Labyrinth

The outer circle of the city was completely quiet.  Everything seemed abandoned and the whole group had the same feeling:  that they were walking into a trap.  They all kept on their guard but continued forward as they had no other option.

They approached the gates that separated the outer and inner circles.  Fluttershy screamed when the metal doors slammed shut, then morphed from solid metal to shifting shadows.  In the middle of the looming shadow were a pair of glowing green eyes, purple mist radiating from the corners.  Red, slitted pupils glared down at them.

"Who goesss?"  the shadow hissed.

Manny growled, but Fluttershy tugged on his paw.

"Come on, Manny!"

They turned to flee, but black crystals jutted forth from the ground to block them in.  Many faced the shadow again and roared at it.

"Oh, no!"  the yellow pegasus cried.

"Who goesss?"  the shadow hissed again.  An equine head and a neck began to form out of the darkness.

Rainbow Dash steadied her lance and tried to charge at the shadows, but she was pushed away.  She nearly landed on the sharp crystals, but thankfully for her, Applejack sprung into action and caught her on her back.

"Now, ya see here, that was darn foolish of ya," the orange pony scolded.

"Well it's better than doing nothing!"

"Hey, you!  Rot-for-brains!" a familiar voice yelled.

They all looked up to see Pinkamena running along the wall.  The pink pony pulled out a large, blue crystal in the shape of a heart.

The shadow's head turned to look at her.  "Crystal?  My crystal..."  Its eyes widened.

She grabbed a cannon that was sitting on the ramparts, shoved the crystal inside, lit the fuse, and covered her ears.

"No!  My crystal!"

The crystal shot out of the cannon and slammed into the hissing face.  It shattered, a light pouring forth that banished the darkness.

"Oh, Pinkie!"  Fluttershy looked up at her, beaming.  "You saved us again!"

Pinkamena slid down the wall.  On the ground, she kept her gaze lowered to her hooves, not meeting the pegasus's gaze.  "I'm not asking to be forgiven.  Discord made me give you that peach and I don't care what you think.  I told you I was a coward, and I'm not interesting in being friends."

Fluttershy embraced her and hugged her close.  "Oh, but of course I forgive you!"

The pink pony looked at the others over Fluttershy's shoulder.  Her mouth hung wide open in shock.  "You... you do?!"

"Of course."  The pegasus pulled away to smile at her.  "That's what friends do."

"And besides," interrupted Rainbow Dash, who zoomed over to push herself between them.  "that was totally... awesome!"  She threw her hooves in the air.  "The way you took down that big shadow thing?  That was the bravest and coolest thing I've ever seen!  You're no coward at all!"

Pinkamena's hair started to swell up like a balloon.  "Huh?  I'm not?"

Manny put a big paw on top of Pinkamena's head.  "Manny and Pinkie... friends."

The pink pony seemed to glow a few shades brighter.  "We are?!"

Fluttershy beamed at the other.  "It's all true, Pinkie."

She trembled all over before she jumped straight into the air as if literally exploding with happiness.  Her mane and tail puffed out and her eyes sparkled like none of them had seen before.  "Well, then, what are we waiting for?!"  She started to bounce through where the gates had been.  "Let's go get that meanie who calls himself Discord!"

In the castle, the doors to the throne room burst open and a goblin ran in, panting.

"Your highness!  You highness, the mare- the mare!"  He nearly stumbled over his own feet.  "The mare- who ate the peach- and forgot everything!"

Discord arched one eyebrow.  "What of her?"

"She and the others...  They made it through the gate!  The pink one saved them!  They're on their way to the castle!"

"What?!"  he roared, standing up from his throne.  All of the goblins cowered from him.  "Stop her!  Call out the guards!"  He turned his head to look at the nearest goblin.  "Take the bunny and hide it."

The goblins scrambled to obey his orders as he paced furiously like a wild animal on the hunt.

"How could she remember?"  He growled.  He clawed at the air with his paw, then disappeared and reappeared outside of the castle, looking down at the city below.  He spotted the group heading straight for the castle.  "She destroyed her own memory of the rabbit.  Of this place.  How could she remember?"  Slowly, his rage subsided and he lowered his head to rub his aching temple.  "I have done everything, and yet she..."  He trailed off, closing his eyes.

Below, Fluttershy looked over at her friends with a hopeful smile.  "I think we're going to make it!"

Pinkie giggled.  "Of course!  This place is a piece of cake!  Or maybe just a slice?  Ooh, how about a big helping of cake?  Yeah, this place is-"

From all directions, goblins jumped out to surround them.

"Company, halt!"  the leader of the goblin brigade barked.  "Lancers, ready!  Cannons, fire!  Charge!  Charge!  Charge!"

"Oh, no!"  Fluttershy wilted.  Every time she was beginning to feel like they were making progress, something like this happened.

"Quick, this way!"  Pinkie ran for an alley.

Fluttershy and Manny ran to follow her while Rainbow Dash mounted Applejack and kicked her into gear.

"Charge!"  Rainbow Dash readied her lance.  She was startled when Applejack ran the other way.  "Huh?  No, not that way!  You're going the wrong way!"

"Oh, no I ain't!  Yer no smarter'n a foal if ya think I'm chargin' at cannons!"

"Can we at least talk about it?!"

"Nope!"

The pegasus rolled her eyes.  She knocked out a few goblins they passed, but it was hardly a gallant fight.  When the pony stopped beneath her, she grinned.  "Yeah, that's better!  Now let's go!"  She looked up to see they were surrounded on all sides.  Her grin grew wider as she raised her hooves in a combat-ready pose.  "Don't worry, we've totally got them surrounded."

Applejack slapped her hoof to her face.  "Why do I even put up with you?"

Elsewhere, Fluttershy looked over her shoulder.  "Rainbow Dash?"  She skidded to a halt.  "Rainbow?  Applejack?  Oh, no, where are they?"

"Fire!"  yelled a nearby goblin.

A cannonball flew just over her head.

The goblin hopped up and down to try to peer over the large cannon.  "I hit something, yes?"  He hopped again.  "No?"

"We've got to find Rainbow Dash and Applejack."  She looked at her two companions.  "Come on!"

They didn't get very far, though, before they found themselves surrounded by barely-armored goblins.

"We got you now, pretty ponies!  You're surrounded!  Give up!"

Pinkie's eye twitched and she stood up on her hind legs.  "Try saying that again to my..."  She reached just out of their vision and wheeled out a large cannon.  She grabbed the nearest goblin and before the creature could react, she stuffed him inside and lit the fuse.  "Goblin cannon!"

"What?  Uh oh!"  The goblin inside the cannon squirmed but before he could get out, he was propelled into the group, bowling down most of them with his flailing.

Pinkie giggled and leaned against the cannon, patting it.  She winked at the stunned silent Fluttershy.  "Never enter battle without a handy goblin cannon nearby!"

"O-oh, yes, um...  Thank you?"  The pegasus blinked slowly.

Back at the other end of the town, Applejack bucked Rainbow Dash off and ran into a little goblin shack, kicking the door shut behind her.

"Now look here, enough's enough!  I've been dealin' with you for too long, ya hear?  You got yerself into this mess and you're gonna get yerself out of it!"

Rainbow Dash banged on the door with a hoof.  "Get out here and fight like a stallion!"

"I ain't a stallion so I don't gotta fight like one!"

The pegasus felt something against her back.  She turned to see a group of goblins pointing crude little spears at her.  "Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, eh?"  She raised her hooves.  "Well, fine, let's do this the hard way!"

As the other ponies and manticore crested the hill, they spotted Rainbow Dash facing off with too many goblins.  By that point Applejack's loyalty to her friend won out over her stubbornness and she had joined the fray, bucking goblins in their faces.

"Oh, we have to do something!"  Fluttershy cried and looked at the others.  She froze when she saw Pinkie halfway inside a cannon.  "Um...  Pinkie?"

"Don't worry."  She smiled cheerfully.  "I've got this!"  When the cannon fired her, she outstretched her arms to clothesline as many goblins as she could as she sailed past their companions, appearing as nothing more than a pink blur screaming, "Wheee!"

Rainbow Dash had no idea what happened, but at seeing her foes sprawled on the floor, she put her hooves on her hips.  "Yeah!  Next time, you might as well just surrender before you even think of starting a fight with me!"

"Yer welcome," Applejack muttered under her breath.

The pink blur continued on and the others chased after her as she made a pathway straight to the castle gates.  Ahead, a goblin set up a large cannon and was in the process of aiming and firing at them.

"Now I've got you!"  the goblin yelled.  "Fire!"

Before the cannon could fire, Pinkie landed head-first into it, causing it to backfire.  She slid out and fell to the ground, her hair and face black from the encounter, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.  The goblin, however, was bowled over by his own cannon as it flew backwards.

"And now you don't!"  Pinkie giggled and shook her head to clear off the ashes.

They all regrouped in front of the castle.  The others started to head for the castle doors, but Fluttershy didn't move, causing them all to stop and look back at her.

"Times a-wastin', sugarcube," Applejack said, nodding toward the doors.  "What's the matter?"

Fluttershy looked at her newfound friends with a sad but gentle smile.  "It feels like I've known all of you for so long...  Like you've been my friends for years.  But even still, this is my problem.  I have to go alone."

"But why?"

"Yes, why?"

"Because that's just the way it has to be.  I can't rely on all of you."

"Well, if that's the way it has to be, then that's the way it will be.  But,"  Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her shoulder.  "should you need us..."

"Yeah, if ya need anythin' at all..."  The orange pony put a hoof on her other shoulder.

"You just yell and we'll be right there!"  Pinkie was already crying.  She hugged Fluttershy tightly, almost squeezing the life out of her.  "Pinkie promise!"  She pulled back and crossed her hoof over her chest, then covered her eye.

"Manny promise, too," the manticore added.

"Yes."  Fluttershy looked at them all, doing her best not to cry as well, but her watery eyes betrayed her.  "Thank you, all of you.  I'll never forget any of you."

She embraced each one before she walked up to the castle doors.  They opened as soon as she approached them and once inside, she looked over her shoulder to give her friends one last smile just as the doors slammed shut.