A Ghost of What Might Have Been

Applejack sighed, peering down. “You haven’t done anything wrong to me Shugah, and it don’t look like your in pain.” By now more of the mare’s muzzle had been covered in the black chitin, both eyes now now, and the unicorn’s horn was taking a jagged turn. “However, I don’t know what your turnin’ into and whether or not you’ll be friendly like…Dangit.” She said looking up at the Ceiling. “Why by the three oracles ahm’ I stuck with this?” She said with a grunt before she slowly nodded.

“Fine. Cursed! Dagger!” She said recalling the two reapers who appeared slowly. “What, Applejack. “Find…a litter, or a stretcher, or something, and find a way to take this …mare back to the castle, right quick, while she’s still under…tell the unicorns at the castle to use a sleeping spell on her f’rnow.” She said with an authorative nod. “What’ll you do Applejack?” Dagger looked at the blacksmith-warrior.

“Ah guess what ah’ve always done and continue on.” She said, counting out the crates. Ten slimey crates…Hmm. Minus the five that her group had dispatched, and according to Dagger, one that twilight had dispatched…that should mean that four remained. The rest of applejack’s exploration was uneventful, the passenger compartments had not been where the worst of the feeding had been, strangely no more bodies were to be found, but Applejack just shrugged that one off…untils he came into a Chapel like area at the rear of the ship.

A large arched stainglass window sparkled and showed the outside world through a picture of the Three. Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. The three Oracles of Equestria residing on the highest mountains. Applejack cocked her head to the side, it wasn’t often you saw them..worshipped like this, but AJ conceded that if you were going to revere something, the Three weren’t the worst choice. Behind her, She whirled, turning as through another passage…proceeded Rainbow Dash and Twilight.

Rainbow dash and Twilight proceeded down a long corridor, which strangely appeared to be a chapel of sorts. The first thing she noticed was the big stained glass window, the next, Applejack. Twilight narrowed her eyes just a little, before AJ turned and gave that big goofy applejack-only grin. “Well, Twi’ if you and that blue Pegasus ain’t sights for sore eyes…I tell ya, this has been a weird day.”

“Well, about that…” Rainbow dash interrupted. "Girls, I think we have visitors and they’re not here for the chapel services.” Three changelings faced the girls, fangs out, hissing, Two of them moved towards Applejack while a lone changeling headed for the blue pegasus.

What followed was a blur to Twilight. Chairs cracking, hoofs smashing…she noted with vague disdain that she had gained a rather prominent gash along her shoulder which would probably turn into another Scar…another scar for Rarity to fawn over. That thought made her blush in the aftermath of the fight. All three changelings lay incapacitated, and rainbow dash was moving off towards one of the side passages looking down it, and Applejack was examining one of the changelings. “Boy Twi, they sure were gunnin’ for ya.”

Twilight rolled her eyes lightly. “Yeah, I’ll tell you all about my race of creeper stalker bugs after all this is done.” She turned, facing the stained mural. “I’ve never seen a mural like this on a cargo boat.” She muttered, before she heard…a noise behind her. Rainbow Dash was running towards her.. “Rainbow, carefu~~” She tried to say as the blue Pegasus knocked into her unguarded body, knocking her through the window.

The crunch of glass was the worst part, the knowledge that she was about to fall to her death…less so. The worst part was as she fell, she looked…seeing her killer…Rainbowdash….but a surprising wave of relieve as the shock of the glass caused the changeling’s guise to fall away. Oh well…She closed her eyes as a song from her childhood began to play in her falling body. She was too exhausted from the fighting of the day, from that last fight to use her teleportation magic…She felt the air around her, Her head craned as if a morbid curiousity as she looked down at the ground, below the air dock mooring that was coming to meet her, and then her eyes turned skyward, towards the full moon in the sky. “Luna…Oh Oracle Luna…I don’t want to die.” She said shutting her eyes tight.

Then…came a sound. Like a sonic boom but where a sonic boom was an explosion of noise this was like a quiet intake of breath at a movie theater, loud enough to be heard but the opposite of a gasp. “You have called, and I have answered, Twilight Sparkle.” Came a voice as cool as ice, a Twilight found she had been caught by a vast back of midnight black horsehair, and she started. The Oracle! “Do not worry.” The voice was formal and silvery as they rose, higher, into the air, mingled gasps from the dock-guards as Twilight was deposited on the ground, cut up from glass and bruised, but..alive. The black alicorn looked down at Twilight. “We may call upon this debt, Twilight, do stay alive before then.” She said before she took the sky, without another word, that same not-sonic boom heard…before Twilight passed out.

When she awoke, Queen Rarity was watching over her, worried. “Oh Twilight, Oh! I shouldn’t have sent you with such a little force, I mean your so hurt and bruised. This is the worst thing, almost losing my bodyguard!” The queen said, ignoring what was going around them to fluff Twilight's pillow, applying a new blanket or moving it back into position here and there, looking for all the world like the silly queen she appeared to be, but Twilight knew she would be listening to everything.

Twilight merely smiled. “It’s fine, AJ…did they find the real Dash?” She asked with concern, Remembering her fall from that airship, her legs curled close to her body, the ghost sensation of the alicorn's eerily silky fur and the sensation of supersonic flight filled her mind for a moment before she settled down again..

“Yeah, she’s off with her group again but they found her hanging upside down, swinging around in circles like someone had set her to swingin’ and forgot about her. She was a little sick.” AJ said with a rueful smirk. “Well, look, I’ve got to get back…but next time you manage to fall out of a fifty story drop and somehow end up more or less unharmed on the docks, please do tell me how."

Twilight wondered about that..had no one seen the Alicorn Oracle but herself? Ah well..that was...a debate for tomorrow, plus she needed to ask AppleJack about what had happened in the Cargo Bay...tomorrow. The tired mare felt herself drift off to sleep under the watchful eyes of her queen.