable amount of will power to avoid retching at the sight. Perhaps taking her chances out on the streets would have been a preferable alternative if that was what she had staring down at her all night. “All right,” she said, coughing, and looking away, anywhere except at the mural. “So where's all that money Ah'm lookin' after?”

He raised a brow. “Why do you want to know?”

“Well, if a thief does break in, your job is to just stop them from getting into the vault, or threatening me for the information,” he stated. “You don't need to know exactly where I keep my money, now do you?”

She shrugged. “Alright, alright, Ah get it. Sorry, Ah didn't mean to imply nothin'. If you want me to stand in here and keep you an' yer money safe, that's what Ah'll do.”

“Excellent.” he smiled a little. “You will be posted as a guard in here when the sun goes down, after you've had your evening meal. We did agree on that, yes?”

“Course,” she said with a nod.

His smile grew wider. Applejack began to grow a little uncomfortable. “Excellent. I'm sure you won't disappoint me, then.” He began to draw a bit closer, his eyes traveling up and down her body. To the farm mare, it seemed like he couldn't decide whether he should be looking at her with attraction or distaste. “And I must admit, for a farm pony, you certainly seem to have quite a figure.”

His lack of subtlety made Applejack lower her ears in annoyance. “Beg pardon?”

“Just making a casual observation,” he said, walking around her, playing at going to the small writing desk at the end of the room, though Applejack could feel his eyes traveling down her back, towards her flank. She turned around to keep him in view.

“Well, it ain't cause I'm tryin' to draw someone's eyes,” she stated, frowning at him.

“Of course,” he said, waving his hand. “Most farm ponies are married to their work after all.” He gave a sniff and smiled at her again. “But should you find yourself wanting a bit more of a reward for your services...” he began, tapping his fingers together, “My wife and I do not share the same bed anymore. We have... differences in sleeping habits.”

A polite way of noting that they couldn't stand being near one another, Applejack thought. She knew what he was getting at, and she didn't like it... if he went any further...

“So, I do offer my bed to you should you feel the room is secure enough and you wish to... relax for a time.” He chuckled. “I'm sure you've never slept on anything more comfortable than a hay mattress, and I've certainly never had a commoner grace my chamber before.”

If he was trying for any sort of subtlety, he wasn't good at it, at all. Trying her best to keep the scowl off of her face for the sake of being civil, Applejack removed her hat and tossed her mane to the side. “Y'all are married,” she stated. “An' married to, as far as I can tell, a pretty wonderful mare already. Even if Ah was so inclined,” 'An' thank the empress I ain't,' she thought, “Ah wouldn't dream of comin' between you two that way.”

His smile faded and he crossed his arms. “Life has already come between us,” he answered with a snort. “That mare doesn't know how good she's got it here, and treats me like dirt when I give her all that she could ever want.”

“Ah think she's got a right good idea bout how good she's got it,” Applejack said, replacing her hat on her head. “Now, I ain't interested in talkin' about this stuff no more. Thanks fer the offer, but Ah'm happy with a meal and a place to stay fer the night.” She turned and started for the door. “Ah'm just gonna take a quick walk around, get familiar with the place afore tonight.”

She felt a hand grip her shoulder. She stopped and sighed, feeling him squeeze. He had quite a weak grip. “I'm not used to being refused,” he stated.

“Funny,” she said with a light smile. “Livin' with Rarity, Ah woulda thought you'd be used to it, judgin' by the way you two went at it in the dining hall.” Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand and gave it a painful twist, pulling his fingers backwards. He hissed and dropped to one knee as she continued to push back on his fingers. “An' Ah don't rightly like stallions puttin' their hands on me like that. It's just plain rude, sugar.” She gave a light smirk. “An' lemme make this perfectly clear, since y'all don't seem to understand: I ain't interested in you in any way, an' even if ya weren't married, Ah still wouldn't wanna touch you with a pole stretchin' over Sea Serpent Bay. We clear?”

The wincing stallion gave a nod. “Crystal,” he said through clenched teeth, letting out another his of pain.

Applejack released his hand and nodded. “Much obliged. Now, like Ah said, Ah gotta get a feel fer this place if Ah'm gonna do mah job proper. Be seein' you later, Blue Blood.” She turned and walked out, not waiting for a rebuttal, leaving a very annoyed and glaring stallion behind.

The moon hung beautiful above the world that night. The stars seemed to be shining brighter than usual, as though commanding the world to look up and take notice of them. Not a cloud was in the sky, not a thing obscuring their twinkle and shine. Rarity had no choice but to declare the entire thing as Fabulous.

She had slid out of her room a while before, under the pretense of going out for a late night stroll. The servants never thought anything of it, the guards never paid any attention, and her husband certainly wasn't going to do or say anything to her. So, she walked around the outside and into a nearby alleyway, being sure that she was not followed. She took a deep breath and pulled a change of clothing out from under her robes. She let her other clothes fall off of her and took a deep breath as the cool night breeze washed over her bare body. Shivering, she began to pull on her new outfit. The black body suit had been made to cover every inch of her, and to keep her as anonymous as possible. Everything, even her mane and tail, were covered, save for her eyes. She took another deep breath, depositing her other outfit down at the bottom of a crate of discarded fabrics she had thrown out earlier in the day, knowing that they would blend in well should anyone come by to take a look. “Lyra,” she whispered. “Are you there?”

“Right here,” came the response as a similarly dressed mare in a matching black outfit walked out. “Bon bon's got the wagon set up for our escape. You have your entrance strategy all planned out, right?”

“Of course. And I'll be able to slip back in just as easily when the job is done.” She looked towards her friend. “What about you? You and Bon bon have a place to hide out as well, right?”

“Well yeah. But I don't see what the big deal is. Blueblood didn't exactly have his goons combing the streets after we hit him last night.”

“True, but he is getting paranoid, and hitting him a second night in a row is definitely going to rouse some suspicions on us.”

“Specially if we happen to get a bigger payoff this time.” She pat the blade by her side. “Got your swords?”

Rarity pat the two hidden blades she'd tied to the waist of her outfit. “I'm ready. But remember, we don't draw our swords unless it is completely necessary.”

“I know, I'm not a moron.” she huffed.

“Sometimes I really do have to wonder,” Rarity whispered to herself. “Right, I'll approach from the left.”

“Right.”

“No, the left.”

“I got it. I'm going in from the right, you go in from the left, right?”

Rarity groaned. “This is not the time for played out comedy routines. Let's just get in there and get it done.”

“Right.”

Rarity huffed and nodded to her. The two black clad mares began to make their approach back towards the mansion, ducking into whatever shadows were available. The outer gardens were an excellent place to hide and approach, as, just like the halls of the mansion, they were full of gaudy, terrible works of what Blue Blood considered 'art'. Dozens of strangely trimmed bonsai trees, odd or exotic flower beds, and hedge sculptures allegedly imported from Griffonia dotted the bright green grass carpeting the pathways leading up to the mansion. A few bored stallions patrolled the outer grounds in a circular motion, constantly moving from one side of the area to the other. Their pattern was simple and predictable, and neither of them were particularly attentive to their duty, even after the robbery only a night ago.

Either they didn't care much about their jobs, or they really didn't think a second robbery was likely to take place. It was one of the only benefits to having Blue Blood as a husband, most of the people working for him didn't like him either, and as such, they weren't particularly interested in impressing him.

Rarity lost sight of Lyra as the minty green unicorn ducked around the other side of the house. From here on out, she needed to make sure that she was moving with absolute certainty. Lyra would handle the security, drawing their attention away from Blue Blood's room while she moved in and grabbed as much as she could. Thirty seconds later, she moved for the window and ran like Tartarus until she could get to Bon bon's wagon, and then that was that. After she deposited the items, she would wait a while longer, make her way back over, redress, and make her way back home. Last night, she'd cut it too close sneaking in through her window. If she'd been caught there, that would have been it for her. It was only by claiming she had been accosted by the thief on his way out that she managed to avoid suspicion.

Taking a deep breath, she checked one of the windows, grinning as it clicked open. Oh how many times had she reminded the fool to keep these things locked, and not once had he ever listened to her. Now, she was more than grateful he had not listened to her. She took a quick glance around to make sure none of the guards were wandering about this hallway before she hopped it, grunting a bit. “Should have chose a bigger window,” she mumbled, squeezing through it. “Ugh.”

She took another glance around, closing the window behind her as she shuffled down the hallway, bent forward and sticking to the shadows cast by the various statues around her. It wasn't like she had to worry too much. Just like outside, the soldiers within were moving in a slow, predictable pattern that she was quite familiar with, mostly because she had been the one to coordinate her. Of course, Blue Blood had been quick to take credit for the organization of his estate, though no one really believed he was capable of something like that.

She peeked her head around the corner and took a moment to watch the two guards standing at the foot of the stairs leading up to her husband's room, and waited.

A loud tapping started to come form the other side of the mansion and the guards frowned for a moment. Rarity could hear soldiers moving towards the sound from all over the mansion and ducked behind a large vase at the corner, waiting until the passed. Peeking back out, she saw the staircase was unguarded, but a glint of starlight at the top of the stairs alerted her to two more guards who remained at their posts. She gave a grunt of annoyance. It would seem she'd have to fight after all. And she knew just how to handle this. Taking a deep breath, she unwrapped her horn from the black scarf she had used to obscure it and let it begin to glow for a moment. Then, with a quick burst of speed, she dashed for the stairs, darting up it. She could see the two guards readying their weapons as she approached, as she had anticipated, but before they could move to stop her, she launched a small bolt of magic forward. It smashed into the guard's head and he stumbled back against the wall, groaning and sliding down to the ground, knocked out.

The other guard gasped. “A chi wizard!” he growled, moving forward to take a swing at her. As the blade was stabbed forward, she drew out her blade and swung it forward, pushing it out of the way quickly. Before he could rear back for a second strike, she leaned forward, pointing her horn right at him and firing it at him, point blank, the power of the strike sending him backwards, and into the door. He groaned and flopped forward, Rarity cursing as she stopped and listened. The sound didn't seem to have called any of the other guards away from Lyra's distractions. She did have to wonder just what her companion was doing to keep the guards attention. But that wasn't what she was worried about at the moment. The bang on the door most likely had disturbed Blue Blood's sleep, and would probably alert the other particular pony who was waiting on the other side of that door for her. She just had to hope that the mare on the other side of the door wouldn't be too hard to deal with.

She pushed open the door and found herself looking straight down the barrel of a gun.

Yep, this wasn't going to be as easy as she'd hoped.

“Howdy,” the farm pony greeted with a light grin. “The name's Applejack. Sorry, but Ah gotta ask yah to lay down fer a bit. Ah ain't too keen on thieves, so Ah'm afraid Ah can't let ya go much further than this.”

Rarity's eyes narrowed and she grunted, dropping her blade to the ground. It gave a light clatter and she raised her hands up. She'd not seen a gun before, but she'd heard about these weapons from afar, and her instincts told her that they were something she should be wary of. Applejack nodded. “Thanks,” she said honestly. “I really didn't wanna have to pull this here trigger.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Blue Blood shouting, sitting up in his bad. “Shoot her! Put her down before she tries to get away.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and glanced back at him. “Ah'm dealin' with it, Blue Blood.” She rolled her eyes. “Ain't like Ah'm up against a mastermind here. If she was stupid enough to come straight in here, Ah don't think she's more than a common thief.”

That look away was just what she needed. She quickly channeled another burst of magic into her horn, just enough to knock her backwards. It was roughly on par with the spell she'd used against the guards outside. As applejack turned back towards her, she launched the spell, straight into her chest.

Much to her surprise, Applejack just stumbled back, catching herself, slightly winded, but otherwise not hurt. She rushed forward and knocked the gun away, out of her hand, drawing her sword out and pushing the point towards her. Applejack tensed, frowning down at it. “Well, Ah guess Ah asked fer that, lettin' mah guard down like that, but this seems mighty unfair here.”

Rarity gave a grunt and looked over to the gun with a slight grunt. She drew back, moving around Applejack to the gun, picking it up by the barrel. Then, in what she believed to be a very, VERY stupid move, she offered it back to her.

Raising her brow, Applejack too it, examining it for a moment. Rarity sheathed her blade, but backed up a step and took a fighter's stance.

Blue Blood laughed. “What is this? A thief that actually displays a sense of honor? This is rich! You've met your match, thief! Now hurry up and shoot her before she shoots you again!” he ordered.

Rarity watched Applejack's stance carefully, still holding her own. Finally, the farm pony smiled and set her gun to the side, taking a stance of her own. “Alright, partner. Yah got my respect, so let's do this clean, huh? No weapons, no magic.”

The disguised white mare smiled under her black cloth that kept her face hidden. She'd known that Applejack wouldn't have been cruel enough to turn the gun on her a second time, and Rarity would never have had the heart to use the blade on anyone anyway. This did put her at a huge disadvantage, but she could still make this work. All she had to do was outthink her. Applejack might have been a tough farm pony, but Rarity was willing to bet tactics weren't a big part of her repertoire. She just had to bait her into a trap, and then...

Applejack lunged forward, swinging a fist towards her. Rarity ducked out of the way, chopping towards the farm pony's side, hoping to make her stumble. But as her fingers connected, she winced and jumped away, rubbing at her hand. It was like trying to fight a brick wall. A brick wall that could move and possibly break her skull with a good aimed strike, of course.

Applejack came at her again, this time attempting a kick, faster than Rarity could dodge. She threw up both of her arms to block it, but the impact sent her tumbling head of her heels backwards. She curled herself up and let herself roll over once before landing back on her feet, wincing as pain surged up through her forearms. She couldn't keep blocking strikes like that. She'd be hammered into the ground!

She had to go on the offensive, keep her opponent of balance, and she had to end this soon. Blue Blood was screaming bloody murder for his guards, and eventually someone was going to come in here just to shut him up, regardless of how loud or blatant Lyra was with her distractions. She was actually surprised the two stallions out front hadn't woken up already and started terrorizing her. She leaped forward, throwing several quick but weak punches towards Applejack's face. The farm pony bobbed out of the way, ducking to the side, but was unable to mount a counter offensive as another flurry came towards her. She frowned and began to back up.

That's what Rarity wanted. All she had to do was get her backed into the corner. She began to throw a few kicks into the mix as well, but then Applejack did something she wasn't expecting. She took a kick, right to her side, and threw her hand down, grabbing her leg. Rarity's eyes widened and she tried to pull away, but Applejack held firm, smirking. “Y'all got some pretty fancy moves there, but yer way too flashy, partner.” She gripped her leg with both arms pulled her around, literally throwing the unfortunate would-be thief into the wall, the impact causing several pictures to tumble to the ground, and all air to escape Rarity's lungs.

She coughed, crumpling to her side and arching her back to try and alleviate some of the pain rushing through her. Her vision blurred for a split second and she groaned, rubbing her eyes. Applejack was coming in to make sure she didn't get up. She reached over and grabbed the nearby painting that had dropped off of the wall and picked it up, swinging it as hard as she could at the incoming pony.

Moving as fast as she was, Applejack didn't have time to mount an effective defense and took the hit from the painting full in her face. It didn't really hurt that much, but the splintering of the fram worried her, having so much sharp little wood near her eyes, so she quickly stumbled back for the sake of her sight. Rarity leapt up and jumped forward, planting both of her feet firmly in Applejack's just as really throwing her off balance, sending her tumbling backwards, towards the doorway. Coughing, Applejack clutched at her ribs and pulled herself up to her knees, taking deep breaths.

Rarity saw her chance. She had to move fast here. She turned towards the vault on the wall and hurriedly entered the combination. Eight to the left, nine to the right, three to the left. It clicked and she threw it open. She'd wasted too much time already, she should have been out of here several minutes ago. She grabbed two large bags of bits, turning to give one quick satisfied sneer at the screaming stallion in his bed before she turned away and tried to dash for the door.

However, the escape rout was blocked off by a sudden rush of stallions standing in her way. Two with spears, two with short swords, and one last one holding Lyra's arms behind her back, while she squirmed and writhed, trying to get loose. Her mask had been removed and she blushed in embarrassment. “Hey there,” she greeted lightly. “Heh, I got kinda cocky.”

Rarity growled after a moment. They'd pushed their luck too far. Everything might have turned out okay if she hadn't had to worry about Applejack, but she'd underestimated the farm pony.

“Drop your weapons!” one of the guards ordered.

She growled and did so, slowly taking the blade from its sheath and tossing it to the side. Applejack got up and took a deep breath, approaching her cautiously. “Well, glad that's over.” She looked at Blue Blood. “Ah'd say Ah've earned mah keep.”

“Certainly,” the stallion answered, taking a deep breath, standing up. “Now, let's see just who we're dealing with here.” He motioned to Applejack to remove her cowl.

Rarity held up her hand as Applejack approached. If she was found out, she would at least have the honor of unmasking herself. “Well done, dear,” she said to Applejack. “I apologize for making your stay here unpleasant.” At Applejack's confused look, she sighed, reaching up and tugging off the black mask she wore, letting it drop to the side. She undid the bun keeping her mane steady and let it tumble down around her shoulders.

Applejack's eyes widened. “Rarity?”

Blue Blood gasped. “My own wife?!”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Oh don't act so surprised,” she grumbled. “Of course it was me. How else would I know the combination to the vault? The guard's patrol patterns?” she smirked. “Right where your bedroom is?” She sighed. “And even after last night, this job would have been just as simple and quick as before, but I wasn't prepared for Applejack to be such an accomplished obstacle.”

Applejack frowned. “Well, Ah wasn't expectin' such a proper lady like yerself to try somethin like this.”

“Quite a good bit of cover, isn't it?” she asked with a small smile.

“Ah'll say.” Applejack chuckled. “But what'd you need money fer? Yer married to this joker.” She motioned towards a rather annoyed Blue Blood.

“Do you remember what we discussed earlier?” she asked. “About the ponies of this village? About the uncertainty of their livelihood? How it basically revolves around the outlying farms and the caravans that come through here? How the brigands have been terrible for business?”

“Course Ah remember,” Applejack said gently. “Tough to forget a talk like that so early in the day.” She gave a light smile.

Rarity returned it. “Blue Blood had more than enough, but I knew he would never willingly give it up, and even if he did, he'd try to find some sort of tax loophole or something to take it back as quick as possible.” She glowered at him.

“Oh, so you feel I should just give my family's fortune away?”

“At least it would be used for something more than this!” she pointed an accusing figure at the terrible mural hanging above his bed.

“And what is wrong with my mural?” he asked with a grunt.

“Because it's nothing more than vanity, plain and simple, and I cannot abide by it! I was a fool to ever think you were anything more than a lout, Blue Blood, and I can say without a hint of hyperbole that marrying you was the worst mistake I ever made in my life!”

“Well, living with you hasn't been much of a fun time either.” He huffed. “Always complaining and whining about something or other, how the house is cleaned, how the store is run, always begging me to endorse that stupid little fabric shop of yours.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Dress shop.”

“Well it doesn't matter one whit, because now that you've been exposed as a little charlatan and a thief, I think I will have you sent away for your crimes, and have that ugly little shop closed, perhaps torn down. It was cutting into my pocket book anyway.”

Rarity's ears flattened. “Very well. I suppose that is your right, as I am clearly outside the law...” she sighed. “But I ask for mercy for my compatriot.” She waved a hand towards Lyra, who blinked. “I recruited her into assisting me. She has a loving wife who will miss her, and she has prospects. I will take the fall for her, but let her go.”

Lyra frowned. “Rarity, no...”

Applejack smiled a little bit, finding the display kind of sweet.

Blue Blood snorted. “Gag me. She is just as guilty as you are, and she will face the same punishment as you. I see no reason for petty thieves to be brought before a magistrate court, so therefore, as the only noble in town, I shall pass judgement here and now.” He grunted. “Cut off their hands and make arrangements for them to be banished,” he ordered coldly. “And have Lyra's wife rounded up as well. I want her thrown out with them.”

Lyra's eyes narrowed. “You leave Bon Bon out of this!” she hissed. “She had nothing to do with this!”

“I don't believe you,” he stated. “Even if what you said was true, I would think she would be guilty by association. I won't take a chance on having a relation to a thief in my town.”

“YOUR town?!” Rarity snarled.

“Yes mine! Besides.” He smirked. “Without your pretty hands, you're going to want someone to help you with the most menial task.” He chuckled. “Now, restrain her, and take her away.”

Rarity looked down. Applejack frowned. “Rares,” she said, hand on her hip as two guards started to move towards her. “What'd you do with the money y'all took yesterday?”

“What do you think?” she asked with a small smile. “We made sure it got to people in town who could use it. And of course, Bon Bon got a good cut as well.” She shrugged as her arms were taken. “She needed it for her cafe.”

Applejack nodded it. “Ah see.” She sighed. “Ah ain't too much of a fan of thieves... but the world ain't just black and white.”

Blue Blood rolled his eyes. “Oh, it doesn't matter anymore. You earned your meal and your lodging here. In fact, I'd love to have you brought on permanently after this. You were...”

he was interrupted as the barrel of Applejack's gun found its way beneath his chin. “Ah'm getting real sick of yer voice, buddy.” She looked towards the guards, who tensed up. “Now, Ah'm pretty sure y'all might not have seen a gun before, but Ah'm willin' to bet y'all at least know what they can do, and despite the fact that y'all probably hate this sad sack much as Ah do, y'all ain't gonna let anything happen to him, right?” She nodded. “So let's just get this sorted. Let Rarity and Lyra go.”

Rarity's eyes widened. “Applejack, what are you doing?!”

“Ah'm doin' what's right. If there's one thing ah can't stand more than a thief, it's a pompous ass, and this jerk sure does qualify. Now, let em go!”

The guards glanced at one another, and then at Blue Blood, who gulped. “What are you waiting for?” he shouted. “Do as she says, you idiots!”

They nodded and released Lyra and Rarity from their grip. Rarity rubbed her wrists and nodded, picking up her blade again, sheathing it and running to Lyra's side. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. They were gentle.” She smiled. “You?”

She nodded. “I'm fine.”

Applejack nodded. “Alright, now all y'all clear the entrance, she ordered. The guards did as requested. Keeping her gun pointed at Blue Blood, Applejack moved towards the door. “C'mon you two, time to go.”

Rarity nodded, walking out with her. The two unicorns slammed the doors closed behind them and pushed over two large statues in front of it. “That'll buy us some time,” Lyra observed.

Rarity nodded. “Is Bon bon still waiting for us?”

“Of course!” Lyra said. “She wouldn't take off without us, no matter how big a risk it was.”

“Well, that's might fine to hear,” Applejack said, grunting as she shouldered her pack. Rarity had to wonder why she hadn't taken that off during their entire fight. “Ah don't think Ah'll be welcome here anymore anyway.” She smiled. “Mind if Ah tag along?”

“Of course,” Rarity said with a small smile as the three of them began to move down the stairs towards the front door. “It's the least I can do for you after you just saved our lives.”

Applejack blushed and fiddled with her hat for a moment. “Aw, shucks, t'ain't nothin' at all, Rares.”

Rarity smirked as they burst through the front door. Rarity wasted no times in launching two paralyzing bolts at the two guards standing outside, who had remained vigilant, or rather, didn't care what was happening. Both of them crumpled under the power magic bursts.

Applejack chuckled. “Real nice trick there, Rares. How long you been able to do that?”

She smiled. “My grandmother was a practicing chi wizard. She passed on a few spells to me that she knew before she passed on, and I've made quite a good use of them.” She winked.

“Thief, seamstress, an' wizard. Y'all just never cease to surprise me.”

“Trust me, darling, I'm quite the complicated woman.”

“If you two are done flirting, do you think we could hurry up and get to the wagon before Blue Blood sends all his goons after us?” Lyra asked with a small grunt as she leaped over a low bush in the way.

Rarity blushed and Applejack just laughed. “We... we were not flirting, you silly mare!”

“Whatever you say, Rarity, let's just get out of here! Bonbon should be parked just beyond the outer rim of the property, near the main road!”

The three of them forwent any more conversation in favor of making a bit of good headway towards their getaway. As they dashed off of the grounds and slid into an alleyway that led back towards the main road of the village, Rarity spied a large covered wagon trotting up towards them. “Bonbon's Bonbons” was crudely painted onto the side of the wagon. A mare stood at the front, her eyes covered by a large circular straw hat and most of her body, save for her feet, covered in a long, black robe. Tumbling down from the hate was a pink and purple streaked mane, and Rarity could barely make out the light, off white fur of Lyra's wife. She jumped up and dove into the wagon, quickly followed by Lyra and Applejack. Lyra stuck her head out of the front. “Go, Bonny! Quick!”

Bonbon nodded and took off, grunting as she pushed off from the ground, the large wagon lurching forward and rumbling down the road.

Rarity took a deep breath. “Bonbon,” she called from inside the wagon, “Keep going. Don't bother trying to hide, just get out outside the town as fast as you can.”

The wagon slowed for only a second, but picked right back up again after that. Applejack took off her hat, wiping her brow and making sure that her pack was still secure, patting at her side for her firearm. Rarity was only too glad she had been sensible enough not to fire a round while they were here. “Whew, well that sure wasn't the restful night Ah was hopin' fer, but Ah don't mind a bit of excitement.”

Rarity chuckled a bit. “Certainly wasn't what I was planning either. Well, looks like I'm out of my old life now, whether I like it or not.”

“Well, do you like it or not?” Lyra asked. “Come to think of it, do I like it or do I not? Bonbon and I can't exactly go back home now that Blue Blood knows my face. Which means Bonbon can't go back to her cafe, and can't sell her stuff around town. My lyre was already stolen, so I didn't really have a way to make an honest living at the moment either, but at least back in town I had a roof over my head. Well, I guess technically the wagon cover does count as sort of roof, and it is spacious in here, enough for me to call it a home. A mobile home, if you will...”

“Lyra.”

“Huh?”

“Cease.” Rarity raised her hand up.

The minty mare blushed and smiled, rubbing the back of her head. “Eheh, sorry.”

Applejack frowned and scratched her head. “She okay?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, she's fine. Lyra's just Lyra.” She smiled. “So, Applejack, dear,” she said. “Where exactly were you headed before you stumbled into my shop?”

“Me?” she smiled. “Ah was headin' up to Canterlot to have a lil' chat with the Empress.”

Both the other mares blinked and looked towards her and the wagon slowed again. Evidently, Bonbon was hearing this conversation again. It picked up after a second of comprehension. Lyra cleared her throat. “You want to go and talk to the Empress? Just like that?”

“Well yeah. From what Ah hear, she ain't super stuck up like some of the nobility and whatnot. Heck, I hear stories all the time about her just lettin' random ponies in to see her in the throne room. Ah just wanna ask her a few questions about why we ain't seeing any more patrols of soldiers down near the borders anymore. Mah family really could use the added protection of the patrols, an' Ah know fer a fact this little village will probably have its own set of bandit problems before too long.”

“Yes, they do seem to be getting bolder, and their numbers are growing.” Rarity tapped her chin. “I suppose the protection we got from them was just something we didn't really think about until they weren't around anymore.”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, an' now that it's gone, we ain't gonna be safe until they come back, but by that time, there might not be much left to defend.” She sighed. “So Ah decided to go up there and just ask what the hay is goin' on.” She looked back out the back of the wagon, towards the mansion, now hidden behind a way of other houses as they made their way out of the town. “Ah hope this ain't gonna cause too many problems fer us.”

“Don't worry,” Rarity said with a small smile. “Blue Blood might be vindictive, vengeful coward, but he's also lazy. Once we're out of his purview, he might send a letter of complaint home to his family, but I doubt they'll take his word seriously, and he'll probably grossly over exaggerate anyway.” She leaned back. “All things considered, I think it should be smooth sailing for all of us from here on out.”

“Fer all of us?” Applejack asked.

“Well, we don't really have anywhere to go now, and Canterlot seems as good a destination as any.”

Lyra nodded. “I'm all for it. Never have been to a big city before.” She stuck her face out the front. “What do you think, Bonny? Wanna go to Canterlot?” There was no answer, at least as far as Applejack and Rarity could hear. Lyra drew her head back in. “She says yes!” she said happily.

Rarity giggled. “I suppose it's settled then.” She smiled at Applejack. “I certainly hope you don't mind having some company during this trip.”

Applejack smiled. “Not at all, Rares. Not at all.”

“Glad to hear it.” She pat the wagon. “Mmm, at least we got ourselves a wagon. I can't imagine what it would do to my poor little feet if we had to WALK the entire way.”

Applejack frowned and looked down at her own feet for a moment, covered in the new shoes that Rarity had sold to her earlier that day. “An' what's wrong with walkin?”

Rarity blushed in embarrassment. “Oh, nothing dear... nothing at all... ehehehe...”

END OF CHAPTER 5

Chapter 6: Moral Crisis

My Little Dynasty: Kung-Fu is Magic
By Goombasa

Chapter 6: Moral Crisis

Trixie didn't know what to do. She lay awake, on the very cozy cot she had been given by the kind mare who had brought them in, and her husband. Next to her, Sunset Shimmer snored soundly, getting what had to be her first really good sleep in ages. But such rest did not come easy to the poor unicorn. To the side, the cape and hat she had been given by the demon was radiating with a soft, magical glow, so subtle that during the day she had barely noticed it. Indeed, she had actually felt the residual magic held within rather than seen the effect it had.

They were sleeping right next to one of the six. Trixie took a deep breath as she recalled the task she had been handed: Eliminate all six. Sunset had been informed of the plan, of course, but she was just as reluctant as Trixie was in performing what had to be done. Trixie had done many things in the name of survival during her life, before and after her career as the royal magician. She'd stolen in the name of eating. She'd scammed just to get a drink. She'd...

She banished the last thought and shivered at the thought. Yes, she'd done a lot of things she wasn't proud of and had lost the most cozy position she'd ever been in for a stupid reason. But killing another pony? She couldn't. She just couldn't.

But if she didn't? Her eyes glanced back towards the cape again. She wouldn't survive long if she didn't do as she was told. But how? How would she avoid murdering a sweet, innocent mare and also avoid the chopping block herself.

Her mind drifted back to earlier in the day, when Fluttershy had so selflessly lent her house to them. They'd been fed and watered until she felt that she would burst. A finer meal she hadn't had in quite a long time. She'd even been given fresh milk. MILK! Oh, she hadn't tasted something so scrumptious since her time in the palace! It might not have measured up to the quality of a noble's milk, but milk was milk after all.

So she and Sunset had talked with her, and her husband. What was his name? Ah yes, Paw Prints, that was it. The veterinarian. They'd been questioned about their time in the wastes, but Sunset had already devised a rather good cover story for them, about how they had been on an exploratory mission with an expedition team. Paw Prints had asked who was leading it, and for a moment Trixie was afraid that they would be found out, but Sunset had been quick to list off a few prominent explorers that she had known during her time as a student of the Empress. Most of them, Sunset had told her later, had passed on already, though they probably wouldn't be well known out here.

They spun a tale about uncovering some sort of strange ruins out there in the wastes, and when they had entered it, there had been some strange hostile creatures in there. The expedition had been scattered and they had no idea what had become of their colleagues. When questioned about the creature that had attacked them, Trixie had been quick to say that they hadn't gotten a good look at the thing when it was so large and hidden in shadows, only that it looked like something she wouldn't want to see again. Both of them were rather accomplished actors, so getting the two of them to believe their lies was easy enough. Trixie got the impression that neither of them were the skeptical types.

Once the conversation had turned away from them, and Paw Prints had offered them a place to stay for the night or two, a few questions had been asked and it turned out that Fluttershy had been offered a chance to go to Xanterlot, but was considering not going because she didn't like traveling alone. For the rest of the day, and now laying here at night, Trixie was turning this over in her head, plotting. Planning.

She rolled over and poked at her sleeping friend. Sunset groaned and curled into the blanket a bit tighter. Trixie frowned and gave her a more forceful poke. “Sunset,” she whispered. “Wake up. We need to talk.”

Groaning, she slowly rolled over and opened one eye, glaring at the blue mayor nearby. “Ugh... what is it?” she grumbled.

“I couldn't sleep.”

“Obviously.”

Trixie sighed. “We need to talk about all this.”

“Seriously?”

Trixie gave her a serious frown and the mare sighed, sitting up. Trixie nodded and pulled the cape over to her. “Look, we already know that this Fluttershy is one of the ones we're looking for. But what should we do now?”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “We follow her to Canterlot and pray we can think of something there.

“I was thinking of that, but what do we tell Nightmare Moon?” she asked, flicking the cape. “She's going to be checking on us periodically. She'll always know where we are. What do I tell her if she asks why we're traveling with this mare? Because if she figures out that we're traveling with her instead of killing her, I guarantee that we aren't going to be around for much longer.”

Sunset nodded and sighed. “Yeah, that's a legit complaint, but think for a sec. We're traveling with an element, right?”

“Yes, we've established that.”

“Well, if she does call us, just tell her that she has info on where the others are, or something like that. She can't tell that she's an element through the cape, can she?”

“Um, I don't think so.”

“Okay then. Just tell her that we heard a tip that there might be some in Canterlot, so we're going there with Fluttershy under the guise of bodyguards.”

Trixie's eyes opened with realization. “So then... we follow her there, while keeping her safe. Since it's such a long trip, we should have plenty of time to figure something out, right?”

“Exactly,” she said happily. “As long as we keep stalling, we should be just fine. Besides, Equestria is a really, really big country, all things considered. Nightmare Moon might be a demon, but she can't be that impatient. She must know how tough it would be for two mares like us to comb the entire countryside looking for six other ponies that may or may not exist, right?”

“Right!” she nodded, smiling happily. She rubbed her fingers together. “Sounds good to me...”

“It doesn't to me,” a growl came from the side.

Both mares tensed and they slowly turned towards the cape, which was now levitating up off the ground. Trixie tried to swallow, but it was caught in her throat. “N-N-Nightmare...” she mumbled slowly, wilting as the cape drew closer, throwing itself open. The visage of the black mare appeared to them. She was glaring, her horn glowing and crackling with magic, her lips peeled back in a terrifying snarl. “How... how much did you hear?” Trixie asked. It was an incredibly stupid question, but the mare couldn't hide her morbid curiosity at finding out just how deep her grave had been dug.

“All of it,” she answered. “Did you really think that I would selectively drop in on your conversations? I hear every single thing that the two of you say, so long as this cape and cap are in your possession, and as I made very clear to Trixie, trying to get rid of it would be a VERY bad idea.”

The cape seemed to come closer and both of them stumbled backwards, towards the wall. “Wait, please... w-we're sorry,” Sunset Shimmer said quickly.

“Sorry?” the demon asked. “About what? Planning to try and string me along? Look for a way out of your servitude?” Her eyes flashed red and Trixie could feel something closing in around her neck, constricting it. She took a quick look at Sunset Shimmer, who was clawing at her own throat, a thin line of red magic appearing over it, right where the metal collars used to sit. “I don't take kindly to my servants disobeying me,” Nightmare Moon continued. “I gave you both direct orders. Use the magic in the cape and hat to find these six, and kill them.” The magic around her throat drew tighter. “I suppose that was just a little too much for you two, wasn't it?”

Trixie whimpered a bit. “B-but,” she gasped out, “Neither of us are killers...”

“There's a first time for everything,” she stated. “And it's either her life or yours.”

“Sunset began to cough as her air was almost totally cut off. “We weren't just plotting! What we said could be true!” she said in desperation.

The demon raised a brow and snapped her fingers. The magic faded from their necks and both of them began to take in several deep breaths. “Explain, quickly.”

Trixie took a deep breath. “If... if these mares are as powerful as you say... doesn't it make sense that they would naturally be drawn to one another? If there power is so great?” She coughed and rubbed at her neck. The magic left no mark, merely a seething feeling of unease and a breathless mare.

Nightmare Moon looked less than impressed by the logistics of their argument. “So, rather than kill one of them now and guarantee that they will be weaker as a group, you are asking to wait until more of the ponies have united, their strength growing, so that they might be more of a threat, and therefore harder to deal with?”

Trixie gave a soft whimper. “Well... there is no guarantee that we'll be able to quickly locate the other five. It was a severe stroke of luck that we were even able to find one of them this quickly.”

“But it is guaranteed that killing one of them furthers my goals, as well as the goals of my companions.” She folded her hands together. “And we aren't going to waste this wonderful opportunity that fate has given us.”

Sunset shuddered. “But... what if we get caught? What do we do about her husband?”

“Run, kill him as well, I don't care what you do so long as she is dead and gone.”

Trixie shuddered and bowed her head, bending low and pressing her forehead against the ground. “Please... I beg of you...”

Nightmare Moon raised a brow. “You are begging me to allow you to let one of the biggest threats to my dominion live?” she rolled her eyes. “I should just kill you now. Perhaps I overestimated your will to live.”

Trixie tensed. “I will,” she said quickly. “But I can't... not now. It doesn't feel... it doesn't feel right.”

Nightmare Moon frowned. “It should never feel right,” she stated. “But it is a necessity.”

Trixie looked up, her eyes locking with Nightmare Moon's for a moment. She saw something flickering in them. Empathy? Sadness? It was gone before she could tell.

“Very well,” the demon said. “I will overlook your traitorous talk this once. I'll defer to your judgement, as you are the ones who must carry out this task. But my kindness ends there.”

Trixie sat up, taking a relieved breath. “Thank you... thank you...”

Nightmare waved her away. “Do not mistake my actions for charity. The deed must be done, and I am putting far more trust in you than I ought to. But know this, both of you.” Her eyes drifted between the two cowering unicorns, “Next time you attempt to stall or disobey like this? I will kill you. And it will be slow, and painful, just as my imprisonment was slow, and painful.”

They both gave a soft nod and Nightmare Moon disappeared from view, the cape returning to its inanimate form and floating down to the ground.

Sunset shuddered and looked towards her friend. “Trixie?”

“Yeah?” she asked, picking up the cape and replacing it with much hesitation back near her pack.

“I think we're doomed.”

“Mhm... we are.”

Knowing that neither of them could begin discussing anything while within earshot of the cape, the two settled down against their cots again. Neither could sleep. They just lay there, staring at each other, worry and trepidation covering their faces. Trixie was close to breaking down herself at the thought of killing anyone, much less a sweet mare like Fluttershy. But, she had to wonder... why had Nightmare Moon relinquished to them? After she had so carefully deconstructed why their idea would never work?

And what had it been that she had seen in Nightmare moon's eye before?

Nightmare Moon cradled her head in her hand, rubbing at her temples as she banished the mirror she had been using to communicate with her hesitant servants. Her mind ached and she felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. She should not have relented.. She should have killed them and then used the magic stored in the cape to destroy that mare they were talking about as well. But she had relented, and she was sure that it would come back to bite her. But... something about the way that Trixie had been pleading... and the time they had spent on the top of the tower together...

The ache in her head seemed to dim as she remembered the previous night, how the mare had sat, gazing like a wide-eyed foal at the intricate formations she had created upon her canvas. The admiration. The wonder. The innocence on her face. Nightmare had felt so much like a puppeteer, entertaining a filly, and felt the same feeling of warmth in her cold, black heart. How strange that a meager failed magician would make her feel something she hadn't felt for... come to think of it, she couldn't remember a single time when she'd felt something like that before.

A chuckle from nearby made her lift her head. “Really, Nightmare, I never knew you could be so sentimental.”

Nightmare sat back on her throne, frowning. “Chrysalis, what are you doing in here? It's not like you to skulk in the shadows. That's Discord's job.” she smirked.

The insect-like pony walked into view, brushing her fingers through her web-like hair. “Did you not hear? Discord left for a while. He said he had a... very pressing matter to attend to.”

“A pressing matter?” she asked, her ear flicking. “What would that be?”

“I know not, nor did I care to question the madman about his motives. Don't worry, he knows how important our preparations are. Whatever he's doing, it's probably just a personal tic of his.”

“Tic or not, the fact that he did not feel the need to tell anyone but you concerns me.”

“Why? Do you not trust me to deliver this information?”

Nightmare Moon smiled. “I trust you as implicitly as you trust me.”

“Of course.” She chuckled, drawing closer to her. “I do wish you had waited on sending those two away. That little blue mare was delicious, and so fun to play with.”

“I'm sure she was, but she is serving a far greater purpose at the moment. She and Sunset are off securing our victory as we speak.”

“And yet you decided to allow them to prolong their search.”

“I just wanted them to stop sniveling. They won't have a choice in the matter next time.” She smiled. “Besides, cruelty wouldn't get us anywhere with them, and now that they know I can hear everything that they say near the cape, I don't think we have to worry about them plotting another rebellion.”

“And yet you gave into them when they were in your thrall.” She tapped her chin, fluttering her large wings, the buzz filling the room.

“I did not give in.”

“Yes, because telling them no, listening to them whimper and beg not to die, or to kill our enemy, and you were only too happy to give them what they wanted.”

Nightmare Moon frowned. “I have no defense against what you say, Chrysalis.” She closed her eye. “But it is early in the game yet. I'm sure that giving them a free move won't affect us too much.”

“Such confidence. Hopefully it will serve us better than our last grab at power.”

“The six are scattered, reincarnated into who knows what, and Celestia has no doubt become complacent as the years have passed. According to what Sunset told us, most of her military might is being placed on defending the border with Griffonia. I believe Sombra was interested in securing an alliance with them. Might prove quite useful in the future.”

“We have no need of his soldiers,” Chrysalis snorted. “Not with what I have provided.”

Nightmare Moon raised a brow. “Oh? Have they hatched already?”

“The first clutch is just about to. Healthy and deadly as they were one thousand years ago.”

“Excellent. Then our first blow will fall soon.”

“Soon,” she agreed. “I just wish we could move faster.”

“No chances will be taken,” Nightmare stated. “Not like last time. We make our plays as conservatively as we can.”

She chuckled. “If you insist, Nightmare Moon.” She leaned against her. “After all, it was your leadership that led us to near victory last time.”

Nightmare smiled, reaching up and stroking Chrysalis' cheek. “And this time, we won't have the six to hamper us. Wherever they are, there's no way they could be gathered and trained in time to stop us.”

They both laughed, the hollow, joyless sound reverberating around the hall.

“Okay, so let me just make sure I've got this straight.”

Twilight's ears folded back and she gave an annoyed sigh, rubbing her temples. “Rainbow, you've tried to 'get it straight' ever since we got out of the carriage.” She looked up at the night sky and focused her attention on one of the brighter stars in the sky. That was odd. The north star seemed... off this night.

“Well, it's a lot to take in,” the light blue mare said. “First, you tell me that four demons from a filly's tale were actually real, and after one thousand years of imprisonment, they've somehow broken free and are going to start wreaking some sort of havoc all over the place.”

“That's right.”

“And Celestia can't just go out and confront them because despite how powerful she is, these demons combined are probably just as strong as her, if not moreso.”

“Correct.”

“So in order to keep a level of subtlety, she's sent her student, you, and a baby dragon,” she motioned to spike, who was drifting in and out of sleep on Twilight's shoulder, “And a wonderbolt,” she raised her head up, a cocky grin coming to her face, “to go and find the reincarnation of six ponies who used to be warriors in a past life who had some sort of special magic when they were together that could defeat them, totally and utterly.”

“Yes.”

“But you don't know where they are, or who they are, and have absolutely no idea where to start looking and have no way of telling who would be one of these warriors.”

Twilight sighed. “Why do you have to say it like that? All negative.”

“For such an egghead, you really don't know how to plan these things out, do you?”

The purple mare rolled her eyes. “And just how do you think I could plan for something that was sprung on me literally just after I woke up in the morning and had no time to plot and prepare for?”

Rainbow opened her mouth to counter, but frowned, tapping her chin. “Um, okay, you have me there.” She gave her wings a few small flaps. “I still don't get why we had to leave the carriage though. I know we're going incognito, but really, are we gonna have to walk everywhere?”

“One, you have wings, so walking isn't an issue for you.” She glared at the hovering mare, who blushed in embarrassment and rubbed the back of her head. “And two, even if I'm not recognized as the Empress' student, we could still be mistaken for minor nobility riding around in a nice carriage like that, and the last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves.” She motioned down to her white robes, purposefully frayed and split to give the idea of worn and aged fabric. Rainbow's tunic didn't need help looking old, since it was already there. “So from here on out, you and I are a pair of traveling almoners. I am Priestess Twinkle, and you are my acolyte, Prism, understand?”

“Prism, huh?” she scratched her ear. “Not the name I would've chosen.”

“Do you have anything better?”

she shrugged. “Not really.” She smirked and toyed with her mane. “But how long did it take you to come up with that brilliant name for me?” she asked with a grin.

She rolled her eyes. “It just seemed like an appropriate name. Not as appropriate as Rainbow Dash, but it works for you I think.”

“Whatever you say. You're supposed to be the smart one.”

“Why do you keep saying that?”

“Well, you're the Empress' star student right? I'm assuming that means you had a lot of really good teachers, right?”

“Of course,” she said with a proud smile. “Empress Celestia saw to it that I was given the best tutoring in as many different subjects as possible. I was schooled in astronomy, geography, martial arts, fencing, tea ceremonies, mathmatics, horse riding, practical magic applications...”

“I get it,” Rainbow mumbled. “Yeesh, a simple 'yes' would have been enough.”

Twilight blushed. “Sorry.”

“No problem. Anyway, if we're not starting the search in Canterlot, where ARE we gonna start looking.”

Twilight reached to a small pocket on the side of her pack and drew out a folded piece of parchment, unfurling it to reveal a simple map of the Equestrian lands. “Well, we don't have any criteria to work off of, so unfortunately, we're just going to have to start by finding out any information that we can about these warriors and their powers. Maybe there's some sort of common thread that we can lock onto that might give us a clue. Now, Celestia already told me that there wasn't much information in the Canterlot libraries, even in her own personal store of books and scrolls. Her knowledge on them was limited as well, so she thought that going to a city that has a long history of military records might have given us a good start.”

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder at the map, peering down at the words written on it. “So, that would be...”

“Seriously?” Twilight asked. “You want to be a Wonderbolt and you don't even know where they were first formed before their operations were moved to Canterlot?”

Rainbow's ears perked up immediately. “No way... we're gonna go to Hoskydo?!” she asked, bouncing up and down like a school girl about to be introduced to her favorite actor. “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh!”

Spike groaned in his sleep and wobbled about for a moment. Twilight adjusted her shoulder to make sure he wouldn't accidentally fall off. He tended to claw at the air when he did that and she didn't need him sinking holes in her fur if that happened. “So you do know about it,” she said with a grin.

“Know about it? My mom used to go there all the time when she was a wonderbolt! They still had a lot of contacts in the city back when I was a filly and she used to tell me about it every time she went there. They have this big museum there that's completely dedicated to recreating the looks of legendary weapons! It sounded so cool!”

“You never went yourself?”

Rainbow shook her head, floating alongside her her friend. “My mom was always too busy to take me. Wonderbolt regulations, fillies and colts aren't allowed to accompany active duty soldiers on business trips, so I could never go with her, and she was always so busy when she was home that we couldn't schedule a trip for ourselves.”

Twilight nodded, folding the map. “I'm sorry to hear that,” she said, hoping it sounded as sincere as she had meant. “But... at least you'll get to see it now.”

“I suppose.” She sighed. “And what are we gonna do when we get there.”

“Go to the weapons and warriors museum.”

“Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh!” Rainbow said happily, a big smile on her face.

Twilight gave a light sigh. “Just remember, we aren't going there to sight see. We're there to do research.”

“Right, research, whatever! We're going to Hoskydo! Whoo!” She leaped into the air, pumping her fist for a moment.

“Keep it down!” Twilight hissed. “We don't know who could be listening in!”

“Oh now you're just being paranoid,” Rainbow huffed.

“Paranoid or not,” Spike said with a grumble. “You could at least stop all that shouting, huh? Some of us are trying to sleep.”

Twilight chuckled. “Lazy bones.”

“Guess your dragon isn't really the ferocious type, is he?” Rainbow quipped, grinning.

“He's still young. He'll grow into it.” Twilight pat the drowsy dragon's head.

Spike huffed a little bit. “Just try to keep the shouting down... and I could do without all that scratching.”

“Scratching?” Rainbow asked. “What do you mean? Neither of us are scratching.

Twilight frowned and raised her hand. “Shh.”

“Seriously, what is...”

“SHHH!” Twilight growled more forcefully. Rainbow frowned and dropped down to the ground, remaining still. The purple mare closed her eyes and perked her ears up. She took a deep breath, letting it out very slow and very careful. The world around her became quiet. The only constant was the beating of her head and the breathing of the dragon on her shoulder. But she looked past that, listening to the sounds out in the foliage nearby, the bushes and tall grass swaying to and fro in the soft breeze of the night. Then, she heard it. The gently and rhythmic scratching of a claw against a stone. Far too concise in its pattern to be an animal. Always coming from the same place. The same stone. 'scritch, scratch, scritch, scratch.' Long and shot, long and short, some sort of nervous tic.

Twilight reached down and drew a stone into her hand. She weighed it carefully in her hands before relocating the sound. 'Just remember what you were taught, Twilight,' she thought, 'not every target has to be a bull's eye, and not every strike must be fatal.' She reared back and threw the stone, hard as she could, into the bushes by the roadside. It parted through them perfectly, flying fast as a pegasus in a nosedive. It clattered against something, most likely another stone along the ground, but the sound that accompanied the clatter was far more interesting.

Two loud squawks and several rustling bushes followed the clatter and two black-cloaked figures leaped up, spreading brown-feathered wings as they took to the air.

Twilight gasped and picked up another stone. “Griffon spies!” she shouted. “How'd they make it so far inland?” she asked, throwing the second stone upwards in a powerful arc towards the fleeing intruders. She clipped one of them, the one on the left, hitting their right wing near the base. It gave a squeak of pain and began to spiral down towards the ground, managing to recover enough to make a semi-smooth landing down on the road ahead of them. Twilight frowned, wanting answers. “Rainbow, get up there and get after the one still in the air! I'll handle the one on the ground!” She dashed forward, not waiting for a reply. Spike gasped, jumping off of her shoulder, but nevertheless following after her as she moved towards downed Griffon.

As she approached, the spy let out a snarl, snapping out some sort of warning to her in Griffish. Twilight's grasp of the language was tenuous at best, though, and she couldn't catch what he was saying when he talked so quickly. He flicked his wrist towards her and Twilight's eyes widened as she saw two large knives speeding towards her. Adjusting her course, she twirled out of the way of one and ducked underneath the other, lunging forward to close the distance before he could fling another at her. He still had one in his claw though, so that created a bit of a problem. He took a swipe at her as she lunged, but she leaned back and it flew past her. Pushing forward once again, she gave the fighter one good punch right in the beak. He gave a light snarl and stumbled back, recovering quick and lunging at Twilight. He raised up his claw and tried to bring it down against her face, but she raised her arm up and blocked his strike, raising her foot up and drilling the heel down into his stomach. The griffon stumbled back with a cough and before he could recover, Twilight dove forward, knocking him to the ground, one hand on his neck and the other raised as if to strike him, her horn glowing as well. “All right,” she said with as much authority as she could muster. It was difficult to seem intimidating to someone when you were a full head shorter than them. “What were you doing here?” she asked.

He spat back at her with another harsh sounding phrase in Griffish. She groaned. “You don't speak Equestrian, do you?”

His answer was a small gob of spit launched straight into her eye. She winced, drawing away as the uncomfortable sensation making her shudder, causing a momentary lapse in her defenses. Before she could recover, the Griffon's claw came up and slashed across her face. She managed to lean back far enough to avoid the brunt of the blow, but the business end of his claws still found a mark in her cheek and she rolled off of him to avoid the hooked appendage sinking any deeper into the flesh. She was on her feet just as he was, but before another brawl could ensue, a tiny puff of fire launched itself towards him and caught the long feathers at the bottom of his right wing. He gave another shriek and began to pat out the fire. Twilight smirked, looking past him to see Spike there, breathing heavily after the run he'd had to take to keep up with her. Wiping the spit from her eye, she drew closer to the distracted creature, who, quite fed up with fighting a losing battle, charged her.

Twilight prepared herself for another attack, but it didn't come. Instead, he swirled passed her and began dashing down the road, tucking his abused wings tight against his back. “Hey!” she called after him. “We're not done here!” She turned and tried to follow after him, relatively sure that she could keep up with a grounded griffon. But before she got far, she felt a surge of immense pain running through her foot. She yelped loudly and threw herself down onto her side, groaning as the pain started to work it's way up her ankle. She hissed loud. “AH! Empress preserve me!”

“Twilight! Are you okay?” Spike asked as he rushed over to her side, concerned.

Twilight watched as the spy began to disappear into the inky blackness of the night and she forced herself to a sitting position, pulling her foot towards her and tilting her head to try and see what had happened. “Caltrops,” she said after a moment, observing the small metal star now puncturing the bottom of her shoe. Caltrops were nasty little devices, made from four vicious points and balanced in such a way that, no matter how they were dropped, a single point was always pointing straight upwards. A quick glance at the ground where she had been running revealed that several of them had been spilled onto the road, right behind her as the griffon had fled. How had see missed that? In her haste to secure the spy, she hadn't paid any attention to any tricks he might have had. With a heavy groan, she gripped the caltrop resting in her foot and yanked it out, fast as she could. The resulting pain made her hiss and she summoned a quick light spell to her horn to inspect the damage.

The bottom of the shoe was completely punctured, of course, and her foot was in extreme pain. Even wiggling her toes caused some undo discomfort and, looking at the short spike that had pierced her skin, she gave a heavy sigh. It had gone into her arch, but there had been enough space that it had not punctured deep enough to catch a bone. Still, she probably wouldn't be walking at full speed for a while. It was just fortunate that the griffon had been more concerned with getting away than finishing her off. She realized, with a small churning in her stomach, if he had saw fit to turn around and continue the fight after she had announced her fall to his trip, she would have been at quite a disadvantage.

Tossing the dangerous tool to the side, off the road, she looked to her familiar, giving him a soft nod. “Don't worry, Spike, I'm fine.” She sighed. “But I don't think I'll be walking quite as fast as before, at least for a while.” She took off her shoe, examining the wound. She sighed, wincing as she rubbed away the blood that dripped from it. “Spike, get my pack and pull out the medical supplies. And tell Rainbow...”

Twilight's mind clicked again. “Rainbow! Where's she?”

Spike frowned. “Uh, I don't know.” He started to turn his gaze to the sky. “She took off after the griffon you didn't knock down, into the sky, but I didn't keep track of her. I was busy chasing after you!”

Twilight cursed under her breath and forced herself to her feet, the pain in her foot momentarily forgotten. “Oh no, we've to find her and make sure she's all right!”

“I don't think we'll have to look far... but she sure doesn't look all right!” Spike said, still looking skywards.

Twilight followed his gaze upwards and her eyes widened at what she saw. Rainbow dash was falling. And she was falling fast.

Twilight hadn't needed to tell Rainbow to get after the spy. She'd already figured that was the smart thing to do. She took off into the sky as Twilight ran after the ground-bound griffon. This was her moment to shine. Just like doing acrobatics for pocket change out on the street.

She didn't know what this spy was up to, but then again Rainbow was pretty sure she didn't have to know. She just had to make sure that whoever it was, they didn't get away, and considering the fact that rainbow was (in her own mind, at least) the fastest thing in the sky, the griffon was at quite a disadvantage.

Sure enough, the pegasus made good on her own self-appointed title as she easily closed the distance between her and her target. Reaching out, she grabbed the griffon's tail, giving it a hard yank as she put on the breaks, flapping away.

The griffon gave a loud squawk and glared at her, snarling, irritation clear as day underneath the moonlight. Rainbow just grinned. “Sorry, slowpoke, but you're grounded!” she grinned, giving the tail another yank.

Much to the pegasus' surprise, the griffon allowed herself to be pulled forward, and as she neared Rainbow, she reared back with both of her back legs and landed a ferocious kick in Rainbow's chest, sending the mare spiraling away. Rainbow recovered with a flourish of her wings, grunting and rubbing at her chest. “Heh, okay, so you have some pretty nice kicks. I'll keep that in mind.” She looked up just in time to see the griffon charging her and before she could dodge out of the way, two powerful talons grabbed her shoulders, the claws sinking deep into her shoulders as she was pushed backwards, downwards, towards the earth.

“Think you're so good because you caught up with me?” the griffon asked in coarse but understandable Equestrian. It was a rough sounding voice, though decidedly feminine.

Rainbow blinked. “You can speak my language?” She frowned, realizing that this wasn't the right time to be asking questions like that, especially when she was being forced towards the ground at a rather unhealthy speed. She gave a growl and reared her head backwards. She was going to be regretting this for a good long while, she was sure. Her head lurched forwards, towards the unprepared griffon and their foreheads met with a loud, resounding thunk.

The impact made rainbow's head spin, only for a moment, though the griffon was less well off. She detached from Rainbow, rubbing at her forehead and trying to steady herself. Rainbow smirked and spread her wings, ignoring the pain in her shoulders, reversing her course and charging back at her opponent, placing both fists out in front of her, smashing right into her chest and pushing backwards as hard as she could, both of them rocketing back into the air.

Snarling again, the griffon reached down and grabbed a fistful of Rainbow's mane, bushing her head down and forcing her to cease her charge, if only to keep from launching herself at a new angle as she was pushed lower. The claw held her a moment until the griffon's back leg swooped forward, catching her full in the face. Rainbow spun backwards, covering her face with her hands. Ugh, that had been even worse than the headbutt! At least she'd been prepared for that one, but that was right in the nose. She could feel blood trickling down out of one nostril and growled, throwing her hands to her side. The griffon was charging again, but this time Rainbow had anticipated it. She gave a flap of her wings, sending her up, just above the charging adversary, and then quickly closed them against her back, her feet drilling down into the center of the griffon's back and sending her downwards, towards the ground, the extra weight of the pegasus, preventing her from just flapping her wings to get free. “How's this feel?” she shouted over the rush of the wind.

“Feels like a little gnat on my back,” was the reply. The griffon whirled around, causing Rainbow to lose her footing for a moment. She spread her wings to stop herself form going into a freefall, but the griffon caught her ankle and dragged her downwards, pulling her close, smirking. “This is all that a pegasus can do?” She laughed mockingly, curling one claw into a fist and giving Rainbow a smart blow right to the jaw before releasing her. Before rainbow could recover, the griffon dove at her again, landing on her stomach and grabbing a fistful of feathers on Rainbow's wings. “I was expecting a lot more of a challenge when my sensei told me how dangerous you could be in the sky.” She began tearing out a huge amount of feathers from the pegasus' wings, making her shriek in pain and flail her arms about.

As luck would have it, one of those flailing limbs caught the griffon in the chin, forcing her to break away. Rainbow attempted to stop herself form falling, and managed just that, but the loss of so many primary feathers left her unable to keep control of herself with any certainty. She had to flap hard to keep hovering now. She glared up at her opponent, who was observing her with a grin and rubbing at her chin. “What's your name?” the griffon asked.

“What's it... to you?” Rainbow growled, the pain in her head and shoulders only making her efforts to keep herself airborne even more difficult. “I don't even know YOUR name.”

The griffon laughed. “Call me Gilda. Not that it matters. You won't be around much longer, and I just find it nice to know the names of those I kill.”

Oh, so it was a trophy then? Rainbow snorted, sending a small drizzle of blood down towards the ground from her nose. “Well then, I can't tell you my name, because I don't plan on dying here.”

Gilda frowned. “Have it your way.” She dove at her again, rearing back and chambering her leg.

There was no way Rainbow would be able to dodge the oncoming kick. She couldn't even reliably shift her position to block it. All she could do was tense up and hope for the best.

The kick came down, landing against the back of her head, the force of it causing her to fall. This time, there was no catching herself. Her wings were in no shape to stop herself from falling this fast a second time. Besides, she couldn't really move right now. Her whole body felt limp as she dropped, and her vision was beginning to blur.

“Well, this sucks,” she mumbled, catching a glimpse of the griffon speeding off in the distance. But Rainbow didn't plan on making light of what she had said. She forced her broken wings outwards, managing to flip herself right side up as the blur in her eyes continued to build. With one more burst of strength, she pushed open her near useless wings, wide and straight. She began an uneven glid, down towards the ground. Every now and then, she would falter to the side, but she managed to keep herself level to the point where a fall probably wouldn't be fatal. She knew it was still going to hurt though. In the distance, she could see Twilight's glowing horn and tried her best to aim her failing body towards it. Consciousness was almost gone. Her injured wings finally started to give way and she felt herself flop down onto the ground. She was sure that she was in a lot of pain right now, but she couldn't feel anything past the pounding in her head, and even that was rapidly fading as her consciousness finally gave way. She couldn't do anything about it now. She saw Twilight limping towards her, and that annoying dragon was first to reach her. She'd have to apologize for not being able to catch the spy later. Right now, sleep sounded really, really good. Hopefully, when she woke up, she wouldn't be too terribly sore.

Celestia was pacing. She hated pacing. She also hated chewing on her fingers, but she was doing that as well. She wasn't sure how long she had been doing both, but it had apparently been long enough for her dear attendant to take notice. The mare looked up at her empress with gentle concern in her eyes. “My lady, is all well?” she asked softly.

“No, not really,” Celestia answered with a small sigh.

Dusty frowned. “Something to do with your student?” she ventured.

“I worry about her. I mean, it's only natural right?” she gave a forced smile. “I did just send her out on her own on a perilous journey to locate six particular ponies, with no way of actually locating them, while four demons from my past begin to plot against him and could strike at any time while I also have a war brewing right along our border against the Griffon kingdom.” She took in a deep breath, pressing a hand to her chest and pushing it out as she exhaled. “So yes, I suppose it is safe to say that I am very, very worried.”

The mare tossed her mane to the side and smiled at her. “My empress, you mustn't worry. Twilight is a very capable mare, taught by you and the brightest minds of the entire kingdom. She's a brilliant mind and a tough fighter. Aside from that obsessive compulsive streak in her, I'm sure she'll be just fine.”

Celestia gave a nod, though she still seemed less than convinced. Had she had the option of going out and putting a stop to all of this on her own, she would have, but the sight of the Empress herself on the war path might have caused more harm than good in this instance. Add to it, her worry over her own powers were beginning to overtake her as well. She had stood up to many foes during her exceedingly long life, and overcome them all, but even her powers and perception were limited. If she were to try and take on these demons again, alone, there was no doubt in her mind that she would lose. She grieved once again over her foolish behavior from over a millennium ago, remembering her time with the six warriors. Her best friends during her darkest hour.

But they weren't around anymore, and hadn't been for a very long time. What's worse, she had never thought to search for them again. The ring of reincarnation was an infinite cycle for her little ponies, and somewhere out there, the six still walked this world, in one form or another. Were they even close to the ponies she knew anymore? She doubted it.

Heaving another sigh, she sat down in front of a small table containing a large bonsai tree in need of trimming. She'd been cultivating it for the last century or so and it was growing into a grand, healthy little thing. She picked up the pruners sitting next to it and set to work, determined to keep her mind off of recent events, if only for an hour or two. She could not allow herself to worry. She had to remain strong, and powerful, for the sake of her people.

Dusty drew to her side once again, setting a small bowl of water down near her. “For the bonsai,” she said with a small smile. “It was... looking a little dry.”

Celestia raised a brow and looked down at the soil containing the tree. It was nice and damp, with perfect perspiration for the plant to prosper. “Dusty, if you want to stay, you merely have to say so. I won't just send you away because you have no practical duties to perform here.” She looked down at the mare with a soft grin. “Besides, I enjoy your company anyways.”

Dusty's face lit up with a slight blush and she moved her eyes away from the Empress. “I do not wish to waste your time, Majesty.”

“The time we spend together is never a waste, my dear.” She clipped a few errant branches from the edge of the bonsai, setting them carefully to the side. “And I am always delighted to carry on a casual conversation with you.”

Celestia didn't have to look back to know there was a gleeful smile on the mare's face just then. “Thank you, Empress.”

“You are more than welcome, Dusty.”

“How wonderfully sentimental.”

Celestia froze, the pruners in her hand stopping in mid cut. Her eyes narrowed and she felt Dusty shiver close to her. “Majesty, did you hear that?” she whispered.

The empress nodded, setting the gardening tool to the side, standing up slowly, casting her eyes around the room. He was in there somewhere... watching her. “Where are you?” she snarled, not even attempting to hide her anger at this intrusion.

“Tsk, tsk, Celestia, has your temper grown shorter since last we spoke?”

“I have no patience for relics of the past,” she answered.

“Oh, you wound me, my dear. And to think the two of us used to have such fun together. Don't you remember?”

“I wish I could forget,” she stated. “My biggest mistake was when I trusted you, Discord.”

“And it was folly of me to trust you, Empress,” the voice countered, accompanied by a dangerous chuckle.

Celestia's eyes began to search the area with more urgency. Where was he hiding? What was he planning? She turned towards the entrance to her room, but the door was shut tight, and the bolt had been drawn to avoid disturbance during her worried pacing. Beside her, a worried Dusty fidgeted and wriggled.

Then, she felt a long, gently finger sliding up along her back. It was accompanied by a loud scream from Dusty. She turned back, her hand moving quick as lightning as she struck the arm away. She came face to face with him. After over one thousand years, there he was, sitting in front of her... growing from the top of her bonsai. “Discord,” she glowered.

“Not easy to forget me, is it?” he teased, the look of playfulness on his face disgusting her to no end.

“You have some nerve, invading my personal chamber like this?”

He gave a teasing sigh and wiggled his way out from the bonsai's foliage, hopping down in front of her. She drew back and motioned at Dusty to get behind her, which the attendant dead, eagerly. “Aw, but Celestia, so many memories are contained within this room!” He laughed and slid along the floor like a serpent. She always turned to keep him in front of her. “Please tell me that you haven't grown colder during my time away.” His eyes traveled up and down the length of her body, hidden behind a layer of thick, ornamental robes. She wished she had deigned to wear something more casual now. These weren't meant for fighting. “But I see your wardrobe hasn't changed, at the very least. Or is that just to hide the effects of the occasional cake binge?”

Celestia knew that she should not have allowed such a cheap and paltry comment to get to her, but coming from Discord it was not just an annoying jest but also a bit of a personal attack. Her fists clenched for a moment. “Enough,” she hissed, her voice icy and dangerous. She felt Dusty quaking behind her. Good, she wanted to sound as intimidating as possible. “Why are you here, Discord? If you plan on trying to kill me...”

“Kill you?” Discord gasped. Celestia blinked. He seemed genuinely put off by the suggestion. “No, not at all, my dear Empress. Far from it. This is merely a social call. I haven't seen you in eons after all, and I just wanted to catch up with an old friend.”

“Don't call me that!” she snapped, pointing a finger towards him. “Either you leave or so help me...”

Discord waved his eagle claw towards her in a patronizing manner. “Oh spare me the big booming voice, Celestia, it gives me a headache.” He chuckled. “If you truly don't wish to talk, I will leave, but be forewarned, this is probably the last time that we shall meet as something resembling friends.”

“We were never friends,” she said, taking a step forward.

“No, we weren't.” His eyes hardened and fixed her with a glare that could have stopped a flowing river. “We were far more than that, weren't we?”

Celestia had no wish to revisit the memories his statement brought about and she leaped forward, aiming a calculated blow towards his chest. The demon slithered out of the way, but she pressed onwards, throwing several quick swipes at his writhing form. Every one of them missed, but Celestia had no counted on hitting him. Instead, she just needed to back him up. True to his nature, Discord was not taking her attack the least bit seriously, and acted as though he were allowing her to have her fun. She threw several more punches, and one well timed kick, forcing him into the back corner. As his back touched the wall, her hand shot out and caught him by his long neck, forcing him to stay still. Her free hand crackled with solar magic. It had been a long time since she had conjured offensive spells, but it came back as naturally to her as any simple thought. “I have no time for games, Discord?”

“A pity,” he said. “Because you're in one, Celestia. I and the other Black Stars, you, everyone in your beautiful empire, all nothing but pieces on a great big board.” He chuckled, but Celestia's grip tightened, cutting him off.

“Then this is checkmate,” she hissed, raising her hand back.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, Celestia, you should really know me better than that. You really have gotten complacent during the years I've been away.” He grinned. “You should know that this kind of situation, when it involves me, is more along the lines of a stalemate.” He tilted his head and looked over her shoulder.

Celestia should not have looked. She should have thrown her punch and be done with it, damn the consequences, but she could not stop herself. She craned her head back, and saw that during the fight, Discord's lower body had elongated itself, slithering back across the room as she had been pinning him to the wall. The end of his long tail was now wrapped firmly around Dusty's neck, and tightening.

Horrified, Celestia turned back to demand she be released, only to be faced with discord's open maw. Her eyes widened as she saw the sweltering flicker if fire from within, and before she could mount a defense, he breathed outwards, a torrent of powerful flames spiraling outwards.

Now, Celestia was by no means a naïve ruler, and had taken the time over the years to keep herself equipped with minor shielding spells, as she knew not everyone in her empire would be happy with the way it was run. But these spells were meant for minor things. A low level thunderbolt spell, a dagger in the back, a magic missile. To fully defend herself against the equivalent of a dragon's flame, it would have taken something far more powerful than she had on hand. As a result, while she wasn't engulfed by the flames totally, she could still feel the immense heat, and was well aware that parts of her mane and coat would be singed quite heavily, if she survived this. But the worst part of it all was the pressure. It forced her backwards, and before she knew what was happening, she found herself back against the opposite wall.

As the fire faded, she took a quick glance to the side to make sure that Dusty was still all right. While Discord still had her by the neck, he had dragged her well away from the burst of flames, though she did look woozy from the heat. But a glance was all that Celestia had time for, as Discord's claw was now around her throat. She grunted at the sudden reversal. She tried to resist gulping, but was unable to.

He felt it and chuckled. “Don't worry, Celestia,” he said, his voice growing lower. “Like I said, this was a social call. I'm not here to hurt you, or anyone else.” He flicked Dusty to the side, towards the door.

The young earth pony coughed, rubbing at her neck before she looked up at the scene before her and turned towards the door, screaming for the guards.

“That's quite low, Discord, even for you,” she growled. “Threatening an innocent mare just to make me lose concentration.”

“Indeed, it was quite a devious trick,” he agreed, his lion paw reaching up and stroking her cheek. “Why, it's almost as bad as proclaiming your love for someone and then having them turned to stone for one thousand years, isn't it dear?”

The words made her wince. “I could have had them destroy you,” she said with a frown.

“Yes, I suppose I should be grateful that all you did was imprison me inside my own body and lock me away like some sort of rejected gallery piece.” His claw tightened and she grunted in discomfort, though the claws never punctured her skin. “Do you know what it's like, Celestia?” he asked, his voice finally gaining an edge to it. “To be trapped within your own body like that? To not be able to move, or talk, or do anything other than think? To just sit there, month after month, year after year, century after blood century, praying that someone would do you a kindness and just shatter you so you didn't have to deal with the torment anymore?” He was practically yelling now. “Death would have been a kindness Celestia, especially after you spurned me.”

She coughed and growled under his grip. “I did what I had to,” she choked out. “I am the Empress, and if I deem something a threat to my subjects, my personal feelings cannot enter into any decision I make. She pushed a hand against his chest and he winced, releasing her as he was forced away by a blast of solar power. Celestia dropped to her knees, taking in a few deep breaths whilst holding her neck.

Discord writhed upon the ground for a moment before he pulled himself up to a standing position, rubbing at his chest. “I see,” he stated, his voice soft and sad, as though accepting a truth he had denied for a long time. “Then it shall be so.” He drifted over towards her bonsai again, it's green leaves curled and charred black from the heat of his fire. “Fair thee well, Celestia,” he said, hopping back into ruined foliage and slowly sinking back into it. “Next time we meet, I shall not let MY personal feelings get in the way either.” He grinned at her and blew her a kiss in a mocking manner before disappearing from view.

Celestia quivered as she looked over the space where he had just stood. Her heart was pounding. Her breath was quick. Adrenaline was pumping through her entire body. But none of that registered to her. There was only one thing she could feel right now.

Tears.

The flowed from her as freely as a river did from a broken dam and she could not stop them now. She heard the guards approaching, but as her body began to calm, she felt listless, and tired. Backing up against the side of the wall, she took a deep breath, almost retching at the scent the of ash the fire had left in its way. She could hear Dusty calling out to her worriedly, and the clatter of several armored hooves approaching. Her attention turned to the ruined bonsai and she sighed. In spite of herself, she smiled. “You owe me a new bonsai, Discord,” she joked.

No one laughed. The pain in her heart grew stronger.

END OF CHAPTER 6

Chapter 1: Falling Stars

My Little Dynasty: Kung-Fu is Magic
By Goombasa
Written for NaPoWriMo September 2013

Chapter 1: Falling Stars

The night was cold and clear. Winter was on the horizon, and all within the borders of Equestria were starting to prepare for what Celestia had predicted as being a particularly harsh one. Farmers were urged to speed their harvest, gardeners to take extra precaution, and families warned to keep their children from staying outside in the chilling air.

This mattered little to the two ragged figures plodding along at the very edge of Equestrian territory, their manes disheveled and their clothing in tatters. Both were wearing the uniforms of laborers, and neither of them looked very happy with their current situation. A blue-maned unicorn rubbed her hands over her tired eyes. “How much longer must we keep running?” she queried. “Trixie wants to rest.”

Her companion, a golden-coated unicorn with a red and yellow mane, tossed an exasperated sigh towards her compatriot. “Just a little further. I don't want to risk being caught out here by patrols.”

“We're at the very edge of Equestria!” Trixie exclaimed. “What possible risk do we run of being seen out here?”

“There are still border patrols,” the other unicorn replied. “And they are just as dangerous as an inland regiment. If we get caught, out here, with no identification, how likely do you think it is that we'll be treated as free mares?” Before Trixie could answer, she raised a hand and continued. “Not very at all. At best, with the way we look, we'll be treated as escaped slaves, beaten, and dragged into the market to be sold since they obviously won't be able to find our nonexistent masters. At worst, they'll mistake us for escaped prisoners and we'll be executed on the spot.” The unicorn grunted as her companion gave a horrified gasp. “What's worse, even if they did believe we were free mares, based on our word alone, and let's face it, that won't ever happen, we still abandoned our duties on that stupid rock farm. Abandoning your duties is a quick way to get a good beating anyway.” She lashed her fiery tail. “I don't know about you, but I'm not one to feel a soldier's fist in my face.” She rubbed her chin. “I took plenty of knocks under Celestia already.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, I know all about your history with our exalted Empress, Shimmer, but can we please stop for the night? Trixie is tired. Trixie is hungry. Trixie is cold!”

Sunset Shimmer's eyes narrowed. “Trixie is about to be eating her own teeth if she doesn't shut up already!” She rubbed her head. “I'm sorry. Look, we're both very aggravated right now, so maybe you're right. Let's see if we can find a place to rest out here.” She scanned the horizon quickly. Nothing but a barren, rocky wasteland. “Of course, we just had to run in the direction of the Wastes. I doubt we'll find any sort of shelter out here.”

Trixie pointed out towards a small rock formation. “What about over there? Those four standing stones? At the very least they'll give us some shelter from the wind.”

Shimmer sighed. “With our luck, they'll probably fall over and crush us in our sleep.” But what other choice did they have. They had no blankets, no extra clothes, not even any flint or tinder to start a fire. What little food and water they had, they would have to ration as carefully as possible, and none of that was going to keep them warm. “Well, let's go,” she said, her voice accented with a heavy sigh.

As they made for the rocks, Trixie pondered her situation. The disgraced court magician of the royal palace, sent away for trumped up charges, she had tried her best to keep her magic act going after the unfortunate incident in the palace, but once you'd been kicked out by royalty, no one else really wanted to watch you perform amazing feats in a traveling wagon. She just wished she could have figured out WHAT she had been kicked out over. The way the advisors were throwing words at her, she barely had time to muster up a solid defense, and of course Celestia hadn't helped at all. Exalted Empress that she was, she had deferred judgement to the advisors, who had wasted no time in tossing her out on the streets. Well, at least her pay from the palace had lasted her long enough to find a job as a laborer... which she had promptly thrown out the window the moment Sunset Shimmer had suggested it.

What was Shimmer's story anyway? Trixie had seen her around the palace now and then, knew that she had once been a promising student under the Empress herself, to the point where some had whispered things about her being the Empress' protege.

So what had happened? Trixie had officially met the mare at the labor camp, busting rocks, same as her. When Trixie had attempted to ask her about goings on at the palace, Shimmer had become extremely bitter, to the point that Trixie feared physical retribution from her. Trixie had learned quick enough not to mention much about the palace to her, and had stopped pressing the issue all together.

The rock formation was, surprisingly, something made by pony hands. Sculpted and crafted into four large segments, almost like a series of claws reaching up from the ground, attempting to wrap around the ground and close its fingers down along what rested in the center. Trixie frowned and leaned against the side of one of the standing stones, following it up to the unusually curved top. “What's the point of this?”

Shimmer shrugged. “Who knows? I've never heard of it, and if I've never heard of it, then that means that it must not be that important.” She examined the stones as well, with mild interest before shrugging and sitting down next to one of them. “Anyway, let's just hunker down to the night.” She motioned to the pack on Trixie's back. “Break out the food. Let's eat.”

Trixie nodded, setting the pack to the side. “Agreed. Trixie is starving.” She smiled and tossed opened the pack, rifling through it. “Ugh, I can't see a thing. Where are Trixie's peanut butter crackers?”

Shimmer blinked. “How'd you managed to get something so extravagant?” she asked.

Trixie smirked. “Trixie knows a guy.” She continued to shuffle around the contents, taking out an apple and tossing it to Sunset Shimmer, who caught it, looking it over. “Ugh, that's it, Trixie needs a light.” She closed her eyes and forced a small pulse of magic into her horn. It ignited and created a small light at the edge of her horn, illuminating the area around her. “Ah, that's better.” She reached down into the pack. “Hmm, now where... ah, here they are!” she pulled out a small sack and opened it, licking her lips and tugging out a small, half crumpled sandwich of rice cracker and peanut butter. “Aww, Trixie is disappointed. She shouldn't have put them so close to the bottom of the bag.” She nibbled one with a light sigh. “Ahhh, still tastes wonderful though. Sunset, would you like one?”

She turned to offer one to Sunset Shimmer, but her companion's attention was drawn elsewhere. “Trixie,” she said, pointing towards the center of the four towering stones. The ground was beginning to glow.

Trixie blinked and gasped, quickly shutting off the light on her horn. The glow on the ground vanished along with her light. “Wh-what was that?”

Shimmer frowned and tapped her fingers together, standing up. “Hmm,” she mused. “I remember these kinds of spells. There's a beacon here.”

“A beacon?”

“It's a special kind of magical seal meant to react to certain kinds of stimuli. When you used your light spell near it, the beacon reacted, letting us know that something was here.” She snapped her fingers. “Beacons are only ever used to mark something really valuable. Pirates used to use them to mark their treasure caches. Scholars use them to mark hidden stores of their notes...”

“And Trixie is sure someone used them to hide dangerous things.” She crossed her arms. “We shouldn't mess with this, Shimmer.”

She shook her head. “Oh please, like Celestia would really mark anything dangerous with a beacon spell. If anyone was hiding anything truly dangerous, why would you mark it where any idiot could stumble across it with the right spell?”

Trixie shrugged. “No idea, but do we really want to chance it?”

“Think about that for a second,” Shimmer said, looking over the beacon, brushing away the dust obscuring the glow from her. “Do you really not want to chance it when whatever this beacon is hiding is valuable? We could be sitting on a gold mine! A long forgotten treasure trove!”

The prospect of riches and fortune did indeed appeal to Trixie. Imagine all the magical baubles and flavored crackers she could get if this really did turn out to be something of value? But what if it was something like a doomsday weapon that Celestia had hidden away in case of a griffon attack? Was she really being overly cautious by thinking of such things? Trixie would have liked to believe she was just being prudent. Yet...

“Very well, Trixie is willing to chance it if you think that it is not dangerous.”

Nodding, Sunset Shimmer continued to brush away the thick layer of dust and dirt obscuring the source of the beacon. Soon enough, she had uncovered enough to reveal a stone door down below her. A single, metal hoop was placed near it's top end, and age had given it a fine layer of rust, while the stone itself looked as grey and solid as the day it was made. Sunset gave a light whistle. “I have a feeling we've hit the jackpot!” She rubbed her hands together and grabbed the metal loop in both hands, pulling back on it as hard as she could. The stone didn't budge. Growling, she added a layer of magical levitation in an attempt to lift up the heavy lid. It barely budged. She let out a growl and turned towards Trixie. “Well?” she growled. “Come on, oh Great and Powerful Trixie, get over here and give me a hand!”

Trixie blinked, gave a slight huff as her full stage name was used. Standing herself up and adjusting her mane, she walked forward, adding her own strength and magic to the attempt. Slowly, ever so slowly, the heavy lid finally began to edge forward.

They pulled and pulled until it finally stood straight up. Sunset Shimmer grinned and quickly twirled around the front, looking down at what they had unearthed, Trixie following after taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow and rub her aching horn. Straining herself like that was likely to sprain her if she wasn't careful. As she rounded the corner, she stopped herself as she felt a blast of cool air. Looking down, she saw a huge staircase, leading down, deep into the earth. She gulped. “What is this?”

“Looks like a staircase,” Shimmer answered mirthlessly. “Come on, whatever was hidden here, it's got to be something really valuable if they took the time to hide it so deep underground.” She smiled and activated her light spell again before she began to walk down the stairway. She turned and looked back up at Trixie. “You coming?”

Trixie tensed. “Er, yes... Trixie is coming.” She activated her horn again. A simple light spell didn't put much strain on the horn anyway. She started to follow Sunset Shimmer down into the bowls of the uncovered cave. “You don't think there's anything... living down there, right?”

Shimmer cocked her brow. “Living? Seriously? You really think that something could survive down here, uncovered, for what might me years, if not decades?”

Trixie shrugged. “Well... Empress Celestia is still alive after centuries, isn't she?”

Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Feh, Celestia. She's an exception, she was the Empress. She was born of the sun, after all. Literally delivered to the earth from the heavens.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Just goes to show how even the Heavens can be wrong.”

Trixie shivered in discomfort as she spoke. “Sunset, don't talk like that. It's bad luck to speak ill of the Empress aloud like that.”

“My poor luck started long before I started blaspheming her stupid name.” She waved away her friend's concerns and stopped as they reached the end of the stairs. “I wonder how far down this goes,” she mused, looking behind her, back up the stairs. Trixie followed her gaze and peered back up the way they'd come. She couldn't even see the entrance anymore. Turning back down the tunnel, the path continued onward for a little ways before it opened up into a large cavern.

The two of them hurried forward and poked their heads out into the cavern. “Wow... someone had a lot of time on their hands,” Shimmer observed, pointing to the walls. “All of this is completely pony-made.”

“How do you figure?” Trixie asked.

“Look at the walls. Look at the ground. True, it's shown a bit of age, but the whole thing is far too smooth, with very little erosion. Sanded down to look more like a dome rather than a cave.” She forced more magic into her horn, spreading her light outwards. The ground below them was the most obvious pony-made part of the cavern, as the natural gravel of the tunnel gave way to a beautiful, if aged, segment of marble, placed down over the cave's natural ground. Time had not been kind to it of course, as it was cracked and jostled from years of wear, but compared to how some things above ground would look after a decade of neglect, it was impressive to see it in such good state.

Their steps echoed loudly against the new floor as they traveled deeper into the chamber. Trixie glanced back at the cave entrance now and then, just to make sure that they could actually turn and run if they had to. The entrance stayed right where it was. Trixie forced more magic into her tired horn, brightening up the room a bit more. She sighed. “There's nothing in here,” she said. “It's just an empty room.” She shrugged, looking around. “Whatever was in here, it was probably already removed.” She waved back towards the mouth of the cavern. “Can we go now? Back upstairs? Where it's safe? And open? And not at all dangerous?”

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. “In a minute, we still haven't checked the back of the cave.” She pressed forward, towards the end. “There has to be SOMETHING left in here. Why else would the beacon still be set?”

“Maybe they just forgot to undo the spell when they came back for whatever was stored down here?”

“Maybe...” she mused, though she stopped when something came into view of their lights. “Trixie,” she whispered. “Look.” She pointed.

Trixie turned her attention away from the exit she desperately wished they were heading towards right now, and followed Sunset Shimmer's finger. Her eyes came to rest on the back of the cave, where four large statues were now illuminated to them. They were beautifully sculpted, each one bearing the countenance of beings that the two ponies had only ever seen in horror stories and fairy tales... and of course, their nightmares.

“The Four Black Stars,” Shimmer whispered, approaching one. It showed a huge pony, easily rivaling their empress in height, standing tall and proud, dressed in thick, powerful armor. The name of this pony was engraved just below the statue, on the huge stone block serving as its base. “Nightmare Moon,” Shimmer read aloud. “The North Star... the Dragon.” Shrugging at all the supposed nicknames the statue had, she walked to the next, a bizarre creature that reminded her more of those strange contemporary art pieces she'd seen around the bazaar. He seemed to have been stitched together from the leftovers of dozens of other creatures. Lion paw, eagle claw, deer antler, goat horn... several dozen other creatures had lent their parts to this thing as well. “Discord, the South Star, the Phoenix.”

Trixie, as she listened, had wandered over to the opposite side of the line of statues, and was standing next to one of a large Unicorn with a long, flowing mane, a curved horn, and the countenance and garb of a king. He wore a terrifying grin, and his eyes... rather, the eyes given on the statue... seemed to pierce deep into her mind, hunting for something. She shuddered and looked away, her eyes cast down to the base, and the name. “Sombra, The East Star, The Turtle.” She moved to the final statue, eager to get out of view of Sombra's eyes. The final statue, that one was one of the strangest to her. It was a large... well, she assumed it was some sort of pony, but it really looked more like the love child of an alicorn and a dragonfly. While the build was that of a pony, everything else seemed as though it were some sort of insect. Two huge dragonfly style wings sat upon her back, her horn and legs were gnarled, like a plank of wood chewed on by termites, the skin seemed to be made from a carapace rather than a fur coat... nothing about this creature seemed to make much sense. Tilting her head, she turned towards the final statue base. “Chrysalis. The West Star, The Tiger.”

The two ponies looked to one another. “I don't like this,” Trixie whimpered, dropping her third person schtick for a moment. “Let's get out of here.”

Shimmer nodded. “Yeah... yeah, it doesn't look like there's anything valuable in here anyway.” They both turned away, but as they did so, a glint caught their eyes. They both turned back. Something was sitting between the two center statues. Their eyes were drawn to it. A single gold coin rested at the center of the four statue, bearing the symbol of the Empress, a large sun. It glittered and glimmered. “Is that... a gold coin?”

“A very old gold coin,” Trixie said, smiling, bending down near it. “Trixie saw this in the collections at the palace. Did you not see them?”

“Of course I did,” Shimmer sniffed. “I just haven't seen that design in a long time. That coin is from the very original mint that Celestia established at the beginning of her Sun Dynasty. Those things haven't been circulated for centuries.”

“Then it is valuable,” Trixie said, smiling. “Might be worth, what, a few thousand bits?”

“At the very least,” Shimmer exclaimed. “Well, I guess coming down here was worth it after all.”

Trixie frowned and grabbed her arm as she reached for it. “Wait... this seems a little weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“Trixie means, why would there only be one coin down here? In between four statues of the scariest figures in our mythology?”

Shimmer shrugged. “Maybe there really was a treasure cache down here. Maybe it was something hoarded by these four back when they actually existed.”

“Trixie thought they were only fairy tales, though,” the former magician stated. “Weren't they?”

Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Trust me, during my time under the Empress, I ended up learning a lot of interesting things. Chief among them was that a lot of those legends and fairy tales you were hearing as a foal were at one point real. Sure, details have been smeared over the years, but these four... the Four Black Stars... they existed, and the threat the posed was very real until Celestia deposed them.”

“So they aren't around now?”

“No.”

“So these statues are just for show?”

“Yes.” She tapped her horn. “Trust me, if there was anything dangerous in here, don't you think two highly skilled unicorns like us would at least be slightly aware of the danger?”

“Trixie supposes you are correct.” She smiled down on the coin. “So, shall we take this and go get ourselves a decent meal? Maybe even a decent home?”

“And some decent clothes.” She scratched at her stomach. “These tunics are itchy.” She reached down and picked the coin up.

Trixie liked to think she was a level headed mare, one that could easily react to poor situations with a clear and calm demeanor, even when things looked like they were getting bad. Now, however, she saw how wrong her assumptions about herself were. The entire cave lit up in a blinding flash, as though the stone itself was beginning to glow. The world around them shook, the cavern almost snarling.

Both mares let out a panicked scream and made for the exit. But as they neared, a large chunk of the ceiling broke off, falling down towards them, coming to rest right in front of their only hope of escape. Trapped, with the cavern still rumbling, and the sound of cracking and falling stone filling their ears, the two of them screamed again, clutching each other for what little security they could fine, dropping to their knees in front of the blocked entrance, closing their eyes, waiting for death to claim them.

But death overlooked them. No more large stones fell. The cavern no longer shook. They were both still alive. As quiet calm took them over once again, they slowly rose their heads, looking towards each other. Shimmer shuddered. “I'm alive... aren't I?”

“You look alive,” her companion stated. “Is Trixie still alive?” She pat her face.

“You are. We are alive!” she announced with a loud, relieved sigh.

“But we're trapped,” Trixie said, patting the rock sitting next to them.

“You won't be for long,” a third voice called from behind them.

Both ponies tensed up, clutching each other again. Their eyes rested on the four statues. Only, there weren't any statues there anymore. Instead, four living, breathing creatures stood there. Four terrifying figures worthy of the deepest fears of ponykind stepped down off of the pedestals they had been immobilized on.

The entire cave was still well lit, and both mares could take in all the detail of the four now. The first, Nightmare Moon, clenched her fists, taking the helmet she wore off, midnight blue hair tumbling down over her pitch black coat, which she brushed from her face. “Ah, to be free again,” she mused, with a disturbing grin. “How nice it feels.”

“Indeed, came the gruff response of Sombra. His black mane, acting as though it were made from darkness and shadow itself, contorted and covered him, enveloping him. “How long has it been since we've been away? How long?”

Discord chuckled, tapping his mismatched claws together. “Well, why don't we ask our two little saviors?” he asked, pointing an accusing claw towards the frightened mares near the entrance. “After all, since they were nice enough to take the binding symbol from its place, I'm sure they'd be willing to answer a few simple questions for us.”

“I should hope so,” came the response of the insect-like pony, her wings buzzing as she took to the air, slowly hovering towards them. “After all, if they refuse, things might get... uncomfortable for them.” She laughed as she came to rest before them. “So, my little ponies, would you care to tell us, just what is the date?”

Both mares shuddered, unable to find their voices. Chrysalis scowled. “I can assure you, my time encased in statue has done little to improve my patience, fillies.” She reached a gnarled hand out towards Sunset Shimmer. “So, either you hurry up and answer me or I'll...”

She was cut off as Shimmer raised up, grabbing her arm and pushing it away. Startled, Chrysalis did not expect the flurry of kicks landed against her face. She stumbled back, and Sunset pressed the attack, taking a fighter's stance as she moved to throw a punch against her stomach. Chrysalis growled and dodged, catching Sunset's arm and twisting it, so hard that it brought the unfortunate mare to her knees. “I recognize that style,” she growled. “I could never forget it. The grace, the elegance, the speed... you are a student of the Fist of the Rising Sun, aren't you?” She twisted harder, making the mare shout out in pain. “You are a student of Celestia, aren't you?”

“AH! Y-yes! I was her student!” she shouted, whimpering.

Sombra let out a mirthless laugh. “Oh fate is indeed kind. Who would have thought, after so long, it would be a student of Celestia herself who would free us from our prison?”

“Former student,” the mare growled, writhing in discomfort as Chrysalis continued to apply pressure to her twisted arm.

“Former or not, you are still a student of our mortal enemy,” Sombra noted, waving his hand. His shadow mane seemed to break apart, a piece of it writhing and contorting in the air as a long, ornate scythe formed from it. He gripped it tightly and gave it a swing. The sound it produced reminded Trixie of a warrior's scream seconds before death claimed them on the battlefield. “However, we are not without some mercy. You were nice enough to free us, after all. So I shall make sure you don't suffer.” He began to advance on her, and Trixie felt her blood run ice cold. She could do nothing but watch as a literal executioner began a slow, somber march towards her friend, his weapon raised. Sunset's eyes filled with tears of fear and her entire body was wracked with frantic shivers, her breath quickening. Trixie began to feel her own body react similarly. After all, chances were good it wouldn't be long before she would share in her companion's fate.

As the blade came up, however, an unexpected savior arrived in the form of Discord, who's long serpentine body slid between Sombra and his Target quickly. “Now, now, let's not be too hasty here.” He smirked at the annoyed scowl on his colleague's face. “After all, a student of the Empress, former or otherwise might just be fun to have around.” He twisted his head around to face her. “And after all, she probably has a wealth of knowledge that we could use.”

Sunset growled loudly. “Like I would share anything I know with you...”

“So defiant,” he tsked, drawing close to her, stroking her cheek with his lion paw. “I certainly admire that sort of attitude, but there's one little problem with that line of thinking. You're assuming you have a choice in the matter.” His hand lurched forward and gripped her face, making her yelp in surprise. She squirmed and writhed as Discord's eyes began to swirl and contort into a pair of strange, chaotic vortexes.

Trixie shuddered tried her best to phase through the wall behind her, but unfortunately not even a master wizard wouldn't be able to do something like that. So, she was forced to sit, and to watch, as the bright and vibrant color was drained from Sunset Shimmer's coat and hair. She became dull, grey, washed out, and her body went limp under the demon's grip. When Discord removed his hand from her, she opened half lidded, colorless eyes. “I hear and I obey, my masters.”

Discord nodded in satisfaction, and Chrysalis released her. “You see? All it takes is a gentle touch, Sombra. Not everything requires your... rather extreme outlook.”

The unicorn snorted and waved away his scythe as Chrysalis turned the listless mare towards her. “Now, as I asked before, what is the date?”

“It is the year of the sun, 1056, oh Exalted one,” she responded, in an autonomous manner.

Sombra snorted. “That tells us nothing. Slave, how many years has it been since the Day of Black Dawn?”

“eleven-hundred, my lord,” she answered.

The three demons looked at one another. “Eleven-hundred years,” Sombra growled.

Chrysalis was livid. “She cost us over a millennium.”

“A millennium without us?” Discord gave a mock sniff. “How could she?”

“Well, we have quite a bit of time to make up for...”

Trixie gulped as she watched the three of them discussing the state of affairs. Her eyes drifted to Sunset for a moment but she shook her head. Whatever they had done to her, chances were good she wouldn't be able to get her back to normal. She was no expert on curses or hexes, she was just a court magician. There was nothing she could do.

At least, that was what she told herself in the interest of self preservation. She looked around. Maybe... if she could just crawl her way around to the statues and hide behind the ruined bases of their statues, she could hide out until they decided to leave. They didn't seem that interested in her anyway. Slowly, carefully, she got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl her way around the edge of the cavern, towards her projected hiding place.

“As much as crawling on the ground suits a worm like you,” came a harsh voice from above, “I don't think it's necessary.”

Trixie froze. She didn't want to look up, fearing what she might see. Slowly, her head twisted around, almost of its own volition, and she found herself staring into the deep, dangerous, predatory eyes of Nightmare Moon. Before she even had a chance to scream, a dark blue tendril formed from from the night-like mane of the armored devil, snapping forward and wrapping around her neck. Trixie felt herself being pulled towards her, her body almost lifted up off the ground, only on the ground by her tip toes. If Nightmare Moon lifted her any further, she would surely hang. She began to claw at the tendril, trying to get free. It was wrapped just tight enough to choke her, but not enough to outright strangle her. “L-let me go,” she whimpered in a strained voice as she was led back towards the other three. “Please...”

“And why should we do that?” Nightmare asked. “Are you somepony who is important? Would you happen to be another student of the dear Empress?”

Trixie let out another whimper as she felt the tendril tighten. “N-no...”

“Then you'd best hurry, and figure out a reason why I shouldn't snap your little neck.”

She continued to tighten her hold, and Trixie's eyes filled with panic, her body writhing as she tried to get loose. “I-I'm the court magician!” she said quickly. The tightening stopped and Nightmare moon turned an eye on her, interested. Trixie panted a little bit. “Well... former court magician.”

Discord let out a laugh. “Oh what a pair we have here,” he observed between his chortles. “A disgraced student of the empress,” he ran a finger through Sunset's mane, “And a decommissioned parlor trick pony who used to dance whenever Celestia clapped her hands.” He let out another laugh.

Nightmare tapped her chin, thinking. Trixie gulped, feeling the magical tendril around her neck flex every few seconds, as if deciding whether or not to tighten completely and finish what it had started. “Well, I suppose having two ponies who have lived in the more recent palace might be useful,” she mused. “That, and I am feeling unusually generous today. After all, your bumbling did manage to set us free.”

Trixie nodded up and down fiercely. Chrysalis stepped forward. “The only question is, can you be trusted to do as we ask?” she asked, one long, gnarled claw slowly tracing down Trixie's spine, making her shudder.

“Yes, yes, I'll do anything you want, just please, let me live!”

Chrysalis licked her lips after a moment and nodded to Nightmare, who rolled her eyes and dropped trixie to the ground, who began to massage her neck, coughing as she did so. She didn't have much of a chance to relish her newfound freedom, as the back of her neck was taken hold of and she was lifted to her feet by the insectoid pony. Her head was twisted to face her. She had hungry eyes and a very disturbing grin. “The first part of your new life... feed me,” she whispered, drawing closer.

Trixie tried to pull her head away, but was unable as it was held fast by her captor. “Wh-what do you mean?” she asked. “I-I have a few meager rations in my pack, if that is what you want...”

She chuckled, a second hand coming up to stroke her cheek. “That's not what I meant, my dear. They had another name for me when I roamed free. I was called an emotion eater. A rather simplified name for one as intricate and complex as I, but not entirely untrue. I feed on the powerful emotions of others. Unfortunately, Discord's mind warping spell tends to leave those it affects as little more than a husk of false feelings and emotion. Not very tasty.” Her smile grew, showing off a series of sharp, fang-like teeth. Trixie couldn't stop another whimper. “But you... you are letting off pure, unbridled fear right now. I can smell it... I can TASTE it.” Her tongue rolled out of her mouth as she drew her face so close that she was nearly touching the unfortunate mare. “It tastes so delicious.” She lurched forward, forcing her lips against Trixie, who uttered a loud scream as their mouths touched. She felt like something was being pulled form her. Her head began to swim, and her heart started to ache. Her body felt as though it were growing cold, distant, stiff. Was she dying? Was sweet release finally coming?

No... after what seemed like an eternity, the creature let her drop. She fell to the ground, shuddering and twitching. Cold, miserable, but conscious, she let out a cough. Tears were streaming down her face. Why was she crying? What had happened? She felt like something was missing, something important.

Chrysalis stood above her, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Not quite as filling as raw love, but still quite a meal. Yes, I think she will definitely be worth keeping around for a while.” She stepped over Trixie's prone, cold body as she whimpered and sobbed underneath her.

“Haven't seen something like that in a while,” Discord mused with a chuckle. “Ah, that does remind me, Sombra, I do still owe you a harem, now don't I?”

The black unicorn snorted. “Still your tongue, clown. I have no interest in such things, and you know it.”

“Enough idle chat,” Nightmare Moon announced, smiling. “We have work to do.” She raised her hand up and a large blue aura began to push at the stone ceiling above them. With a mighty heave, like a giant pushing up on the very foundation of the world, the ceiling was pushed upwards, knocked loose, and folded backwards, knocking one of the four stone pillars down to the ground. Moonlight flooded the cavern as stars twinkled down upon the six figures standing there. Trixie shuddered as Nightmare Moon took in a deep breath. “Fresh air,” she whispered. “Moonlight. Stars.”

“Beautiful,” Chrysalis commented. “And soon enough, they will be yours again,” she said with a nod. “And so too shall my lands be claimed and my people rebuilt.”

Discord nodded, stretching. “We have quite a bit of work ahead of us, now don't we?”

“Well, nothing worth having is ever easy to obtain,” Sombra said, summoning his scythe again. “And no doubt quite a bit has changed in our absence.”

All four of them nodded, Discord lifting Sunset Shimmer up in his magical grip. Chrysalis did the same with a prone, and petrified Trixie. “For power,” Sombra growled.

“For control,” Chrysalis chuckled.

“For chaos,” Discord laughed.

“For vengeance,” Nightmare moon hissed.

And then, without another word, the four black stars slowly ascended from the cavern that had served as their crypt for over one thousand years, up into the night sky. Then, in a swirl of dark magic, they, plus two very unfortunate mares, disappeared into the inky, black night.

Empress Celestia awoke from a fitful slumber, bolting upright from her bed. Her mane was disheveled, her feathers bent, and her fur coated in sweat. She breathed in deep, trying to quell her rapidly beating heart, wiping sweat from her brow and eyes as she tried her best to regain control of her senses. Had what she just seen merely been a dream? No, not a dream, she thought. It had to be more.

A knock at her door made her start, but she quickly regained control. “The sun does not slow its descent for any,” she said loudly.

“But its descent assures ascension, come the morn,” came the answer.

Her body relaxed. “Shining Armor,” she called.”

“It is I, my Empress. Are you all right? Your guards heard fitful sounds coming from your room, and sent for me.”

She smiled at his concern. It had been the right choice, she told herself, making him the captain of her guard. “I am fine,” she answered, moving so that her legs hung over the side of the bed. “Just... a very fitful sleep is all.”

“Very well,” he answered. “But if you have need of anything...”

“As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me,” she said.

“Yes, Empress?”

“Prepare an invitation for your sister, and have it delivered to her on the morrow. I have need to speak with her, privately.”

“My sister?” he asked after a moment. “Forgive my curiosity, but is all well with Twilight?”

“Do not be concerned, dear Shining Armor, she is fine, but I have a task for her of the utmost importance. You will see the message is delivered, yes?”

“Of course,” he said softly. She could practically hear his bow from behind the door. “I shall take my leave, Empress. Forgive my intrusion.”

“Not at all, my most faithful guard. Your concern warms my heart deeply.” She rolled back onto her bed. “Have a good night. I shall speak further with you on the morrow.”

“As you wish. Sleep well, Empress.”

She could hear him walk away from the door, and a mirthless smile came to her lips as she laid her head against her pillow. Sleep well? No, there was no way that sleep was coming easily to her from here on out. She took a deep breath, trying to recall the figures and forms she had seen in her dream, but it was all just a blur now. All she could recall was the darkness enveloping her entire empire. Everything she had worked so hard for over the past millennium had crashed down in an instant, replaced with what had stood there before. Chaos. Destruction. Sadness.

Even if it were just a nightmare, and she was sure it was not, she could not risk anything. Not after the first risk she had taken that had turned out so horribly, horribly wrong. Her empire must be defended. She needed to find a solution to the coming problem, and fast. Before...

Before it all came crashing down...

Just like falling stars...

END OF CHAPTER 1

Author's Note

This story was an idea I had kicking around in my mind for quite a while, and I decided to make it the subject for this year's National Pony Writing Month. Several more chapters are complete, but I will be staggering their release, putting out one new chapter each week. Hopefully, this will allow me to keep up with new chapters as well. Please enjoy!