Sweetie Belle's Big Sister

Chapters

Chapter
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 11

Chapter

Intense pain shot through her body, feeling heavy and sluggish as she blearily attempted to get a bearing on exactly where she was. Her head pounded inside her helmet as she scanned her surroundings, finding herself to be in some sort of room- the only thing decorating it was the teeny cot she was currently laying on, her spindly arms and legs hanging comically off the bed. She groaned as she stared into the bright lights on the ceiling, raising her arm to cover them, and to find that the syringe usually attached to her left glove was missing, as well as the mini-harpoon gun she usually carried on her right. She then shot up as she realized that there wasn't a Little Sister anywhere in the vicinity, she immediately got off the cot and went to the door, she tried it, and found it to be locked. She lifted her fist, and gave the door a solid punch, a sizable dent was made- and she tried again, this time knocking the obstruction off of its hinges- the door fell forward, falling flat on the floor as she stepped out, scanning the new area.

The first thing she noticed, was the word 'Scorchwood' printed in bold black letters on the opposite wall, confusing her as she glanced to her left, then to her right. She saw no-one coming in either direction, and performed a mental coin toss- choosing the right. Her boots squeaked against the floor as she walked, filling the hall, as well as the sound of the cage on her back rattling as she went. She walked slowly and carefully, looking to avoid any encounters with Splicers as long as she could- she'd have to retrieve her syringe and harpoon before being able to actually do any damage to them, as well as finding her Little Sister. She thought to herself as she walked, rearranging her priorities in her mind as she cautiously peeked around the corner, first and foremost being to find her stolen weapon, no weapon meant no defense, no defense meant no protection for the Little Sisters. She spied two figures running down the hall, towards her. The two of them appeared to be equine in shape, given the manes, flat teeth, and walking cycles. She growled to herself as they skidded to a halt, fear clearly plastered on their faces as they stared at her. Reaching out, she made a grab for the one closer to her- she missed, and both of the horse-like creatures bolted in the opposite direction, screaming at the top of their lungs 'She's escaped!'. She took that as her cue to pick up the pace in the search for both her Sister and her weapons. She took off at a brisk pace, her long strides clearing entire sections of different halls at a time- she soon came upon two large, double doors marked 'Armory'. She burst through the doors, barely leaving them intact as she searched feverishly for her needle and harpoon.

"Not now, darling" Rarity sighed, her spectacled face eyeing the dress set beneath her sowing machine.
"But Rarity-" the smaller unicorn whined, grating on the older's ears "you promised we could play!"
"Sweetie Belle..."
"You promised!"

Rarity sighed again as she removed her glasses, and took a moment to step away from her work and down to her little sister.
"I know I promised...but..."
"But?"
"I need to finish these dresses!" she said, motioning to the sowing machine "A client in Canterlot loved them so much, she ordered a dozen more! By the end of the week, no less..."

The filly's lower lip quivered as her eyes grew larger than they already were.

"Sweetie...I need to do this...this is what I do for a living, I can't just stop and play with you whenever I want-"
"But-"
"Besides, don't you have Applebloom and Scootaloo to play with?"
"Applebloom said Applejack had something important to talk to the family about, so she can't do anything- and Scootaloo got grounded for a week..."
"Whatever for?"
"All she told me was that it involved her mom's rose bushes and a pair of hedge-clippers..."
Rarity winced as she pieced together at least five different scenarios involving Scootaloo and the fate of her mother's poor flower garden.
"Surely there are some other foals for you to play with? That brown colt in the beanie, perhaps?"
"Button Mash is always too busy at the arcade, he almost never wants to play anything without a screen..."
"Maybe you could convince hi-"
"Tried it"
"And how did th-"
"Ignored me, too focused"
"Well...Twis-?"
"Making candy"
"Rumb-?"
"Flying"
"Pipsqu-"
"Vacation"

Rarity groaned as she turned back to her work, placing her glasses back on her muzzle as she scrutinized the dress she was currently occupied with.

"Well then...I'm sure an imaginative filly such as yourself can find something to do" she tried, as a last resort.
She heard Sweetie Belle give a huff, before heading out of the boutique, indicated by the sound of the bell above the door ringing as she left.

She held two of the equine-creatures, one in each fist, as they shook- fear evident in their eyes as they stared into the red light given off by her helmet. She bashed the two together, their foreheads colliding as she dropped them- she stepped over them, her long legs making it easy to bypass the two unconscious equines.

She searched, and searched, and searched, finding nothing but more and more of the equine creatures, doing the same thing she'd done to the first two. She wondered, briefly, why there were no vents, you find a vent, you find a Sister. Her mind was churning as she began to worry she might not find one, but quickly steeled herself to keep looking, pushing her to force down her worry.

'These equines are almost as bad as Splicers!' she thought vehemently, wondering just where all of them were coming from, attempting to hinder her search.

She finally had enough, and roared, charging through the gathering of equines dressed in lab coats and ties, not caring who got hurt- or who stood in her way. They began screaming, and running, and still more screaming as they attempted to escape her path of destruction. She'd cleared a majority of the equines, taking off at an impressive speed down the hall, desperately searching for any Sisters that could (by chance) be wandering around. Though, she doubted it, with so many equines running around, it was no small wonder why all of the Sisters were hiding. She spied a sign, with the words 'Exit' in red above one of the doors- she ran to it, and yanked it open, preparing to enter the air-lock.

Imagine her surprise when she discovered that there was no water outside, only this green surface, this big, big, big, big blue thing hanging above her, and a ball of brightness floating in the middle of the impossibly huge blue thing. She was temporarily blinded, and as a result, stumbled as her eyes adjusted to her new surroundings, her mind threatening to blow a gasket as she attempted to figure out just where she was. Though sound of approaching footsteps made themselves known from inside the building, and she bolted, her boots thudding against the new floor as she ran. She heard the shouts of the equines, not daring to look back, lest they catch up with her.

The new floor beneath her felt different than what she was used to, she used this to take her mind off of the current situation, though, not slowing her pace. She didn't want to admit it, even to herself, but this...new place...these things...they scared her, it scared her that she had the enormous blue thing hanging above her head, further confusing her as to how it was up there in the first place, why it was up there, how it wasn't falling under its own weight, along with the yellow ball, and when it would fall, crushing all of them. This gave her all the more motivation to find any and all Sisters, before the blue thing fell, maybe if she got to them- and made it out of wherever she was, they'd be able to escape being crushed. Her legs pumped as she continued running, the green floor beneath her flying past as she searched for any signs of life. It both relieved and angered her that she found none, relieved because she believed herself and the Little Sisters were safe from the equines, angered because that meant the Sisters were out of her line of sight, none of them to be seen as far as the eye could see.

Sweetie Belle grumbled angrily to herself, kicking a few pebbles along the path as tears pricked her eyes, the salty liquid threatening to fall from her eyes, and stain the ground below.

'...it's not fair...' she thought bitterly '...she never has time for me anymore...'

She continued walking, not caring where she was going, her hooves compressing the dirt as she went.

"Stupid work...stupid dresses..." she grumbled, passing a rather large tree off to the side of the road.

She looked up to the tree's branches, a frown creasing her muzzle.

"You're a tree" she stated simply "you don't need to worry about sisters- playing with them, or ignoring them"
The tree, naturally, didn't respond, it just stood there, rooted to the spot it was planted, its leaves shaking in the soft breeze that blew, its branches unyielding to the wind, unlike its leafy counterparts.

"I wish I could be a tree..."

Sweetie's eyes shot open soon after she said this, then began to shake her head, clearing it of the thought.

'I really need to stop this...' she thought 'I'm beginning to think just like Fluttershy...'

Sweetie continued her walk, her love of her sister battling her anger at her inside her mind, temporarily distracting her from the world around her. She loved her sister, that should be a given, but sometimes...it was just so frustrating...she loved to wrap herself up in her work, and that wasn't always a good thing...she almost got as bad as Twilight did when she got stressed...almost...sometimes she'd forget things that didn't have to do with her work, or, on one occasion, forgot she was even in the room when she was trying to come up with a design for her next dress.

The sound of heavy hoofsteps were oblivious to Sweetie as she continued her inner battle.

'...though, she didn't seem to like it that one time I tried to make breakfast for her...how did the orange juice catch fire, anyway?'

The noise grew closer, practically forcing the filly shake as the ground vibrated beneath her.

'...just not...fair?'

The filly looked up- just in time to feet something heavy knock the wind out of her, forcing her to the ground as a huge figure sailed over her, crash landing into a mud puddle just a few feet away.

She stared in fear, the head of the creature was blocked by the cage and tank adorning the back, which only served to terrify her more, her mind screaming in fear at just what the cage might be used for...namely, capturing small fillies.

She practically jumped for joy as she heard the voice of a young girl nearby, seemingly sad about something. She turned quickly, and ran towards the sound of the voice, her worry relieved at the thought of finally finding a Little Sister. She continued her jog, continuing her run down the floor of the lighter brown floor, passing a brown pole with some algae floating on it.

'That's what this other floor must be made of...' she thought 'it must be algae, only lighter!'

Her eyes frantically searched for any signs of a Little Sister, but instead found a smaller version of the equine creatures. Her surprise caught up with her, but not until after one of her boots caught the equine, forcing her to sail over it and into a very wet, and very viscous liquid. She lifted one of her hands, covered in the substance, and inspected it, wondering just what it was.

'Not sand...' she deduced 'not the right color...'

She filed the mystery away for later, finding it to be non-corrosive or hazardous. She stood, the ball-cage on her back grinding against the rest of her suit as she did so, forcing her to wince beneath her helmet. She turned, and looked to the small equine, who was visibly shaking, her legs quivering beneath her as her knees practically knocked together.

'Why is she so afraid?'

She took one step towards the equine, oddly enough, the equine took one step back, separating them between the same amount of space.

"RUGGHHH"

The equine cowered even more, practically forcing its stomach against the ground as wetness gathered around its eyes.

She took another step forward again, this time a bit more slowly- the equine didn't move, continuing to lay on the floor. With one gloved hand, she reached down, being mindful of the harpoon and syringe, and took the equine into her arms.

Sweetie was hunkered down in terror, the enormous creature before her staring at her, its menacing eye staring at her with its yellow glow. What scared her most though, was the giant needle that the monster carried, along with the really sharp object attached to the other arm. What was it going to do? Where was it going to take her?

She squeaked in fright as she felt herself being lifted, no doubt by the monster. She expected the creature to hurt her, or lift its mask and reveal the horrifying face underneath, prepared to gobble her up in one bite.

Instead, she was cradled, as if she was a foal- like, Cake twins, foals. A low groan then emanated from the creature as she felt herself being slowly rocked, the two occurrences contrasting each other greatly- the moans and groans batted themselves against her ears, forcing them to go flat as she felt the sensation of being held by the creature. Was it trying to...comfort her? Why would it do that? Wasn't it going to eat her?

A thousand questions made themselves known in her mind, one of the biggest ones asking why this creature was being so nice...Sweetie tried to push away, and to her surprise, the creature let out what sounded like a sigh, before setting her down, all four of her hooves touching the ground once more. She shuffled awkwardly, staring at the creature, then the ground, then the creature again. She repeated this cycle for a few minutes, before slowly turning to leave, her eyes still trained on the creature. She took one
step forward, the creature then did the same- she took another, the creature again copying her steps.

"Um...stay?" she said, unsure if the creature would listen.
The creature raised its arm, Sweetie ducked, fearing the creature was going to poke her with the needle adorning its arm.
The head of the creature tilted to the side, as if it didn't understand.
"I- I should be going home" she stated, summoning as much courage as she could.

She took a few steps forward, and the creature followed, like a puppy.

"Why are you following me?" she asked, turning to face it once more.
The creature pointed directly at her.
"Yes, why are you following me?"
It kept pointing.
"Me?"
It nodded.
"Why?"

It let out a low moan, still pointing at her.

"I can't understand you" she said, pointing to her ears.

It groaned again, taking a step forward.

"No, you stay there, stay away from me!" she cried, backing up.

The creature stopped, and the light in its head turned green.

"Stop following me around" she stated.

And with that, she turned and ran, not looking back, and not hearing the sound of the creature's hoofsteps following her.

She stared at the small equine running away, genuinely confused as to why she ran, and why she seemed so terrified. The other Little Sisters never ran at her appearance, and certainly never displayed that much fear. This, however, was something entirely new to her- there was this new world, and with it, she supposed, came a different set of rules. She turned, and headed in the general direction of the equine. A piercing shriek filled the air, belonging to none other than the equine- instincts kicked in, and she ran in the direction of the noise, her harpoon at the ready. Different world or not, Little Sisters were Little Sisters.

Sweetie Belle was petrified with fear as she stared into the hungry, glowing eyes of the Timberwolf before her, circling its prey as it licked its chops. The wolf opened its maw, slowly advancing towards her, prepared to turn her into its next meal. She knew that running would be pointless with the wolf this close, at this range, it could easily outrun and catch up with her in the blink of an eye.
She closed her eyes as she whimpered, wishing she hadn't ventured this far into the forest, and to a greater extent, gotten so mad at Rarity- now though, she'd disappear completely, her sister and family never knowing what became of her.

The sound of heavy hoofsteps suddenly made themselves known, tromping through the forest while barreling through the foliage. Both the wolf and herself stopped- guessing what would come next, Sweetie dove into the rough foliage, just as the creature from before stomped into the clearing, its single eye glowing bright red. The wolf realized it'd been tricked, and went after Sweetie- she flinched as the wolf practically jumped on her, and was taken aback as the creature dragged the wolf backwards by the tail. Still holding the wolf's tail, the creature readied the weapon on its right hoof, and pressed it against the wolf's side. Before it could discharge it, however, the wolf turned and snapped at the creature with its wooden jaws, forcing the creature to let go of the tail. The wolf, now free, nipped at the creature's two hooves, the creature following its every movement, keeping its right arm trained on it. The wolf lunged, diving for the creature- who raised its arm. Sweetie Belle heard a 'click', and something rocketed off of the arm, tearing through the wolf's mouth, splintering the mouth into a hundred pieces. She stared in horror at the two, the sharp object came out the other end, reducing the wolf's back to kindling. The wolf whimpered as the creature dropped it to the ground, Sweetie averted her gaze, assuming what would come next. There was a loud *crunch*, and everything was silent- Sweetie Belle looked up, and found the creature staring at her once more, its eye now green. Her gaze shifted downward, and spied one of the creature's boots, covered in sap. Sweetie resisted the urge to hurl, and stared up at the creature once more.

'Sister...sister is safe...' she thought to herself, wiping her slime-covered boot against the algae.

The Sister looked up to her, then down to her boot- she swore her face briefly turned a shade of green, and the equine looked to her once more.

"Is- is that why you're following me?" she asked, vaguely gesturing to the remnants of the wolf "To protect?"

She nodded, kneeling down to the equine's level. The equine backed away a bit, then hesitantly stepped closer.

"Wh-what's your name?"
"SRRRRR"
"Um...can I just call you...Mrs. Needles?"

Sweetie Belle stared out at Ponyville from the cover of the forest, the tall creature still following her, practically hovering.

"So...um...I need to get home, my friends are probably worried..."
The creature's eye flicked to yellow, staring at her.

"Well...um...bye...thanks for everything back there..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

Sweetie took off at a trot towards Ponyville, and promptly heard the hoofsteps of the creature just a few feet behind.

"No! You stay here" she said.
The creature pointed toward Ponyville.
"No, you can't come with me, they'll have a heart-attack if they see you following me"
The creature's eye remained yellow.

"Just...stay here..."

And with that, she walked into town, passing Lyra's house, as well as town hall. She soon came upon her sister's boutique- she sighed as she pushed the door open, the little bell above the door ringing as she entered.

"Hello darling, how was your day?" Rarity asked, walking out of the backroom.
"Pretty uneventful..." she lied, believing her sister would skin her alive if she found out she went into the forest.
"Well, I'm glad you had fun"

'Yeah...'fun'...'

"So...did you finish those dresses?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Why yes, I got them done just a few hours after you left" she replied.
"So...does that mean..."
"Yes, Sweetie Belle, I can play with you..." her sister sighed, smiling.
"YAY!"

Sweetie Belle was practically bursting with joy, the opportunity to finally have some time with her sister had finally presented itself.

"So, what would you like to do first?" Rarity asked, walking into her room.

All of her excitement left her, however, as she sat on the bed with her sister.

"Can we...can we talk?"
"Of course, but...wouldn't you rather play tea party? Or pretend?"
"I...I just...I was mad...at you..."
"That's perfectly underst-"
"No...I need to get this out there...I was mad at you...and, I know it's not your fault, you have a business to run...but...it just makes me so...so..."
"Frustrated?"
"...yeah..."
"So what makes you frustrated?"
"...that you work all the time...I mean, we used to spend time together, we used to do almost everything together...and now..."
"Now all of that is changing..."
"Yeah...and-"

Sweetie Belle stopped as she was pulled into a hug by Rarity, her muzzle pressing into her mane.

"I'm so very sorry..." Rarity sighed, hugging her tightly "I get a bit of inspiration, and then I go off...I'm so sorry if I've ignored you..."
"S'alright...I mean...you really didn't-"

*Crash*
*Ksssh*

Rarity gasped as a giant creature with a single, glowing red eye crawled in through the window it had broken to gain access.

"Sweet Celestia!" she cried.
The monster effortlessly tossed her aside, bearing down on Sweetie Belle. Rarity's horn charged, and she prepared to ram the creature, preventing it from taking her sister. She stopped however, jaw agape, as she saw her sister actually talking to the behemoth that had so carelessly broken into her home.

"-told you not to follow me!" Sweetie Belle cried.
"URRRGGG"
"I know! But...um...*ahem* I mean- go away you scary monster!"
"Sweetie Belle...what in the world...you mean...you mean to tell me...you actually know this...this thing?" Rarity managed to rasp out.
"Um...not exactly..."
The creature turned its attention to Rarity once more, its eye immediately flickered back to red, and advanced, the over-sized syringe it was carrying pointed directly at her.

Rarity backed away in fear, her pupils the size of pinpricks as the creature edged closer.

"Mrs. Needles! Stop it!" Sweetie Belle shrieked, grabbing the leg of the gangly creature, attempting to pull it back.
"Sweetie, you need to run- don't worry about me"

Sweetie rolled her eyes, and pleaded with the creature to spare Rarity, the creature still held its syringe at the ready, still standing in a defensive position.

"Mrs. N, this is my sister, you can't attack her!"

The creature stopped entirely this time, lowering its weapon as its eye turned yellow, staring down at the unicorn filly.

"She's my sister...please don't hurt her..." Sweetie pleaded, her hooves still tightly wrapped around the creature's leg.
Everything was silent for a few seconds- until finally, the creature knelt down, and picked up Sweetie Belle, its suit grinding against itself as she held her in her arms.
"Sis...I don't know who or what this is..." Sweetie said, still being held in the arms of the creature "..but..I was just walking in the forest...and...she tripped over me..."

Rarity, who's heart was pounding a mile-a-minute, stared in shock at her sister, being held by this creature...who had just broken into her home, and almost attacked her. Once the adrenaline in her system died down a bit, she finally found the ability to speak again.

"...go...go on..."
"And then...there was this Timberwolf, and- and- I wouldn't be- be here if it wasn't for her" she finished, pointing a hoof to the creature.

"I...I see..."
Rarity turned her attention to the creature, who was staring at her with its still-yellow eye.

"Thank...thank you for saving Sweetie Belle..." she said.
The creature let out a low groan, which she took to mean as a 'You're welcome'.

"So...I do believe we must discuss...this..." Rarity stated, motioning to Sweetie Belle, the creature, and herself.

"Y-yeah..."

"And...I suppose my last question would be...what exactly is Mrs. Needles?" Rarity asked, the creature Sweetie named 'Mrs. N', was dozing on the bed, one arm hanging off the bed, the other securing Sweetie.
The unicorn filly shrugged, careful not to disturb the sleeping...thing...
"I don't know...she doesn't talk really well, or that often..."
Rarity sighed as she rubbed her temples, the stress of the days events catching up to her.

'And here I thought making dresses was difficult...'

A knock came from below, prompting both of the unicorns to freeze.
Rarity went to the window, opened it, and found her friends standing in the street in front of the boutique, the actual shop having been closed for a good few hours.

"'Bout time y'all answered!" Applejack called "We got somethin' ta talk to y'all about!"

Rarity's inner battle raged inside her mind, wondering whether she should let her friends in, and meet this 'Mrs. Needles', or turn them away, and keep the creature a secret.

"Oh...um...yes! I'll be right down!" she called back, before closing the window, and walking back to the bed.

"Sweetie Belle...I need you to be quite up here-"
"Please don't let 'em take Mrs. N away!" Sweetie pleaded "She didn't do anything wrong!"

"That may be...but...we have to consider the possibility that she is dangerous" Rarity replied "and perhaps the quickest way would be to introduce her to the others"
"They're not gonna banish her?"
"I have the utmost confidence they won't" Rarity replied.

"...thanks sis..."

Rarity smiled, and left the room- she trotted down the stairs and into the darkened boutique, she crossed the room, and opened the door for her friends.

Author's Note

Cliffhanger one-shot.
Wrote it for the sake of writing it.

Chapter 2

She heard the faint sound of boots striking the ground as she felt the filly beneath her arm shift. She was, by nature, a light sleeper- though a Little Sister had once called her 'paranoid', she liked to think of herself as 'precautious'. The footsteps grew closer, prompting her to tighten her grip on the Little Sister everso slightly, her glove further wrapping itself around the horse-like creature. Her heart pounded in her ribcage as she heard the footsteps enter the room. She guessed there were six of the horse creatures in the room, total, including the other Sister. She kept her head to the side, as if she were asleep. She watched the five other horses, watching her, their eyes wide and their jaws agape, revealing their flat, white teeth, along with their pink tongues. She shifted slightly, upon hearing one of them speak.

"Rarity...you do realize that this...thing...has Sweetie Belle under its arm...don't you?" the lavender horse with a spiraled horn peeking out from under its dark mane, a dark-purple-and-pink stripe running through it.

"Yes..." the other Sister sighed, her eyes meeting the gaze of the others "She seems to have some sort of bond with Sweetie, she became absolutely enraged when I hugged her, I dare say she was ready to tear me apart- she only stopped when Sweetie told her that I was her sister"

The purple horse sat back, taking in the information it'd been given, as the other horses, save the one with the flowing, pink mane and yellow coat, visibly shaking near the door.

"She?" the orange one asked, a brown hat sitting on its gold mane.

"What?" Sister replied.

"Ah'm just askin'...looks like it's got that fancy divin' suit on, how can y'all tell what it is?"

"Well...erm...Sweetie Belle has taken to calling her 'Mrs. Needles', and well...I must admit, the name certainly does have a bit of a ring to it..."

"So...why does it have that suit on?" the purple horse finally asked.

"It baffles me to no end, darling" Sister replied "she was wearing that when I'd first met her"

The purple horse hummed to itself as it hesitantly trotted closer, its hooves clacking against the wooden floor as it did so.

"Hello? C-can you he-hear me?" it asked.
She still feigned sleep, not making any moves that would alert the horse to being conscious.

She felt something hard prod her side, then remove itself from her skin- the hard thing poked her side again, and this time, her hand shot up and gripped the hard object. She looked down, and saw the hard object was the purple horse's leg. She groaned lightly, as to not wake the sleeping Sister. The purple horse shook, her other three legs knocking together as the fourth was still held tightly in her grip. The purple horse pulled, attempting to gain freedom as her leg was still held prisoner. Her eyes met the horse's, her own meeting its large, expressive, purple orbs, so full of life, and to some lesser extent, she thought, happiness.

She growled as she held the horse captive, her legs swung over the edge of the bed, and pushed against the floor, standing at full height, which forced the horse's other three legs to lift off the ground. The horse whimpered, its purple orbs screwed shut in fear.

She felt something hard strike the back of her helmet, she growled as she turned, still holding the purple horse by the leg. The culprit was none other than the blue horse, flapping away with its wings as she was practically blinded by the chaotic mix of color in its hair.

"Hey! Pick on somepony your own size!" the raspy voice of the horse cried, mashing its muzzle into the window of her helmet.
She raised her arm, and took the flying horse by the neck- it struggled to fly away, its wings flapping uselessly as her gloved hand gripped the horse's fur.
"No fair! Let go!" the horse cried, attempting to fly away from her.
She let out another low groan and jerked her arm downward- the flying horse was immediately grounded, her legs splaying out as she stared dazedly into space.
"There wasn't no cause fer that!" the one with the hat shouted, helping the multicolored horse to its feet.

"...huh?" Sweetie Belle groaned, rubbing the crust from her eyes as she sat up "What's goin' on?"
She stopped, as she noticed Twilight dangling from Mrs. N's fist, and the rest of the Elements gathered in Rarity's room.

"Mrs. N, why are you holding Twilight?" she asked, gazing confusedly upon her.
She let out a low groan.
"Could...could you please put her down?"

The other five Elements froze, unsure of what the creature was going to do.

She waited a moment, and begrudgingly set the lavender horse on the floor, albeit somewhat rough.

The five mares were staring in shock, their jaws hanging open once more as they processed what had just happened- this creature, easily three or four ponies high, had just obeyed Sweetie Belle of all ponies.

"Sugarcube...are y'all even aware o' what this thing is?" the orange one asked, motioning to her with a leg.
"No...she never told me, all she can do is groan" the now-awake Little Sister replied.
"Perhaps it'd be able to talk a little better...without the helmet?" Twilight suggested nervously, withering under the gaze of the creature's yellow eye.

The small Little Sister looked up to her, curious.
"Could you?"
She let out a screech in response, forcing the small pony's ears to splay back at the offending sound.

She held her palms to the sides of her helmet, and slowly lifted- the suit depressurized as she did so, forcing fresh air into her lungs as she took her first breaths. She removed the helmet completely, looking at the seven horses in the room, she set the helmet on the bed- and stared back at the horses.

Sweetie Belle stared at Mrs. N, or more specifically, her head- it was almost completely alien to her. She didn't have much in the way of fur, except for the matted, tangled mess on top of her head. Her gray skin contrasted with her eyes, which were totally different- they were just two yellow, glowing orbs, no pupils or irises or anything. If Sweetie was honest, Mrs. N looked nicer than she'd thought initially- she expected her face to be deformed, maybe from an accident, but no, she looked perfectly fine, pretty even.
Well...pretty in a plain sort of way, like beauty in simplicity- she didn't have any makeup on, at least, none that Sweetie could see. Her ears weren't at the top of her head, they laid flat, on the sides. Her thin neck disappeared into her suit the dark and rusted metal hiding the rest of her body, along with her laced shirt, shorts, and boots.

"Wow..." Sweetie Belle said, staring up at the Big Sister "You look nice"
The Big Sister offered a small smile, showing a bit of her teeth from beneath her lips.
"Goodness..." Rarity stated, catching the attention of the Sister.
"Golly, ah woulda expected y'all woulda been a minotaur or somethin'" Orange said.
"So...what exactly is it?" Rainbow asked, shortly after coming to, and keeping a safe distance away from the Sister.
"She" Sweetie Belle piped.
"What?"
"Mrs. N is a 'she'"
"Oh..."

"I'm not sure..." Twilight replied, looking the Sister up and down, utterly confused as to what type of creature she could possibly be."It certainly doesn't look like a minotaur, it's missing the horns"
"Can y'all tell what it is?"
"With some research, and a little more time, I assume I could find out what species she is..."
"But...you won't hurt her...will you?" Sweetie asked.
"No...why would I want to hurt her?"
"Because...she took down a Timberwolf..."
"She what?"
"She beat up a Timberwolf..." Sweetie repeated, a little louder this time.

Twilight stared at Sweetie, then at Mrs. N, then at Rarity.

"Is...is this true?" she asked.
"Indeed it is" Rarity replied "Sweetie told me how Mrs. N saved her from a Timberwolf in the forest"
"But...but how?!"
"I have no idea, darling" Rarity said "but the evidence is clear, if the dried sap on her boot is any indication..."

Twilight resisted the urge to hurl, as she looked back up at Mrs. N.

"Is it true? Did you really defeat a Timberwolf?"
She tilted her head, before nodding 'yes'.

Twilight's pupil's shrank, before backing away.

"What...what are you doing here?"
The Sister pointed to Sweetie Belle.
"Her? Why?"

She didn't respond, she just sat on the bed, mindful of Sweetie Belle, and pulled her close, running a gloved hand through her mane.

The other five stared, dumbfounded.

Author's Note

You wanted it, you got it!

So sorry that this one was so much shorter than the other one- inspiration came a bit hard for this one.

Chapter 3

"Well...what do you think, darling?" Rarity asked, closing the door to her room as the other Elements and herself stood in the hall.

"This is...ah...a bit unusual...don't you think?" Twilight stated, shooting glances back to the door.

"Are you kidding?! That's the understatement of the century!" Dash cried "Do we even know why that thing is following Sweetie Belle everywhere?"
"Well I for one have no clue" Rarity replied "Perhaps something in the library would be able to help?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look..." Twilight said "then again, I've never seen anything like her before...it could take months before I actually find anything useful..."
"Are you sure it will take that long, darling?"
"I want to be thorough" Twilight replied "A creature we know next to nothing about has practically dropped into our hooves"
"Of course...but..." she trailed off, biting her lip "I'm just concerned for Sweetie...I mean...how often does a creature from the Everfree come tromping out of there, only to protect Sweetie Belle?"
The hall then grew quiet, all of the ponies in it not sure what to say next. The silence was deafening, before it was broken by the door they stood by. Sweetie Belle stood in the doorway, the pale creature standing not far behind her, its helmet still removed.

The six stared at her in awkward silence, before Sweetie gave them a look of confusion as she walked down the hall towards the bathroom, the armored creature following.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Rarity asked the creature.
It pointed after Sweetie Belle, who was just entering the bathroom.
"Oh no you don't! She's perfectly capable of doing that all on her own!"

The creature blinked, then stood a moment, before patting her on the head, and walking after Sweetie Belle.

Rarity stared at the creature as it lumbered down the hall, confounded at her behavior. The creature stood at the door, waiting patiently for Sweetie Belle, much like she'd seen Winona do for Applejack on more than one occasion.

"Well...she's loyal...I'll give her that..." Rainbow joked.

Rarity slugged her in the shoulder.

Sweetie watched as Mrs. N. sat cross-legged on the floor, just next to her table, watching her color. Her glowing eyes seemed to inspect the drawing, rapidly flicking in their sockets as the ran up and down the page.

"Um..." Sweetie began "You wanna color, too?"
Mrs. N's attention turned to her, and she continued staring- as if the concept was totally lost on her.

'Oh duh' Sweetie thought, face-hoofing 'She lives in the forest...of course she wouldn't know what crayons are...'

"Here, give me your hand" Sweetie said.
Mrs. N. complied, and held it up to the filly.
Sweetie took her hand in one hoof, and a blue crayon in the other. She then placed the crayon into her hand, and closed it.

"There" Sweetie stated, pushing a fresh piece of paper toward the edge of the table.

Mrs. N. stared blankly at the object in her hand, then at the piece of paper.

"Oh, right..." she blushed "here, like this"
She then took a green crayon in her hoof, and began scribbling on a new piece of paper.
"Like that, see?"

Mrs. N. finally seemed to get the idea, and then pressed the crayon to the paper. Sweetie flinched as it snapped in two, leaving a harsh mark on the paper as Mrs. N. stared in confusion at the broken crayon, hanging only by the paper wrapped around it.

"Uh...you don't need to press so hard..." Sweetie said, eyeing the crayon in her grasp.
Mrs. N. eyed the crayon for a second, before tossing it over her shoulder, causing it to plink lightly as it struck the floorboards.
"Um...here" Sweetie said, passing her another crayon, this one a light purple "Try again"
She did, and the crayon snapped once more.

"This might take a little while..." Sweetie sighed.

Rarity set herself onto her bed, sighing into the soft sheets. She heard the telltale sound of 'Mrs. N's boots against the floor out in the hall, before the door opened. On of her eyes opened a bit, and she saw Mrs. N. carrying Sweetie Belle under her arm as she walked towards her position. She felt the bed compress beside her, the object most likely being Sweetie Belle. She felt herself being picked up.

"Put me down! Right this minute!" Rarity shrieked.
Mrs. N. didn't even flinch as she pulled the covers back, and set the older unicorn down. She then picked up Sweetie Belle, and placed her next to Rarity. Her hands then pulled the sheets over the both of them, effectively tucking them in before placing a kiss on their foreheads.

Both of them stared at her as she left, flicking off the light as she left the room.

Sweetie then stared at Rarity, and Rarity at Sweetie, their expressions confused.

"How often is she going to do that?" Sweetie asked.

"..."

Author's Note

I'm going to shoot for at least a thousand words a chapter, sorry this one fell a bit short.

Chapter 4

Rarity yawned as she awoke, her jaw cracking as she blinked wearily. She slowly became aware of a mass next to her, and came to the conclusion that the object was Sweetie Belle. Her tired mind threw this theory out the window, as the mass in the bed was far too large to be Sweetie Belle alone. With great effort, she looked over her shoulder, and saw the sleeping form of Mrs. N., her arms reaching around the both of them at some point during the night. She carefully pried herself from Mrs. N's grip, and hopped to the floor, quietly walked to the door. She stole a glance to the two still occupying the bed, and took notice of the random bits of armor, along with Mrs. N's boots sitting on the floor. Also laying at the foot of the bed was a majority of her clothing, leaving the biped dressed in a light green dress, faded and tattered beyond repair. She took notice that Mrs. N had left her pair of shorts on, as the dress just barely covered everything.

Rarity resolved to at least get the biped some new clothes, if the torn and ratty dress was any indication. Thinking on possible ideas, she padded down the steps into the kitchen. She opened the cabinet with her magic, and removed a coffee cup from it. She yawned once more as she took the coffee pot in her magic after setting the mug on the counter. She anticipated her morning drink as the steaming brown liquid fell out of the pot and into the cup. She set the coffee pot into its holder and picked up the mug. She raised it, and the rim of the mug almost touched her lips when-

*Knock Knock Knock*

'Oh for Celestia's sake...' she moaned inwardly, robbed of her coffee.

She tiredly trotted across the shop floor, towards the front door as the knocking came again. She opened the door, feeling the bite of the chilly morning air as the sun just began its ascent. Two stallions greeted her, both dressed in a plain white shirt, black jacket, and a pair of sunglasses on their muzzles.

"May I help you?" she asked, sweetly as she could given the circumstances.
"Hello, ma'am" one of them greeted.
"Terribly sorry, I just woke up- but what in Equestria are you doing here at this hour?"
"We represent animal control, ma'am" the other stallion replied "We're going around to all the houses in the area"

"And what exactly are you looking for?"
"We have reason to believe that there's a dangerous animal in the area, we wanted to know if you've seen it"
"What does it look like?" she yawned, leaning against the doorframe.

"Just let us know if you see anything unusual in the neighborhood, ma'am"

And with that, the two left, trotting to the next house, leaving a tired and confused Rarity standing in the doorway.

Rarity sat at the kitchen table, nursing her coffee as she heard the distinct sound of hoofsteps against the stairs, and was soon greeted with the sight of Needles rubbing her eyes as she yawned silently. Needles offered a small smile and a tired wave towards the unicorn as she joined her at the table, her long legs barely fitting under the table.

"So...not a morning pony, I presume?" Rarity smirked.
The biped shot her a tired glare, before mumbling incoherently. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face before yawning again, and glanced to the unicorn.

"Darling," Rarity began "how would you like to have a change of clothes?"

The biped cocked an eyebrow at her, a puzzled look crossing her thin face.

"Do you...not know what clothes are?"

Needles simply continued to stare at her.

"Well, I do believe we get you some new attire"
'As well as some speech lessons...' she thought.

She watched as the Little Sister gathered a few panels of colored cloth, herself standing on a round platform at the Sister's request. She smoothed her dress, evicting the creases as some of the ratty parts felt as if they might fall off. She had secured the house the night before, locking all of the doors and windows- saftey for the Little Sisters was top priority, after all. Now her armor, while perfect for fending off Splicers, didn't make for very good sleepwear- and thinking her Sisters were safe enough for the time being, shed her metal shell for the night. She'd intended to put it back on once she'd eaten, but the second Sister had wanted to play, which led them to their current situation.

"Now, which one do you prefer?" the Sister asked, levitating two fabrics in front of her.

She pointed to the one on the left, it was the same as the depths of the ocean outside Rapture, but darker than the blue thing hanging outside.

"An excellent color, this will look wonderful on you, darling" Sister said, setting the other length of fabric down.

'Color? Is that what that's called?' she wondered, remembering the first Sister using the term with the little sticks the day before.

She continued standing on the platform, waiting for what the Sister would do next.

"Oh! Terribly sorry, you can come down now" the Sister blushed, motioning for her to step down.
She complied, and stepped off, her bare feet touching the cold, wooden floor once more.

A few moments later, the first Sister came down the stairs, her face contorting into a yawn as she walked to the kitchen table.
"I see you're finally up" the second sister said, not harshly, joining the first at the table.
"Yeah...I was wondering where both of you went" Sister said.

She reached down, and ruffled the smaller Sister's hair, her hand getting poked by the small horn on her head a select few times.
"Hey, Mrs. N" the Sister greeted.

She smiled a bit, and went to the cabinet, rummaging around for something suitable to eat. She finally came upon two colorful boxes, removed them from the cabinet, and placed them on the table.

"Oh no, darling!" the second Sister said, getting up from the table "You're our guest! I couldn't possibly ask you to-"
Rarity stopped as she felt herself being picked up.
"This again?" she deadpanned.

She set her down on her chair, and slid the chair in. She gave her a pat on the head before turning back to continue rummaging through the cabinets. She discovered three flat discs, and moved to set them on the table- she then found a plethora of glasses, and set a few on the table, one for each of them. She then sat down at the table, and found something wrong with the Sisters- they had funny looks on their faces for some reason.

They then burst into laughter, at what, she had no idea.

'Sisters will be Sisters...' she thought taking one of the discs.

Author's Note

Next chapter will probably take a little while- anyway, happy summer!

Chapter 5

"I'm here, Rarity" the purple horse called, pulling a large black screen through the front door of the shop.
She watched from the stairs as the first Little Sister passed her.

"Hiya Twilight!" she greeted.
"Oh, hello Sweetie Belle- is Rarity home?"
"Yep, she's upstairs" Sister said.
"Alright, thank you"

The purple horse stopped upon spying the biped on the stairs.
"Uh...erm...hello" she said "Could you please move? Just for a little while? I need to get up there"

What she received was a horrifying shriek, forcing her blood to turn to ice as she cringed.

"What...in Equestria...was that?" the purple horse asked, standing once more.
"Rarity and I have been tryin' to get her to talk, all she can do is...well...that...and a few other words at the moment"
"I see...well, would you and her mind coming upstairs with me? This concerns all three of you"
"Uh, sure- is it gonna take long? I was gonna go crusading later"
"This shouldn't take too long, half an hour at the most"
"Oh, okay"

The Sister walked up to her.

"Could you please come up?" she asked "Twilight promised it would take too long- you can trust her, honest"

She stared down at the Sister for a bit, then at the purple horse. She made an 'I'm-watching-you' gesture at the purple horse, and turned to go up the stairs, her armor clanking as she went.

Twilight gulped, and followed Sweetie Belle up the stairs.

"Twilight, darling! How are you?" Rarity asked, turning to face the three other occupants of the room "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Well, at your request, I've gone through most of the books in the library, and I couldn't find anything pertaining to Mrs. N, though I did find an interesting book on the Anubites of the Dry Sands river, it's actually very interesting, it h-"
"Twilight dear, I hate to sound rude, but if you didn't find anything why are you here?"
"Oh, right" she blushed "Well, I figured if there wasn't any existing evidence on Mrs. N, and if we happen to run into any more, we'd be prepared"
"Well, I suppose that does make sense, but why do you need us here?"
"Mrs. N is comfortable with either you or Sweetie Belle here, I thought that might help her understand what I need her to do"
"Ah, I see"

Sweetie Belle stared up at Needles.
"Is that alright with you?" she asked.
"YeS"
"Alright then, let's get started" Twilight said.

And with that, she started the x-ray, then positioned it so that it was in front of Mrs. N.

Sweetie Belle snickered.

"What's so funny?" Twilight asked, confused.
"Look" she said, pointing to the x-ray.

She did, and found that the x-ray only showed part Mrs. N's legs, her boots poking out from under the screen.
Twilight blushed and looked up at the biped.

"Could you please crouch down?" she asked "I need to take your x-ray"

The biped made a sound that could be best described as a sigh, before crouching down, only her head and a majority of her neck showing.

"There we go" Twilight said, removing a clipboard from her saddlebags "Now, let's-"
She stopped dead in her tracks upon inspecting the x-ray, she then peered closer, as if her eyes were betraying her.
"Twilight, dear? What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Rarity asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the mare and the x-ray machine.

Twilight didn't respond, instead she gagged, then retched onto the floor, her bile covering the floorboards as her throat burned. She wiped her mouth once she was finished, and looked to the eldest unicorn, ashamed.

"Sorry about that..." she apologized.
"Erm, perfectly fine, darling- but er, what brought that on?" Rarity asked, trying not to stare at the puddle of bile on the floor.
Twilight gagged again, before stepping closer to the x-ray.

'Is she smirking?' she thought, making brief eye-contact with the biped.
She shook it off, then pointed to the x-ray.

"Well, you see the stomach here-" she said, forcing herself not to gag again "-and if you look closely, right here is what appears to be-"
"Sweet Celestia! What in the world is that?!" Rarity cried.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Twilight asked, feeling the urge to hurl again.
Rarity nodded, less sure this time.
"W-well, I could be wrong...but...erm...it appears to be a- a- slug"

"Ewewewewewewew!!" Sweetie Belle cried out in disgust and terror "You mean that icky thing is crawling around in her stomach?!?"
"It- it appears so" Twilight replied, a bit sickly herself "I suppose the question would be...how did it get there in the first place?"
"Uhm, maybe she did it on a dare?" Sweetie Belle suggested nervously.
The other two unicorns cocked an eyebrow at her.
"What? Colts do it all the time!" she defended.
"Well, um, I highly doubt it got there on accident..." Twilight said, confounded "My only guess is that somepony put it there on purpose"
"But what heartless pony would do something as horrid as- as this?!" Rarity asked, gesturing to the x-ray.
"I don't know" Twilight sighed "but I think right now we should focus on getting the slug *gag* out of her stomach..."
"How'll we do that?" Sweetie Belle squeaked "She attacks almost anypony that gets near her"

Sweetie turned to face the Big Sister, only to find her gone.
"Hey, where'd she go?"

"Could you please crouch down?" Purple horse asked "I need to take your x-ray"
She did, and snorted a bit while doing so.

"There we go" the purple horse said "Now let's-"

The horse stopped cold, staring at her.

"Twilight, dear? What's the matter? Is something wrong?" Sister asked, switching from the horse to herself.
The purple horse vomited.

"Sorry about that..." the purple horse said.
"Erm, perfectly fine, darling- but er, what brought that on?" Sister asked, concerned.
'Good Sister, Sisters care'

The purple horse stepped closer.
'Horse is squeamish'

"Well, you see the stomach here-" the purple horse said "-and if you look closely, right here is what appears to be-"
"Sweet Celestia! What in the world is that?!" Sister cried.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Sister nodded, a little hesitant.
"W-well, I could be wrong...but...erm...it appears to be a- a- slug"
"Ewewewewewewew!!" first Sister shrieked "You mean that icky thing is crawling around in her stomach?!?"

'Why does that surprise you, Sister?' she thought 'Both of you have one, too'

"It- it appears so" Purple replied "I suppose the question would be...how did it get there in the first place?"
"Uhm, maybe she did it on a dare?" first Sister suggested.
Second Sister and Purple raised an eyebrow.

"What? Colts do it all the time!"

"Well, um, I highly doubt it got there on accident..."

'Purple horse does know something...'

"My only guess is that somepony put it there on purpose"

"But what heartless pony would do something as horrid as- as this?!" Sister cried.

'Sisters have blissful ignorance...'

"I don't know" Purple sighed "but I think right now we should focus on getting the slug *gag* out of her stomach..."

'No- don't like purple more now' she thought, charging up for a teleport. She did, and exited the room silently.

Chapter 6

She peeked around the corner, watching for any sign of the purple horse. She chastised herself for leaving the Sisters behind, growling at her own stupidity as she cautiously walked the hall. She heard the thrum of voices, they were close by the sound of it.

"What coulda made her run off?" came the voice of the smaller Sister.
"I don't know" the larger Sister replied.

Her heart leapt into her throat- she waited for the voice of the purple horse to come, it didn't. She teleported, appearing before them.

"Mrs. N!" small Sister cried, both in surprise and happiness "Where've you been?"
"NoT- LiIke pUrPle"
"Twilight? Why do you not like her?" Big asked.

She pointed to her stomach.

"Your belly?" Small said, one ear up.
"I do believe she means the slug, Sweetie- correct?"
She nodded.
"Why? Don't you want that thing out?"

She shook her head feverishly, displaying her dislike of the very idea.

"Why?"
"I...dEAd"
"What?"
"Need" she said.
"Do you mean- do you mean to tell me, you can't survive without that...that slug...inside you?" Big said, her mouth curving into one of horror.

She nodded, smiling.

"Well...are you absolutely sure?"
She nodded again, this time rolling her eyes.

Both Sisters were at a loss for words, looking up at her in silence.

"What're we gonna tell Twilight?" Small asked.
'Good question' she thought.

"Rarity?" Purple's voice called "Sweetie? Have you found her?"
She took a defensive position, and knelt down to grab the Sisters.
"N? What are you-"

She didn't finish, as the three disappeared in a flash, vanishing from the boutique.

"-and then they disappeared" Twilight said.
She glanced up, looks of surprise painted on the four ponies' faces.

"So...y'all don't have any idea where they are?" Applejack asked.
"...no..."
"Um...have you tried...a tracking spell?" Fluttershy squeaked.
"I've tried every one I know, but something's interfering with it, I can't sense them anywhere..."
"See? I knew this thing would cause trouble!" Dash said, stomping a hoof "We should've thrown that thing out when we had the chance!"
"How exactly would we a' done that? You saw how protective that thing was a' Sweetie- if we kicked her out, ah think she woulda jus' kept on comin' back"
"I suppose...what's wrong Pinkie?" Twilight said, noticing the pink mare's spasms.
"Twitchytwitchytwitchy" she said, finishing "that was a doozy"
"What does that mean?" Dash asked.
"I don't know!" she grinned "Somepony's scared- ooh! And something big is gonna happen!"
"Then we need to find them, quick!" Rainbow said "How can we find them?"
"I have no idea...how about we start at the boutique, and go from there?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Dash said, flaring her wings and zipping out of the library.

"Really, darling- the Everfree?" Rarity sighed, glancing around at the dark forest surrounding them.
The biped seemed to shy away, as if she were a foal who'd been caught with her hoof caught in the cookie jar.

"Sor...SoRRy- PAnIc" she said.
"Where are we, anyway?" Sweetie asked "Besides the forest, I mean"
"I don't know, dear" Rarity said "but I do believe we're not too far from the border"
"Can we go, then?" Sweetie said "This place is giving me the creeps"
"An excellent idea"

With that, the two unicorns began their walk, the biped following.
Said biped stopped, the two unicorns continuing their walk, oblivious to what she was doing. She growled as her glowing eyes scanned the bushes, searching for any sign of danger.

She found none, and began following the sisters once more, keeping her guard up just in case.

Unbeknownst to the trio, a pair of ponies were watching them from the saftey of the forest's shadows.

"Do you think we should tell them?" the mare asked, watching the trio tromp through a patch of blue flowers.
"Will that change anything?" the stallion replied, wiping some sweat from his light-blue coat.
"It might offer them some comfort"
"At least that's something we can agree on..."
"Well, here we go, do you think they'll make it?"
"I'd certainly hope so"

"It does seem like a dreadful place to die"

Author's Note

Not much to say on this one...

Chapter 7

She stared up at the Little Sisters- that's right, stared up. The situation was beyond comprehension to her, and most likely even more confusing to the Little Sisters. No matter, she was determined to get them safely out of the forest, even if she had to claw her way through with her new diminutive size.

"Goodness sakes, darling" the larger sister said, peering down at her through a pair of glowing, yellow eyes "what in the world happened to us?"

"I don't know" she said, then slapped a small hand over her mouth.

"Awww" Sweetie cooed, wrapping her new gangly legs around her "You're so adorable!"
"Down!" she cried, pushing away from the filly "No! Down!"
Sweetie reluctantly set her down, and the unicorn turned to her older sister, a bit taller than she was. She thought it interesting, that that Sweetie wasn't quite as tall as the other concerning their new heights, not as small as a Little Sister, but not as large as a Big
Sister.

"This way!" she said, pointing into the trees "C'mon!"
"Darling, wait!" Rarity said, following the now-small biped.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle followed her through the forest, their long legs making it easy to catch up with her.

"Sis? How did we end up like this?" Sweetie asked, walking next to her taller counterpart as they followed N closely.
"I have no idea, perhaps we should ask Twilight when we return?"
"Yeah...um...Rarity?"
"Yes?"
"You're eyes are glowing"
"Why thank you, but I hardly think-"
"Nonono, like, they're glowing like Mrs. N's do"

Rarity stopped for a moment, and checked her reflection in a nearby puddle on the ground.

She screamed, her reflection doing the same.

"What the hay?!" Rainbow cried, her head snapping up to the forest canopy "What was that?!"
"Oh, um, it sounded like Rarity" Fluttershy said.
"She's probably being attacked!" she deduced "We need to pick up the pace!"
And so they did, desperately searching the forest feverishly for their friend, hoping the other three were having better luck than they were.

"I look absolutely hideous!" Rarity shrieked, wailing as her haunches hit the ground.
She coughed into her hand, standing just a few feet away from the two Sisters.
"Oh...pardon me, darling, you look fine with these features...it's just...well...horrid, on us"

She rolled her eyes, and grabbed Rarity by the hoof, yanking anxiously, displaying her want to get out of the forest.

"Yes, enough of that, I suppose, come along Sweetie Belle" Rarity said, standing.
The three then began their journey out of the forest, following a rough trail that hopefully led out of the forest and into the safety of Ponyville.

"Where exactly are we headed, sugarcube?" Applejack called, running after Twilight, alongside Pinkie.
"I don't know" the unicorn answered, leading the three through the foliage "But Rarity's screaming might've given me an idea of where they are!"
Applejack was tempted to ask how, but was afraid of what the answer might be, and now was no time for a lecture.
The three continued running, and skidded to a halt as two ponies blocked the path, both with a light blue coat and a ginger mane. A stallion took up the left while his female counterpart took up the right. The stallion carried a chalkboard, his sides covered by both sides of the chalkboard. The mare, however, carried a metal platter.

"Get out of the way!" Twilight cried "Our friends could be in danger!"
At the same time, the thought of what they were doing there crossed her mind as well.

No hint of emotion registered on their faces.

"Heads..." the stallion said.
"...or tails?" the mare finished.
"MOVE!" Applejack bellowed.

The stallion tossed Twilight a bit.

"Heads..." he said once more.
"...or tails?" the mare finished, once more.

"Ugh! Fine! Tails!" she said hurriedly, barreling past the two.
The bit went up, flew through the air, and landed on the platter with a metallic *plink*.
The group continued on their way through the forest.

"Bye Rosie! Bye Robbie!" Pinkie called, bouncing after her friends.

The two ponies shared a confused glance, before staring down at the platter containing the bit. On the platter, the coin lay, a gilded image of Canterlot Castle staring back at them.

The mare smirked at the stallion, before making a tick mark on the chalkboard.

"Well, it looks like they might be able to beat the odds after all" the stallion said, turning to walk down the path with the mare.
"I do believe you should have put a comma in there, somewhere" the mare replied.
"I don't need to use a comma when it's phonetic"

"Rarity- Rarity, I'm scared" Sweetie Belle said, tugging on her sister's tail.
"I know, darling" Rarity replied, engaging eye contact with the manticore "Keep N away, I doubt she'll be able to do much at the moment"
N rolled her eyes as Sweetie Belle protectively shielded her.

The manticore licked its chops, sizing up its prey, and deeming it a fairly easy kill.

"S-Sweetie" Rarity said shakily "both of you get somewhere safe"
"But-"
"NOW"

Sweetie shrank back, and herded N into the safety of the forest.

'Ridiculous' N thought 'I'm supposed to be the one protecting them'

Rarity stared down the manticore, standing her ground as she and the beast circled each other. She didn't know what was running through her mind, whether it be the adrenaline her system was producing, or the fact that the two hiding in the foliage was what turned her nerves to steel, or what. What she did know, was that she was going to do anything in her power to protect her sister and N.

"Alright you mongrel" she huffed "I've had a very, very, very horrible day- and believe me, you do NOT want to mess with me right now"
The manticore didn't heel, and roared as it reared back on its hind-legs, flaring its leathery wings.

"Have it your way" she growled, her horn charging.

"N!" Sweetie said in a harsh whisper "Stop struggling!"
The fickle biped didn't, however, as she continued wriggling in Sweetie's hooves.
"Stop it!" she said, briefly bopping her on the nose.
She grew quiet for a moment, before her lower lip began quivering, followed by a sniffling sound.

"Ohnonononono- please don't cry, I didn't mean it, please" she pleaded, wrapping her long legs around her.

'It's like she's a foal again...' she thought, soothing her.

She took a moment to look up through the trees and spied Rarity in the manticore. She crawled closer, if only a bit, and saw that Rarity's horn was glowing, prepared to attack. The manticore roared, and to her surprise, Rarity roared back, and was close enough to witness her normally flat teeth shape themselves into sharp ones, like a mouth full of sharp knives. Sweetie nearly soiled herself, seeing her sister in that state. The manticore then took the opportunity to charge, extending its claws as to swipe at Rarity. It was sorely mistaken, however, as Rarity lunged. It had a brief moment to be surprised, before it was pinned to the ground, Rarity's new size making it easy.

She could only gape at her sister's actions, still cradling N, who had been watching everything with the same expression Sweetie had.

This twisted version of Rarity, if it was still even Rarity at all, bore down on the manticore, her sharp teeth edging closer to its neck. She closed her eyes, unable to watch, as the distinct sound of flesh being pierced filled the air. A howl of pain rose out of the manticore, forcing Sweetie to flinch as she kept her eyes screwed shut, afraid of what she might see. More pained cries flew through the trees, and grew quieter as she risked a peek, spying a bloodied figure limping through the trees and deeper into the forest. Along with N, Sweetie poked her head out of the bushes, and saw Rarity, breathing heavily as she stood on four hooves.

"Rarity? Sis? You okay?" she asked quietly.

Her coat was spattered with blood, specks of it in some places, and large blots in others.

The unicorn collapsed, exhausted, her teeth returning to their normal, flat shape. She whimpered, holding her head in her forehooves as she lay spread out across the grass.

"Sis? Are you alright? Please...say something...anything!"
"Sw-weetie Belle...thank Celestia..."
"Rarity...Rarity...are you going to be okay?"
"*Yawn* Oh, yes dear...but I'm feeling rather...*Yawn* tired..."
"You better wake up, do you hear me? You'd better wake up or...or...I'll...*hic*"

N ran a hand through her coat soothingly, smiling up at her a bit as she did.

"Rarity will be fine...she'll recover- strong"
"*hic* you think?"
"Know so, no wounds on her"

A small smile would its way across Sweetie's face, and lay down next to the sleeping Rarity, beckoning N to join her. She did, and rested in the unicorn's forehooves, the sun shining down upon them.

Chapter 8

She felt herself annoyed at being awoken, especially at the sound of the multi-colored hor- pony, multi-colored pony. She groggily sat up, still in the forehooves of Sweetie Belle, the other five ponies surrounding them.

"What in the hay is goin' on here?!" Applejack shouted, eyeing Rarity's blood-spattered coat.
"Flowers- manticore- Rarity, sleep..." she said.
"Wowie! She can talk!" Pinkie shouted, apparently elated at N's gift of speech.
"Yes, it's because of the flowers"
"What? Flowers?" Twilight asked.
"Did y'all hit your head or somethin' sugarcube?"
"No, blue flowers"

"That makes no sense!" Twilight said, forcing Sweetie and Rarity to shift in their sleep "Why are they like this anyway?"

"Flowers!" she responded, rolling her eyes.
"Flowers...can't...do...this!" she said, gesturing to Sweetie and Rarity.

This time, Rarity's eyes did open, her golden orbs quickly scanning the five other ponies. She staggered to her hooves, growling as she did so. Her teeth were still flat, but she hardly needed them as she towered over the other five, giving her best intimidating stare.

"R-Rarity?" Twilight stuttered nervously, confused at her friend's behavior.

The tall mare hissed, spittle flying from her teeth as her glowing eyes burned with nothing but rage and malice. Rarity approached, her steps careful and precise, bearing down on the other ponies as she continued to bare her teeth.

"R-Rarity...I kn-know you-you need help- and- and-"

The white mare didn't let her finish, as she snarled, snapping her jaws just inches from Twilight's face. The unicorn recoiled, staring at her friend in fear as she backed away.

Needles tugged at the savage unicorn's tail, attempting to dissuade her from attacking the five other equines. Not that she cared for them, of course- the pink one was too loud in her opinion, and the purple one...she could write a book on the purple one...but...why would she want to? No one would ever read-

She shook her head, clearing it as she continued to tug on Rarity's tail.

"They're your friends, Ra-rit-y"
Rarity opened her mouth in an attempt to speak, but only succeeded in shrieking.
Needles, as well as the rest of the group, flinched in response.

"Ra-rit-y, need to get better"
The tall mare shook her head vehemently, she then took one hoof, and dragged the tip through the dirt, etching a message into the ground.

Protect you it read.

"No, it's supposed to be the other way around!" she said, childishly stamping her foot against the ground.

Rarity only huffed, and motioned for Sweetie to follow her. The younger sister shook her head, and walked with Needles over to Twilight and the rest of the group. Rarity turned, noticing the smaller unicorn not following her, and cocked an eyebrow. She turned around, and beckoned to Sweetie with a hoof. Sweetie shook her head once more, and stood her ground. Rarity, apparently not wanting to put up with anything, begrudgingly followed the silent group back down the trail to Ponyville.

"Well, they're on their way, I suppose there's really no need for us anymore" the mare said.
"It definitely looks that way, doesn't it?" the stallion replied.
"Just as well" the mare said, turning "we've a few more tests to run"
"Ah, yes," the stallion said, as if he just remembered "by the way, how do you suppose that filly and the Big Daddy are faring?"

Author's Note

Apologies for the shortness....

Chapter 9

She watched with mild interest as Twilight tore the books off the shelves, flipping through them in order to find an answer to why they'd been transformed. She peered up, and found Rarity still hovering over Sweetie Belle and herself, standing over them protectively as the five ponies (plus one dragon) aided Twilight in her search. She knew the 'ponies' were trying their hardest to find a cure, and part of her knew it was only for her two charges. She wasn't ignorant, she knew how much they feared her, they showed it on a a regular basis- there was a high chance they weren't going to change her back. Why bring a danger back when you were already rid of it?

'Oh well' she sighed to herself 'I've been through worse...'

It was true, she wasn't prepared to go through with it quite yet, but somewhere in her teeny, broken mind, it was relieving. Is that what that emotion was? Maybe...she'd have to ask Rarity later...

Relief. Such an odd emotion, she'd definitely never experienced it in Rapture- you had to always be on your toes, on the look-out for Splicers or other dangers prowling the sunken streets. She numbly felt something prod her shoulder, she looked to her right, and saw that it was the purple and green creature.

"Uh, hey" he said.
"Hello" she replied.
"Um, are you bored?" he asked awkwardly.
"I think, yes"

'And I don't think I like it...'

"Well...I have some comic books upstairs...I can lend you a few if you want..."

'What are comic books?' she wondered.

"Why?" she asked, staring at him.
"What?" he said, his expression confused.
"Why are you offering me kindness?" she clarified.
"Uh, well...you just looked kinda bored..." he said, scratching his head "I just thought you could use something to do..."
"I could" she shrugged.
He offered her a smile.
"Great! Should I go and get them, or do you want to come with me?"
"I could stretch my legs a bit"

'Did I just attempt a joke?'

She turned and looked up at Rarity before following the dragon up the stairs.

"I'll just be right there" she said, pointing up to the second floor.
Rarity nodded hesitantly, before returning to supervising the other five ponies, still searching through the numerous tomes.

Her bare feet felt warm against the grain of the wooden floor and steps as she walked, it felt lovely compared to the cold stone and steel of Rapture. She just felt...well...better in general in this candy-colored, upside-down, inside-out, strange world. Rapture was...well...to put it bluntly- insane, that's exactly what it was, constantly having to scrounge for food, while at the same time protecting Little Sisters, as well as keeping yourself safe. This was paradise compared to the drowned city- everyone was happy, no one got attacked (well, most of the time...), and no one went hungry.

She soon reached the top of the stairs, where she spied the drake pulling a number of things from a small bookshelf, sitting near a basket that contained a few pillows and a blanket.

She gazed upon the dragon in confusion, not understanding what he was doing. She approached him, and sat cross-legged near the basket, inspecting the colorful things strewn across the floor.

'These are comic books?' she thought, the dragon plopping down next to her.

"Here," he said, thrusting one of the books into her hands "this one is the adaptation of the first part of the Daring Do series"
"What's that?"
"It's a book series by A.K. Yearling, it's about an adventurer that travels the world and well...has adventures!"
"What kind of adventures?" she asked, sort of intrigued by the concept.
"I'm not spoiling anything, you'll have to read to find out" he said, stacking a few books into a few piles.
"These over here are some of the Power Ponies, and over there are some of the others in my collection, like 'The Masked Chimera' or 'Cemetery Filly', I think I've got a few of the 'Ghostbucksters' lying around somewhere, too..."

She opened the book, and came upon the first page, a yellow pony with wings, dressed in a khaki shirt and a pith helmet, waiting impatiently in an airport. She scanned the page for a few moments, and became confused when she came upon the white bubbles dotting the page.

"What are these?" she asked, pointing to the obstructions.
"They're...um...speech bubbles, it's how the characters talk..." he said, confused.
"No, these" she said, pointing to the black squiggles filling the bubbles.
"They're words?" he said, still confused as to what she meant "Can you not read?"
"I can read just fine," she snapped, quickly defending herself "that one says 'exit', and that right there says 'do' and 'not'"
"But...other than that...can you not understand the rest?"
"No, I cannot" she admitted.
The dragon stood, and exited the room, his feet striking the woodwork as he walked down the stairs.

'Odd...' she thought.

She continued perusing the book, watching the pegasus fight off some type of spotted animal in a dense jungle setting.

'Big deal...' she thought 'I could do that...'

She heard the sound of the unicorn teleporting, and looked up to see the purple unicorn, almost in her face, her left eye twitching.

"Hello~" she said eerily.
"Uh, hi" she replied.
"Can you only read certain words?" she asked, a strand of hair springing out of her mane.
"Yes?" she said, wondering why Twilight was bothering her.

She swore she heard a faint snapping sound as the unicorn began giggling to herself. She raised an eyebrow at her behavior, and went back to leafing through the comic. Twilight still giggled to herself as she teleported back down to the first floor of the library, she tried to block it out as she read...well...not so much read as 'looked at the pictures and picked out the words she knew'.

'Crazy ponies...'

"There has to be an answer!" Twilight shrieked, flipping through all of her books for the fiftieth time "There has to be! It's got to be here somewhere!"

"What about this one, Twilight?" Spike said, holding up a book with green binding.

The panicked unicorn didn't hear her assistant, however, as she continued her desperate search for the answers she was seeking.

"Helloooo, Twilight" Spike said, waving his claw in front of her face "Anypony home?"

Apparently there wasn't, as the mare was currently staring into a book, possibly hoping to find some hidden message between its pages. The baby dragon shrugged, and went upstairs to check on Needles. As he climbed the stairs, he saw Sweetie Belle sleeping peacefully on the floor, Rarity still standing close. The dragon then snickered to himself as he peered closer at Rarity- and saw that she was literally asleep on her hooves.

"How's everything up here?" he asked, spying the biped laying on the floor, flipping through the the third part to 'Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone'.

"Fine" Needles responded, keeping her eyes focused on the book.

"What part are you up to?"
"This blue thing is fighting the pegasus"
"Ahuizotl? Oh yeah, he's Daring's arch-nemisis; he comes up a lot in the series"
She nodded absently as she continued to 'read'.
Her head shot up as a a rapid succession of knocks rang throughout the library, she got up, and ducked under Twilight's bed. Spike became confused at her behavior, before getting up himself in order to get downstairs. Twilight beat him to the door, however, and turned back towards the interior of the library, holding a package in her magic.

"What's that, Twi?" he called, walking down the stairs.
Needles followed him, 'Daring Do' still in her grasp.

"I don't know..." the unicorn responded, inspecting the box "somepony just left it on the doorstep"
"Open it! Maybe there's gems inside!" Spike said, practically drooling.

Twilight shot him a flat look, before setting the package on the table. She cut through the sealing tape, and opened the box. She peered inside, and set the contents of the box onto the table. Needles eyed the three bottles of purplish liquid, suspicious of what they could be. Twilight levitated a small piece of parchment out of the box last, and scanned it for a few moments before reading it aloud.

"'Be prepared'?" she said quizzically.
"What do you suppose it means?" Spike asked.
"I have no idea..." Twilight said, thoroughly confused.

Needles grabbed one of the bottles, and popped the cork off the top. The concoction fizzed a bit before settling, the syrupy mixture oozing inside. She sniffed it, and felt as if she'd seen it somewhere before...she just couldn't remember where...

Trusting her memory, she downed the liquid- it left a bitter aftertaste as the almost-sour stuff slid past her tongue and down her throat.

"Needles!" Twilight shrieked, yanking the bottle from her grasp "Why did you do that?! That could be dangerous!"

She was beginning to regret her course of action as Twilight admonished her, and was scanning her body with some sort of spell, when her stomach began to rumble, and she grew very warm.

Author's Note

I'm evil, aren't I? I keep giving you cliffhangers :trollestia:

Chapter 10

She felt hot as sweat trickled down her forehead, gasping for breath as fell on her rump, clutching her stomach. It continued to rumble as she gasped, and attempted to stand- her feet found no purchase on the floor, and she slipped, falling to the ground once more. It felt as if her entire body were set aflame, her joints felt like they were about to burst, and her bones about to snap. There was an incredible popping sound, and the heat began to die down, returning to her normal body temperature.

"Needles? Are you okay?" she heard Spike ask.

She blinked wearily, and saw Twilight and Spike slowly come into focus.

"Sw-eet-ie? Rar-it-y?"
"They're fine," Twilight replied "why? You should be more worried about yourself, at the moment"

'Never' she thought 'Little Sisters always come first'

"F-ine" she said, pointing to herself.
She looked down at her hand, and found it to be larger than it had been. She patted the rest of her body, and found that she was back to her old self, suit and all; she even found her helmet sitting just a few feet away.

Twilight stared at the object that had just appeared before her eyes, she rubbed them, and continued to stare. She shook her head, and massaged her temples.

"That's it, I'm going to bed..." she murmured, climbing the stairs "lock up when you're done with...whatever this is..."

Spike retreated up the stairs in order to say goodnight to Twilight, leaving Rarity, Sweetie, and herself in a semi-private setting.

She roused Rarity and Sweetie from their sleep, the two blinking tiredly as they awoke. They stared at her curiously, eyeing the two bottles of purple liquid in her hands. She carefully placed the one down, and removed the cork from the other, then handed it to Sweetie Belle. The Little Sister sniffed at the liquid, and took it into her grasp. She downed the concoction, and dropped the bottle, her face twisting into one of distaste. The bottle shattered, spilling pieces of broken and jagged glass all over the floor. The effect of the mysterious potion was immediate, and Sweetie shook as a blinding light enveloped her. It grew brighter still, until Needles saw nothing but white for the briefest of moments. The light vanished, and the filly dropped to the floor, her legs wobbling as she gasped for breath. Needles then turned to the eldest unicorn, presenting the bottle to her. She took it hesitantly, and inspected it, then peered down at her younger sibling.

"Please, Rarity?" she pleaded "This could be the only way to get you back to normal"

The watering eyes, as well as the quivering lip were enough to break down Rarity's defenses. She removed the cork, and gulped it down. Her lips puckered, displaying how sour she thought the drink to be. The same light that emanated from the Little Sister glowed around Rarity, then flashed as she convulsed. The mare was practically in pain, clutching her stomach as the light died. The unicorn fell to the floor, and passed out, consciousness leaving her as exhaustion took its place. And so, the two sisters were once again, asleep. But no matter, she'd watch over them, no matter what.

She stood guard, standing before the sisters, her harpoon at the ready.

Just in case...

'Everything will be just fine' she assured herself.

Author's Note

An interlude, before beginning the next chapter.

Chapter 12

Rarity stood between herself and the demonic puffball, scolding the both of them.

"...and I don't want any more fighting from either of you!" Rarity finished, huffing angrily.

She nodded, a fake smile plastered across her face, then looked down at the white horror.

'Next time, she won't be there to intervene, then we shall duel again' she thought, already planning her next battle with the so-called 'pet'. Her chasing of the white beast resulted in the demise of several plates sitting out on the counter, as well as a pitcher.

'A splicer would make a better pet than that thing...'

Rarity left, and the two glared at each other, before each heading their separate ways.

She disregarded anything more to do with the 'cat', finding she hated the furry thing with every fiber of her being. (She was also quite happy to avoid it whenever possible). The battle would be long and great, the battlefield bloody as the two fought endlessly, claiming honor and glory as-

A soft tapping at the door interrupted her, and on instinct, she went up the stairs, annoyed that she needed to keep herself out of sight.
But based on the sound of the knocking itself, it sounded like the yellow pony with the wings had come calling, for whatever reason. In hindsight, she really wasn't aware of what the colorful ponies did (save Rarity) when they weren't frequenting the boutique. The 'pegasus' seemed fond of small animals, the three butterflies impressed upon her flanks only proving to strengthen her theory. Perhaps the annoying purple one would know...

She shuddered.

Nothing was worth that.

She and the unicorn had their differences, as you can imagine.

Sitting boredly in the hall just beyond the stairs, she heard the sound of another voice, as well as another set of hooves on the show floor below. Holding her ear to the door, she listened intently, hoping to find something worth listening to.

"I suppose darling, as long as she's alright with it"
"Oh, of course" replied the voice of the quiet pegasus "I wouldn't dream of harming her"

'What're they talking about?' she wondered, sitting back as the clop of hooves against the wood flooring grew closer. Her suit made no small amount of noise as it scraped against the floor in her attempt to scramble down the hall. She bit back a laugh, here she was, trying to escape from a talking pony, no higher than her knees.

"Oh goodness!" the quiet thing yelped, rushing to her "Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?"

'Well, she cares,' she thought, letting the pony's hooves touch to her forehead 'a lot like...'

She gulped, forcing some sort of emotion down her throat.

'...a lot...like...Tenenbaum...'

Memories suddenly surfaced, images and short instances of the kind woman and her actions towards her sisters and herself when they were young. She loved the woman dearly, like a child would a parent- the connection had faded overtime, still there, yet remained in tact just the same. She remembered the safe place, where she slept, ate, and played with her sisters. She miraculously saw herself on that first day- cold, alone, her daddy gone, and no idea where he went.

'I didn't even get to say goodbye...' she thought bitterly, suddenly realizing something wet was running down her pale face.
Wiping the back of her hand over her face, she came to find that it wasn't blood, as she was expecting, but rather, tears.

'I'm crying...' she thought, hating the clear liquid on her hand.

Big Sisters don't cry- she wasn't a child, she never cried, maybe when she was younger, but now was certainly not acceptable.

'Why am I crying?'

More of the drops continued spilling from her tearducts, confounding her further as she did her best to wipe them away. Her eyes locked onto the pegasus, who was staring back at her with a comforting look in her eye, her hoof outstretched.

"Wh-wh-at do y-ou wa-n-t?" she asked, surprised to find her voice at a tremble.
"You just looked so sad...I just want to help"
She stood shakily, rubbing the last of her tears away as she stepped over the pony, making a beeline for her room.

"D-don't need help, f-fi-ne on my-my own-"

The pegasus nodded sympathetically, then left the hall, heading back down into the shop, leaving the Big Sister to herself.

'My burden to carry, my burden to carry' she repeated inwardly, heading into her room and locking it behind her.

"Her memories seem to be returning to her," the stallion commented, stepping away from the window.
"So it seems," the mare replied "then again, you can't find something you never lost"
"A fair point" the stallion conceeded.
"Though, perhaps our judgement was a bit...nearsighted..."
"Oh?"
"They've constructed a bond faster than we'd imagined," the mare explained "that will make things a bit more difficult, down the road"
"It all depends on which path one chooses on that road"
"Possibly"

The two continued trotting down the main thoroughfare of Mane Street.

"But perhaps the real question would be- will the path matter, when it all circumnavigates to the same place?"

"Well shall see, I suppose"
"..."
"Quiet for once?"
"You wound me, brother," she replied sarcastically, not a bit of it showing on her face "but no, things might go a bit...sour...if things do not go well"
"Things will go well, they have gone well, and they'll continue to go well," he replied "things get set in motion at specific times and places, everything happens for a reason"
"Not everything is able to be explained straightaway," she said "but, progress is progress, I suppose..."

Author's Note

Working my way up to building longer chapters, this is just the beginning :yay:

Chapter 13

Sweetie Belle trotted through the front door of her sister's boutique, a paper bag in her mouth. Behind her, Applebloom and Scootaloo snuck up, the unicorn filly in front oblivious to their presence.

"Hiya Sw-"

The filly squealed, dropping the bag to the floor as she spun in place, coming face-to-face with her fellow crusaders.

"Oh! Uh, hey girls!" she exclaimed, grinning numbly.

"Sweetie, where have y'all been?" Applebloom asked, confusion on her muzzle.
"Yeah, we haven't seen you all weekend!" Scootaloo added.

"Oh...y'know, this and that" she responded, her green orbs wandering around the room.
"Right...well, come on! We lost a lot of time, those cutie marks aren't going to find themselves!"
"Um...right...about that..."

"What is it?"

"I've uh...I've got things to do!"
"Things" Applebloom said, unconvinced.
"Yep! Lots and lots of things to do! Rarity wants them done lickety-split!"
"What kind of things?"
"Chores!" she replied, a little too quickly.

"Can't y'all do 'em later?" Applebloom asked.
"No can do!"

Sweetie plucked the bag from the ground, and charged further into the boutique.

"Hey! Sweetie! Wait!" Applebloom cried as she and Scootaloo went after her, giving chase to their friend.

They scuttled across the showroom floor as Sweetie trotted up the stairs, her hooves clopping against the wood as she went, the bag still tightly secured in her mouth. At the same time, Rarity came down, a scowl evident on her muzzle.

"What in Equestria is going on down here?" she asked, forcing the three rambunctious fillies to stop in their tracks.

They blinked at each other, before Sweetie spoke up.

"I was just...uh...going upstairs to do those chores, you know, along with the really big one?"

Realization dawned on the elder's face as she discovered what she was hinting at, and nodded.

"Oh...well, I'm sure you could go crusading," Rarity suggested "those 'chores' could wait until later"

The smile on Sweetie's face vanished, turning into a look of dejection as Rarity addressed the other two in the room.
'Wait a minute...she's actually encouraging us to go crusading?' she thought, confused.

This was Rarity they were talking about, right? The same one that always made a fuss whenever she got the slightest bit of dirt on her coat? The same one that admonished her on a daily basis about the adventures she had with the other two fillies? That Rarity?

"Do enjoy your time out," Rarity stated, turning to head back up the stairs "I'll be here if you need me"
"Wait!" Sweetie Belle shouted, a little louder than intended.

"Yes?" Rarity asked, one ear askew as she looked over her shoulder.

"Could you please put this upstairs, with..."

She nodded up the stair- to what, was lost on the other two fillies occupying the room.

"Of course dear," the elder smiled, taking the bag in her magic as the smaller hesitantly turned to exit the boutique with her friends.

"How's she been?" Sweetie mouthed, afraid her friends would hear her.

"Fine" Rarity responded, doing the same.

She nodded, and waited, as if there were something else she wanted to say.

"Ya comin' Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom called, Scootaloo and herself already waiting just outside the door.

"Yeah..." she responded, leaving "bye Rarity!"

"Goodbye, have fun!" she replied, closing the door with her magic as she watched the trio dart down the road, towards Sweet Apple Acres.

'Please don't let them come back with a restraining order...' the unicorn prayed, amusing herself with the thought.

Though, she supposed she should've let Needles visit with Sweetie for a few minutes, if only to let the biped know she was alright. But it was for the best, as the creature had shut herself up in her room, refusing to answer the door whenever she knocked, attempting to coax her out. As she ascended the stairs, she wondered what could be the matter, and why the biped didn't just tell her. Her speech lessons were coming along, she could make full sentences at the moment, yet still had a loose grasp on her grammar (as far as Rarity could tell, the biped hardly said a word).

Rarity trotted up to Needles' room, and knocked, the paper bag still in her magical grasp. She once again, received no response. Sighing to herself, she set the bag in front of the door, the blue aura disappearing as she called out.

"Needles, Sweetie brought a present for you," she called, speaking through the gap beneath the door "I'm leaving it right here"

She then turned, and heading back towards the staircase, her eyes drawing themselves back to the door, hoping to see the door open just the tiniest bit, and Needles' gloved arm to shoot out and grab the bag.

She became disappointed, however, as no such thing occurred, silence dominating the hall as she waited. With hesitation, she turned, and headed into the shop floor, ready to take on the day's workload.

Needles lay on the floor, her body curled into a large ball as she slept, her dreams pervaded by nightmarish figures emerging and re-merging with the darkness surrounding her. She felt like a child, cowering in fear and spinning on her feet as the creatures grew closer. Eight red eyes suddenly flashed from the shadows, and a deep rumbling was felt from beneath her. An enormous figure suddenly leapt out, and she could do nothing more than watch it, the red porthole of her helmet following it as it landed, the ground beneath it shaking violently as she nearly soiled herself.

'No...no...nononNONONONO!!!' she screamed mentally, finding herself in disbelief at what she was staring at.

A familiar triangle shape raised itself, and she felt herself flinch as she waited for the attack.

It came down, and a blood-curdling shriek filled the dark arena, surrounding everything as the drill did its magic.

Needles waited, and waited, more shrieks and screams flying around as she continued to hear the heavy whine of the drill piercing flesh continued.

She nearly jumped back in shock, when she saw the armored figure, fighting off the creatures as its eyes continued to burn red with rage.

'Get up! Do something!' her mind told her, her own feet finding purchase on the floor of the dark pit.

She shakily raised her harpoon, and steeled herself as best she could as the shadowy-figures charged her. The weapon pierced one of them- it hollered in pain as the harpoon shot through its stomach, and every creature behind it gather in droves around the two.

She never thought she'd see the day, herself fighting beside one of what Tenenbaum once called 'monsters'.

'Not the time' she chided herself, getting back into the groove of fighting off Splicers.

Not many were present in this 'Equestria', and Rarity had made it very clear that she wasn't to harm any of the equine creatures-

-if her charges came to harm, however, that was a different story...

One of the shadow-figures came crashing down beside her, she lifted her foot, and delivered a swift kick, her boot connecting with the shadow's head as it crushed it. She didn't hear a crack, or even a splat- the head just disappeared as it vanished in a whisp of yet more darkness.

Two more charged her, and she swung her arms out, swinging them as she twirled, knocking the two on their backs as they fell. Behind her, shadows overwhelmed the Daddy, chewing away with sharpened teeth and wide mouths at the armor. She turned, in time to see him crash to the ground, the shadows unrelenting as they continued to chew at him, his eyes flickering.

'Damn it!' she cursed, continuing to fight off the creatures as they did their best to do the same to her.

She would mourn later- for now, she needed to escape this hellish nightmare, find a safe spot to rest.

Another pit opened beneath her, suddenly gobbling her up as she fell, all noise and distractions disappearing in an instant as her body landed with a hard thump against a carpeted floor.

Footsteps-

She struggled to lift herself, at least to limp away while she still could.

"Goodness, you are hurt, yes?" an accented voice said, her vision blurring as she caught a brief glimpse of a pair of brown sneakers "Come, ve vill get you safe"

A hand placed itself beneath her shoulder, and she numbly felt herself being moved.

She could do nothing as she lost consciousness.

"It is alright?" Luna asked, her royal form standing beside the blonde-haired woman.
"She is, yes," the woman responded "I found her severely injured, I was inclined to help her- you would have done the same, ja?"
"We are not sure we would have," the princess replied "this is the first time We have seen her dreams, let alone somepony such as her"
"My little ones are more innocent, they have not yet been corrupted, so I vould not know"
"Agreed"

Luna watched as the small fillies played, either with small, wooden blocks, or coloring books.

"Satisfying to know that these poor things have a kindly matron," Luna stated, her wings ruffling "even if said ponies involved are imaginary"

"Ve are real, to an extent, I think," the woman said "memories lying in wait, so zat someday she might remember"

Luna thought on it, watching the fillies continue to play, oblivious to their presence.

"Vell, I must attend to my little ones"

The woman turned to leave the room, leading into the very one they were observing.

"Verily, we must attend to Our duties, as well" Luna replied, preparing to leave herself.

"Could I ask you for a favor?" the woman asked.

"We might grant it"

"Look out for her, ja? Her dreams, at the very least?"

"We will act upon it, to Our fullest ability"

"Thank you" the woman said.

With that, Luna's form dissipated from the room, reappearing in her own chambers.

'What to do?' she wondered to herself, the image of the biped still fresh in her mind.

Author's Note

Here you go :pinkiesmile:

If you've got time, check out 'Songbird's Forte', if you'd like :pinkiehappy:

Be sure to R&R- it can be a critique, review, thoughts, opinions, or whatever else comes to mind

Thank you to all who have read, favorited, liked, and made this story as successful as it is!

Chapter 14

Her eyes shot open, her breaths heavy as beads of sweat ran down her pale complexion, staining the tattered dress beneath her armor. She blinked, banishing the sleep from her glowing eyes as she tiredly sat up, wiping leftover tears from her face.

'Why can't they just leave me alone?' she thought sourly, thinking back to her dream 'Why me?'

The spherical cage that usually rested on her shoulder sat beside the foot of the bed, the dirty pink bows decorating it semi-reflecting the light filtering through the window.

A fragment of the dream flashed in her mind, the angry red eyes of the Daddy burning themselves into her head. She remembered the battle, the clawing shadow creatures, falling...she'd been falling...and- and- nothing, her memory fizzled out, remembering nothing more.

'What!? That was IT?!' she shrieked inwardly, not believing it.

Was this it?

"Am I finally going off the deep end?" she asked herself softly, hugging her knees.

"That would imply there's a shallow end, as well"

She jumped, ashamed at herself for being caught off guard as she spied two ponies, both equipped with a horn, an orange mane, and a pale blue coat. The stallion was wearing a green bowtie, and the mare an orange and white dress.

Her arm shot up, harpoon cocked and ready to fire as she focused it between the two, trying to decide which of them was more dangerous.

"Who ar-e you?" she spat.

"Friends"
"Or enemies, depending on how you look at it"
"It's all a..."
"...matter of perspective"

A shiver ran down her spine, something that didn't occur very often.

"Who are you?" she repeated, practically growling.

"Is that any way to treat us?"
"And after we gave you the potions, as well" the mare said offhandedly.

"That- was y-ou?" she cried, her aim faltering for the briefest of seconds.

"Indeed"
"Though, we did have help from your zebra friend..."

'What are they on?' she wondered, confused as to what the two were talking about.

"I believe we've revealed too much, brother..." the mare said, after a short pause.
"Agreed"
"Oh well, you can't change the past-"
"-unless you're us-
"-which isn't very likely"

Her head pounded, a migraine forming from listening to the two chattering on. How dare they! They had the nerve to sneak up on her, and do nothing at all! The worst kind of enemies were the ones you couldn't understand, after all. Of course...it was a good thing they didn't attack her...

"-but there are rules-"
"-even for us, occasionally-"
"-which brings us to you"

"Why- me?" she asked, after searching for the right words.

"Your genetic code is flooding with magic-"
"-a few more days, and you'll be...how do I say this..."
"...as stiff as a board?"
"Precisely"
"Or become a pony, it's fifty-fifty"
"She has just as much a chance of dying"
"You're a fatalist"
"A physicist?"
"A fatalist"
"So was 'Neighton'"

She drank it in, strangely finding herself at a loss at the strangers' words. She thought on it, her weapon unconsciously lowering as she stared at the floorboards. What about Rarity? What about Sweetie Belle? She needed them! She couldn't stand to go through losing her Sisters...she just couldn't...

She'd heard tales from Ms. Lamb about Big Sisters who lost their charges, the guilt and pain of losing them so great- that they went insane (insaner, that is), and ran away from the Family, abandoning them, never to be heard from again.

The mare approached her, a paper bag in his hoof.

"Here" she said, presenting it to her.

She accepted it, confused as to why the woman was givng it to her. It felt heavy, something of a medium weight pulling it downward. Tearing it open, she gasped softly, her gloved hands shakily holding the thing in her grasp.

It had four appendages- two arms, and two legs in a crudely-sewn body, the fabric a bronze color. Sitting between the 'shoulders' was a round head, harder than the cotton-stuffed body, a surprisingly well-drawn helmet drawn on the sphere, a single red porthole taking up most of the front of the doll's head. Another tear gathered in her left eye, threatening to fall as she clutched the small toy.

Why was she crying so much? It seemed to becoming a regular thing with her lately...

"You see how much you care for them-"
"-and vice versa"
"Do you really want to put them through the pain of watching you perish right before their eyes?"

She shook her head feverishly, discovering the truth behind their words. At the same time, the other half of her mind screamed at her to deny them, to deny what they were implying.

"Don't know- don't know what to think any-more..." she whispered, collapsing to her knees.

"Just remember-"
"-it's your decision"

"Which do I-"

She looked up, finding herself alone.

'Where they just hallucinations?' she wondered, feeling scared.
She saw visions all the time when she was younger, and now, while rare, didn't feel as real as the one she'd just experienced. Looking down at the doll, she knew at least one thing for certain...

The air around her crackled, and she vanished, leaving the room without a trace.

"Needles?" Rarity asked, knocking at the door "Needles, is everything-"

The unicorn pushed the door open, peering in.

"-alright in...here..."

She took in the vacant room, the biped missing from sight.

"Oh for buck sake..." Rarity sighed.

Sweetie Belle sat with her friends in their clubhouse, a piece of parchment set between the three of them.

"Sky diving?" Scootaloo asked.
"How are we gonna do that? None of us 'cept you can walk on clouds" Applebloom pointed out.
"Oh...right..." the pegasus replied, blushing.

"How about...water skiing?"
"Ah suppose we could...but where're we gonna find a lake ta do that? The mayor said we couldn't use the fountain after that laundry washin' incident"
"I remember that...I smelled like daisies for a month..." Scootaloo shuddered.

"Maybe we should try-"

A sudden flash, and a large creature filled a good portion of the treehouse. The trio screamed as they bolted for the door, scared out of their wits. Sweetie turned just in time to see Needles' head pop through the top of the clubhouse, her helmeted head turning, as she were confused.

"Needles?" Sweetie asked "What are you doing here?"

She was suddenly swept up into a hug, the biped's spindly arms practically crushing her.

The filly grew confused as she saw her friends approach, their eyes wide in fear and curiosity as they laid eyes upon her.

"What the hay..." Applebloom said, a slack-jawed expression dominating her face.

Author's Note

You know the drill

Chapter 15

"Girls, don't panic." Sweetie warned, still in the arms of Needles.

"Don't panic? Don't PANIC?!" Scootaloo shouted "Something just appears out of nowhere and grabs you, and we're not supposed to PANIC?!?"

She felt Needles shift, and the tall biped suddenly stomped, the combined force of her foot plus the weight of her armor made all the more noise in order to be heard over the two screaming fillies. Both of them stopped, now cowering in her presence.

"Needles, can you please set me down?" Sweetie asked.

The Big Sister complied, setting the small unicorn on the floor of the clubhouse.

"I...uh...wha...?" Scootaloo stated, dumbfounded.

"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, this is Ms. Needles." the diminutive unicorn said, motioning up to the Big Sister, whom was watching the exchange with interest.

"So...this is why y'all couldn't come crusadin' with us?" Applebloom asked.

"Y-Yeah...I had to...uh...keep Needles a secret for a little while..."

"Why?" Scootaloo asked "I bet Diamond and Silver Spoon wouldn't mess with us with her around."

"Twilight and the others think Needles isn't from around here, they're trying to find her a way home." she half-lied, hoping her friends wouldn't catch on.

"Well, she uh...looks pretty awesome..." Scootaloo admitted, somewhat sheepishly.

Needles groaned in response, kneeling down to the fillies' levels.

Scootaloo went rigid as Needles ran her hand through her purple mane, forcing the small pegasus to blush.

"I think she likes you!" Sweetie Belle chimed, watching her three friends get along.

"Ah don't know...she still looks kinda dangerous..." Apple Bloom said hesitantly, staying back from the biped as she watched the exchange between the biped and Scootaloo.

"She's pretty harmless," Sweetie said "but uh...she doesn't really like new ponies all that well..."

The almost-unfortunate incident between Rarity and Needles surfaced in her mind, making her shudder just the tiniest bit.

"She seems to've taken a might fine liking to Scootaloo." Apple Bloom pointed out.

"She likes foals, I think, she's not really hesitant around me and Rarity."

"You and your sister...?" Scootaloo asked as Needles stood, moving on to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom's fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, and she immediately bolted out of the treehouse, running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Needles disappeared from the clubhouse, and rematerialized in front of Apple Bloom, forcing the red-maned filly to skid into the protective armor strapped to Neddles' shins.

"Um...hehe..." Apple Bloom chuckled nervously.

Needles scooped up Apple Bloom, forcing the filly to shriek in surprise. The filly was then subjected to a fierce tickling, a gloved finger furiously digging into the filly's belly. Apple Bloom responded by giggling and laughing furiously as Needles held her.

"Aww, they're getting along!" Sweetie Belle cooed

Author's Note

Happy Birthday everyone. :pinkiesmile: :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 16

"You know," Robert stated, wiping his forehead as he lifted his goggles "for an entire planet filled with Homi Sapentia Equus, one would expect at least a few to be roaming around a small village."

Rosalind, also stopping her work, lowered the bandana covering her muzzle, and glanced around at the town. Lifting her protective mask, she then looked to her brother.

"When one is as skittish as they are, they tend to hide indoors." Rosalind replied.

"I suppose so." Robert replied, lowering his goggles with his magic. Placing them over his eyes, he then activated the blowtorch he was holding, continuing his task of welding the bolts on his side of the device.

"Is it quite wise to set up in this particular spot?" Robert asked, after a moment "When one thinks of solitude, I doubt that the square of a moderately-sized village would fit the bill."

"'Make use of what you have', and all that." Rosalind replied, picking up a sledge hammer with her magic and driving into the side of the chrome mechanism. The result of the noise was an offensive ringing that spread throughout the entirety of Ponyville and beyond.

"Must you do that?" Robert asked, just as offended by the noise as the rest of Ponyville.

"Only once it was needed," Rosalind replied, setting the sledgehammer down "thought it was a bit of fun, if I must admit."

"You are despicable sometimes, I hope you realize."

"I do." she nodded.

"Well, just the same- as long as we keep the ponies away, we should be fine." Robert sighed.

"Doesn't seem too difficult a task."

"I believe the heat has finally gotten to your head, sister."

"Only the fresh air, brother."

She walked along the edge of the road, near the grass. Sweetie Belle was tucked firmly in her arms, with the other two sitting inside the carrier situated on her back.

"Needles, what's the matter?" Sweetie asked.

'What?' the Big Sister wondered. How did the little one know how she was feeling?

"You just...feel...kinda sad..."

"How in the world can y'all tell what she's thinkin' with her helmet on?" Applebloom asked, just as curious as She was.

"I can...like...feel her tense up and everything..." Sweetie admitted "being carried like this, I feel the muscles in her arms move."

'How is that possible, then, if I've got the padding on my arms?'

She decided to pursue it further, once they reached the library. She certainly didn't need a headache right this minute.

The four of them continued their journey, Needles attempting to find her way to the library. She soon spied the Carousel Boutique, and decided to stop there, instead of possibly getting lost in the maze of houses that was Ponyville.

Needles reached the door of the shop, and pushed it open, entering the main show-floor of the shop. Sweetie leapt from her arms, her four hooves clunking against the floorboards as she landed. The two others soon requested to be put down, and Needles complied, allowing the three fillies to wander around the store.

"Rarity? Sis?" Sweetie called, wandering into the back of the seemingly-deserted boutique "Rarity? Where are you?"

'This is off...' Needles thought, glancing at the mannequins stationed throughout the boutique.

"SIS-ter?" Needles called, aiding Sweetie, whose voice had grown hoarse from calling her sister's name.

"Excuse me, but...what exactly are you two doing out here?" Twilight asked, peeking curiously at the circular mechanism the two unicorns were so focused on.

The two turned, one donning goggles, the other a welding mask. They shared a look, then stared back at her.

"Um...I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be working with some advanced machinery- and I was just wondering if I could take notes?"

"Of course," the mare replied "we're almost finished, at any rate."

"Oh, wonderful!" Twilight responded, beginning to write on the piece of parchment caught in her magic "What's the material you're building the structure out of?"

"Titanium." the stallion responded, lifting up his goggles to reveal his green eyes.

The response earned an ear flick from Twilight, now staring in befuddlement at the structure.

"I'm afraid...I've never heard of that particular metal..." the unicorn responded.

"I'd be more concerned if you had." the mare replied.

"Oh? Is it very dangerous?"

The two shared a look once more.

"Well..."

"...it shouldn't be..."

"...but if it is..."

"...we're all in a lot of trouble..."

"...but all in the name of science-"

"-yes, naturally."

"You- you two are insane!" Twilight shouted, pointing a hoof accusatorily.

"No, not at all." the mare stated.

"It's all in the name of science, we assure you."

"But- but- no! No! This is wrong! You're talking about the end of Equestria as we know it!"

"None of that, now," the mare stated, a thick length of cable and a small ring rising from the ground in her magic "we wouldn't do anything that would endanger anyone but ourselves."

"H-How can I be sure?" Twilight asked.

"Please believe me, when I say that this is for your own safety."

Twilight felt the ring slip over her horn as the cable wrapped itself around her hooves. Twilight tipped over, struggling to summon even a spark from her horn.

"This...this is that Titanium, isn't it?!" Twilight shrieked, panicking.

She thrashed about as she tried to stand herself up.

"Dear, don't struggle, you'll only make it harder on yourself."

"Why...are you doing this? Who are you?" Twilight whimpered.

"You could say...that we're an independent company...as for why- well, I believe you know."

"N-Needles? Why? What do you want with her?"

"There are things your planet doesn't understand, Miss Sparkle," she stated, trotting over to a console attached to the "things that you aren't ready for."

"But what does Needles have to do with any of this?"

"Everything, Miss Sparkle." the stallion responded

"Everything." the mare repeated.

Chapter 17

"Everything in working order?" Robert asked, taking one last glance at the gateway.

"It would appear so." Rosalind replied, snapping a panel of the console closed.

Robert glanced to a still-bound Twilight, who stared in fear at the both of them.

"She's been like that for a good while, you think we should prod her?" Robert asked.

"Might as well, a frozen unicorn certainly won't help matters." Rosalind replied.

"Not a sentence I thought I'd ever hear you say."

Rosalind trotted to Twilight, and gently sat her up.

"Anything I can get for you?" she asked.

Twilight remained silent.

"Not responding doesn't really help, you know." Rosalind stated, removing her goggles and slinging them over her horn.

"Although, this 'magic' does certainly have its uses." Robert said, attempting to fill in the silence "Certainly an interesting field to study, to say the least."

"You've n-never studied magic?" Twilight asked quietly.

Robert shook his head.

"Th-Then how will this work? If you've no concept of magic theory and the resulting event, you could possibly decimate this entire town!" Twilight shrieked.

"Oh, is that all?" Rosalind replied simply.

"Is- Is that all?! Hundreds of lives could be lost, you horse!"

"If that's an insult, it's lost on me."

Twilight snapped, and screamed in rage.

"Surprising someone didn't hear her..." Robert commented.

"My dear, this machine uses no semblance of magic, but rather science."

"But...but..." Twilight sputtered.

"Madam, please try to understand that what we're doing is the safer alternative for everyone." Robert stated, now glancing at the watch wrapped around his hoof.

"Safer for everyone? How can I be expected to believe that when what you're doing goes against everything I believe?"

"Faith, Twilight Sparkle."

'Hopefully she'll calm down when she's princess.'

Twilight remained quiet, and simply stared at the two of them.

"Maybe one day, Twilight Sparkle, we will understand each other."

"'We'? 'We' who?" Twilight responded.

Rosalind didn't respond, and instead stared dead-ahead, along with her twin.

"It appears she's early." Robert stated.

"Indeed." Rosalind agreed.

The small group was now upon them, the Big Sister, plus three small fillies.

"Who are y'all?" Applebloom asked.

"We're some...friends...of Needles."

"I think y'all are lyin'."

'Oh what a time for this...' Rosalind groaned inwardly.

"Enough of this," Robert stated, rolling his eyes "the short of it is, that Needles must come with us."

"But- But why?!" Sweetie Belle whined, clinging to Needles for dear life.

"Miss, what you need to understand- is that Needles doesn't belong here."

"But- but she's fine here! She lives with us! She's okay, really!"

"Miss..." Rosalind sighed, "that is not the point. It matters not how well adjusted she is- what matters is the result of what will happen as a result of her presence here."

"What...what will happen?" Sweetie asked, while Twilight thought the same thing.

"You've heard of Murphy's law?"

Twilight and the three fillies shook their heads.

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Robert informed all present.

They nodded- in confusion, but nodded nonetheless.

"The technology we have has the potential to cross worlds, and with that kind of firepower, miss, it could lead to the ruin of this world."

"But...but..."

"Well...if y'all put it like that..." Applebloom stated "maybe Needles should go with them, Sweetie."

Sweetie Belle was in tears, at this point- sniffling as she rubbed her muzzle and eyes.

"I...I d-don't want you to go!" she wailed, still tightly hugging Needles' leg tightly.

"It...seems like she'll have to..." Twilight stated slowly.

"Life isn't fair to everyone, Miss Belle." Rosalind stated softly.

Sweetie glanced between the group of ponies, and to Needles, biting her lip.

Author's Note

We're in the home stretch, folks.

Chapter 11

Needles stared at herself in the mirror hanging from the wall, peering into her own yellow orbs as Rarity stood beside her, brushing her purple mane. Rarity watched with a hint of a smirk on her face, finding some sort of amusement in Needles' fascination with the reflective surface. Her alien face then turned, looking down at her.

"When- Sweetie...back?" she asked, her clipped voice taking on one of concern- and the barest trace of nervousness.

"She won't be back until next weekend," Rarity replied, exchanging the hairbrush for a much smaller one, and running it through her lashes "Sweetie only visits, I have that room set up for her when she comes over"
"Where, live?"
"With our parents, down the street"
"Why~ not to-get-ther?
"We see each other darling," the mare defended "...maybe not as often as I'd like, but we do"
"Does~nt answer"
"Well...I have to keep the boutique up and running, and it takes up a bit of my time, you understand"

She didn't, if the look she was giving the unicorn was any indication.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," she said good-naturedly, leaving the room, with Needles following close behind "mother and father care for both of us, but I can't go visiting them on a whim, my schedule doesn't allow it"
Needles cocked a brow as she picked up one of the dresses, as if to say 'This is why you don't spend time with your family?'.

She never really cared much for clothes, she saw them hanging in shop windows of the sunken streets of Rapture, and saw them as pointless- what did it matter what you wore, so long as it served its purpose? 'Rarity's' home was filled with them, and evidently, she made clothing. And now, after having served as a model for the elder pony on more than one occasion, sort of understood the fascination with them, yet still saw no point to the fancy or over-the-top designs...

Still, she had to admit, the clothing given to her by 'Rarity' was a tad more comfortable than her armor. It came as quite a surprise to herself, as her suit was like a second skin, and had found the few dresses to fit just as snugly.

They parted ways, herself heading upstairs, and Rarity, down to the shop, in order to open for the day. She entered 'Sweetie's room, and sat upon the rather small bed, reclining as her feet remained stationed on the floor. Out the corner of her eye, she noticed the slight movement the door made, and tensed, her eyes flicking down to her harpoon to make sure it was ready.

In a flash, it was upon her, a blur of white as it landed on her lap. She jumped, flinging the thing across the room as she found herself standing, her gun trained on it. It landed on its four white paws, the collar around its neck jingling as it did so.

She eyed it, and leapt, forcing to yowl as it scrambled out of the room, herself chasing after it.

Author's Note

Next one'll be longer, I promise.

As always, be sure to leave your thoughts, critiques, reviews, comments, and whatever else.

'Til next time :twilightsmile: