Shard: Flim and Flam's Traveling Sideshow Spectacular

Chapters

Give the Minion a Quest
Scooters and Stripes
Missing: One Zecora
Come One Come All
Sideshow Display
Cracked Carapace
Cold War
Freedom or Not
Loose Ends
Among the Imprisoned
Fight for Freedom

Give the Minion a Quest

Once again, the hooded unicorn was in her secret room. Once more, the symbols had been drawn on the floor and the candles lit. Soon everything was in place and ready for the ritual once again.

The mare stopped, bringing a hoof to her head as she felt it throb. There was a pulse of something dark behind her eyes.

"I know!" she shouted out loud. "I'm working on it! Just give me a minute to get everything set up and I'll be able to talk to him." She glared at the corner, baring her teeth.

After several seconds passed, she let out a huff and looked away, returning her attention to the center of the room. Her horn began to glow as she used her magic. She began to speak in a low, rolling chant as she collected her power, the aura around her horn growing larger and brighter.

With an audible popping sound, the magic and the candles went out. Everything turned black.

From the center of the room, green eyes began to glow. There was a deep growl as the darkness shifted, taking on the outline of King Sombra.

"You wished to speak with me, my king?" the hooded unicorn asked as she gave a bow.

"Indeed," the shadow of King Sombra responded. "Are you aware of what happened in Cloudsdale?"

"Somewhat," she answered. "There was a story about the place in the newspaper after we were hit by some sort of weird, rainbow colored explosion. I assume it has something to do with The Elements of Harmony."

"Correct." He let out a hum. "It seems the bearers are more powerful and competent than I had been hoping. I had been hoping to stop them before getting one, let alone two."

"There are still three stones left," the unicorn mare stated, "Besides, even if they do get them all, they still have to figure out how to get the sixth."

"Be that as it may, I do not wish to be defeated by The Elements again. I am going to need to resort to more drastic measures. As such, I have an assignment for you."

"An assignment?"

"Correct," King Sombra replied. "Have you heard of The Alicorn Amulet?"

The hooded unicorn thought a moment, rubbing at her chin.

"It..." she said slowly, "it sounds familiar." She thought a moment longer. "I can recognize the name, but vaguely."

The eyes vanished as the darkness shifted and swirled. Where the facial features of Sombra had been, a talisman appeared. The main part was a downward pointing triangle with a diamond cut red gemstone in the center. On top, was the head of a unicorn, and at the ends were wings spread out wide.

"The Alicorn Amulet," Sombra's voice explained, "was an item of magic I created before my reign. It was supposed to increase the power of the wearer, which it did."

The amulet disappeared, reverting to King Sombra's eyes and mouth.

"It also had a tendency to..." he thought a moment, "...let us say influence the wearer more toward my way of thinking.

"Should the amulet still exist, it would be quite useful in our endeavors."

"So you want me to see if I can find this amulet of yours?" the hooded unicorn asked.

"Correct," Sombra confirmed, "and possibly a unicorn to wear it that can be controlled."

"What?!" she shouted. "I thought you said that it would increase the power of the wearer."

"I did," Sombra snarled. "I also said that it would influence the wearer's personality. You would be of no use to me if you were to become paranoid and enraged." His gaze narrowed. "Although... perhaps I should seek a new unicorn to serve me. One that is able to take orders without questioning my authority."

"No!" the unicorn mare cried out before collecting herself. "I mean. No, my lord. I will do as you wish." The words became a growl as she glared at the shadowy form in front of her.

"Excellent." Sombra grinned. "We will also need other unicorns. Those who are willing to serve us loyally once we have taken control."

"I may know of one already," the hooded unicorn stated.

"Good," Sombra purred. With another pop, the shadows vanished and the room returned to normal.

With a sigh of annoyance, the unicorn mare pulled the hood down to reveal a fiery red and yellow mane.

"Way to go, Sunset Shimmer," she growled. "Having to kowtow to that pompous arrogant blowhard of a relic. Somepony should just... just..."

She let out a groan. First of annoyance, then of discomfort. Sunset Shimmer brought her hoof to her head once more, rubbing it as she felt the throb again.

"I know!" she shouted, glaring at the corner again. "You don't need to keep reminding me."

She continued to stare, one ear twitching as if she were listening for something.

"Yes," she said with a sigh, "I remember. That's the main reason I'm helping him. Otherwise I would just let those Elements take care of him and be done with it."

Her eyes narrowed as she listened. She raised a hoof up to her chin, rubbing it.

"I suppose that's true. Although I would prefer to learn about them a little more directly.

"No. I don't mean fight them... not yet at least. I would just prefer more direct information. Maybe observe them in action myself.

"That's easy for you to say. After all, what's a few more years -- or another pony's lifetime for that matter -- for something that's waited for millenia already?"

Sunset Shimmer let out one more sigh as she rubbed her head again.

"Forget it. Let's just get out of here already."

Her horn lit up as she unleashed a burst of magic. One by one, the candles puffed out. With that done, Sunset Shimmer, left.

Author's Note

Not relevant to the rest of this chapter, but should hopefully be relevant later in the series.

Also adding a little bit of personal head canon into this. I know it may not be probable, but considering the color and affect, I believe that King Sombra actually created The Alicorn Amulet.

Scooters and Stripes

Fluttershy made her way through Ponyville, Luna following close by. It was a pleasant and cool afternoon. The sounds of ponies talking and foals playing could be heard.

"Fluttershy?" Luna asked, "How come I don't have bat wings?"

The question made Fluttershy stop, turning to look at her charge curiously.

"That's seems like an odd question to ask so suddenly."

"Well I was thinking about it," Luna said, rubbing at her mane. "I'm supposed to be the princess of the night when I grow up, right?"

"That is what Princess Temporal said, yes," Fluttershy agreed.

"Well, batponies are supposed to be ponies of the night. That means that they would be under my rule, wouldn't they?"

"...I guess they would..."

"So it just seems to make more sense that if I am to rule the night, and batponies are ponies of the night, then I should have bat wings like they do." Luna spread her wings out. "So how come I have feathery wings like a pegasus instead?"

Fluttershy sat down, rubbing her chin.

"When you put it that way, that is actually a good question."

One she could not really come up with a good answer for. Fluttershy knew nothing about Luna's birth parents (if she even had any), so she could not really say it was genetics. Best idea she could come up with was to avoid the subject by changing it.

"Well," she finally said, "I suppose that when you get older, you could probably use your magic to give yourself bat wings if you wanted."

Luna's ears perked up as her went wide and she grinned.

"Yeah!" she nearly shouted. "I could give myself big bat wings. And make my fur all black. And-"

"Look out!" A voice shouted, causing the two to look up.

An orange filly on a scooter was heading right for them at a rapid pace. Her eyes were narrowed and jaw clenched in determination as she kept coming. There was a faint buzzing sound in the air that grew louder and louder as she came closer, seeming to speed up.

Just before crashing into them, the filly jumped up. With a kick, she and her scooter turned to the side, flying over the pair. She was so close, the Fluttershy thought she felt the filly graze the top of her mane. Once past the pair, the filly landed upright on her scooter and kept going.

Fluttershy and Luna both stood there a moment, eyes wide and jaws open as they watched the filly ride off down the street.

"Who was that?" Luna asked.

"I don't know," Fluttershy responded.

There was a gust of wind as a blue blur shot past them overhead, leaving a trail of rainbows behind it. As soon as it went by, Luna chased after it.

"That was Rainbow Dash!" she called out as she ran.

"Luna!" Fluttershy shouted as she chased after the filly.

Catching up with Luna was easy enough since the filly could not fly and Fluttershy had longer legs. Catching up with Rainbow Dash was not something she could do. Even flying her fastest, the batpony could never keep up with the rainbow maned pegasus. Fortunately, there was a rainbow colored contrail that the pair could follow.

Fluttershy and Luna caught up just in time to see Rainbow Dash swoop down and grab the orange filly. The filly let out a squeal of surprise as it was grabbed, keeping a grip on the scooter and carrying it with her.

"Got you!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she floated up in the air, holding the orange filly.

"Noooo!" the filly cried out. "I was so close."

Rainbow Dash grinned, letting out a small chuckle. Slowly, she floated her way back down to the ground, setting the filly and the scooter down before landing herself. The filly let out a sigh as she pulled off her helmet. As soon as she did, Rainbow Dash wrapped a hoof around the filly and ruffled her hair.

"Maybe next time, squirt."

"Excuse me," Fluttershy said as she walked toward the pair. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh," Rainbow Dash responded as she looked to see the other two. "Hey. Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

"You just ran past us chasing this one," Luna replied, pointing an accusing hoof at the orange filly. "What did she do? Rob a bank? Steal all the apples from Applejack?" She let out a gasp. "Try to overthrow the princess and rule Equestria? I'm watching you!"

"Woah woah woah," Rainbow Dash called out. "It's nothing like that."

She placed a hoof on the orange filly's shoulder.

"This is Scootaloo. She's a friend, a fan... for some reason..." Rainbow Dash lifted an eyebrow to look at the filly from the corner of her eye. "And a training assistant."

"I head for Sugar Cube Corner," Scootaloo explained, "and Dash chases after me. If I manage to reach the front steps before she catches me, she'll buy me whatever treat I want." The filly's wings gave a flutter as she grinned widely. The grin suddenly vanished.

"I haven't made it even once."

"Not yet," Rainbow Dash agreed, "but you're getting closer." She smiled, giving Scootaloo a pat on the back.

"Well it's nice to meet you," Fluttershy said to Scootaloo. "I'm Fluttershy, and this is Luna."

"Hi."

"Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Luna and Scootaloo all turned to look toward the shout.

"Rainbow Dash," Pinkie Pie said again as she bounced up to the four. "There you are." Her eyes were wide as she started to bounce in place. "It's bad. Bad-bad. I just know it is. You need to investigate right away."

Rainbow Dash reached out and put a hoof against Pinkie Pie's mouth, stopping her talking.

"Take it easy," she said before pulling her hoof away. "Now, what are you talking about?"

"Do you know what today is?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Saturday?" Scootaloo and Luna both said

"Jinx," Luna and Pinkie Pie called out at the same time.

"Double jinx," Pinkie Pie added, getting a pouting glare from the filly in response.

"Anyway," Pinkie continued, "it's not just any Saturday. It's the first Saturday of the month. And Zecora isn't at her spot in the town market."

"Who's Zecora?" Fluttershy asked.

"She's a zebra that lives in The Everfree Forest," Rainbow Dash explained. "Comes to town like once a month, sells some stuff, buys some stuff..."

She turned to Pinkie Pie.

"Are you sure she's not just late, or coming a different day or something?"

"I'm sure," Pinkie Pie insisted. "After I finished helping with the morning rush I went to the town market to see her, but she wasn't there. So I asked some of the ponies nearby, and none of them had seen her all that day."

She grabbed Rainbow Dash and started shaking her.

"Something terrible must have happened to her!" Pinkie shouted into Rainbow Dash's face. "We need to do something to save her!"

"Okay okay," Rainbow Dash groaned. She stood there as the shaking stopped, her eyes still swirling around in circles as she felt dizzy. Closing her eyes, she gave a hard shake of her head, getting back under control.

"I will go to her shack and check to see if she's home. If something's wrong, I'll let the town guard know so we can look into it. If not, I'll find out why Zecora didn't show up today and let you know. Does that work for you?"

There was a loud popping sound from Rainbow Dash's spine as the pegasus was squeezed in a bear hug by the pink party pony.

"Yes!" Pinkie Pie squealed out as she continued to squeeze her friend. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Pinkie," Rainbow Dash wheezed. "Lungs. Air. Breathe."

"Oh." Pinkie let out a chuckle. "Sorry." She released her grip, watching as Rainbow Dash went limp.

"Uhm.." Fluttershy moved closer, "Do you need help?"

"Nah," Rainbow Dash replied as she got up and brushed herself off. "I can get there pretty quickly on my own, and it's not too far into The Everfree so I should be fine." She twisted her back, popping her spine as she got it back into its proper place. With a flap of her wings, she took off into the air. The others watched her go.

"What's that?" Luna asked.

"It's my scooter," Scootaloo answered. "You wanna give it a try?"

Luna grinned before turning to Fluttershy.

"Can I?"

"...I guess so.." Fluttershy answered after a moment, "but not here. There are too many ponies around."

"Don't worry," Scootaloo said with a grin. "I know a big field we can use. Come on."

"Go ahead," Fluttershy responded before Luna could even ask. "Just be careful and home before dinner."

"Yay!" Luna shouted before running off with Scootaloo to play.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Pinkie Pie said with a smile. "Want a snack?"

"Oh, thank you," Fluttershy answered. "That sounds nice." She then followed her friend into Sugar Cube Corner.

Missing: One Zecora

"Now," Fluttershy said as she opened the door to the cottage, "I want you to go straight to the tub and start washing up."

"I know, I know," Luna grumbled as she headed for the stairs. Her eyes were narrow and ears pinned back in annoyance. Her normally deep blue coat was currently mostly brown in color due to being coated in mud. There were also leaves, bits of grass, dandelion seeds, tree sap, and orange feathers (the last one she refused to even talk about). Suffice to say that she was not a happy filly, and that she had no intention on trying to drive a scooter again for a while -- if ever.

Once she heard the sound of water running from upstairs, Fluttershy finally been letting out the laughter that she had been holding since seeing the condition that Luna was in. The filly was already in a foul mood from being befouled. Admittedly, Fluttershy was aware that she should not laugh at all, but it was just too cute to see Luna so messy and upset.

Heading to the kitchen, Fluttershy put the kettle on the stove to start making tea. While it was heating up, she got some crackers from the cabinet as well as a cucumber and some sour cream from the refrigerator. Before she could begin cutting the cucumber, there was a knock at the door.

Standing outside was Rainbow Dash. The mare sagged, ears pinned back while her head, tail, and wings all drooped.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Can I come in?"

"Okay." Fluttershy moved aside, letting Rainbow Dash come in. "I just put the kettle on. Do you want some tea?"

"Thanks."

Fluttershy went to the kitchen to grab the kettle. The snack would have to wait. She also grabbed the cups, saucers, sugar, honey and milk (she had never seen Rainbow Dash drink tea before, so she was uncertain how the pegasus took it).

"Pinkie was right," Rainbow Dash stated.

"I'm sorry?"

"Pinkie was right," Rainbow Dash repeated. "Zecora is missing." She slumped down, chin on the table. "How does she do that?"

Fluttershy walked over to Rainbow Dash and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"There, there. You have nothing to be jealous about."

"I'm not jealous," Rainbow Dash snapped, glaring at Flutteshy.

"Oh," Fluttershy mumbled as she pulled back. "Sorry. I..."

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and slammed her forehead against the table.

"No. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I mean yes it would be nice to figure out how she does stuff like that. It's more...." she let out another groan. "I just don't get why anyone would want to abduct Zecora."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"There's not really much to tell..."

*****

Rainbow Dash flew through The Everfree Forest, following the path to Zecora's hut. She flew as quickly as she could while trying to pay attention to everything going on around her. It would be kind of embarrassing to show up checking to make sure Zecora was okay only to need help because of busting a wing against a tree or being for poison joke (....again....).

Seeing the large tree that made the zebra's home, she landed and walked toward the door.

Except the door was open.

"Zecora?" Rainbow Dash called out as she got closer. "Zecora, are you home?"

She stopped as she looked inside, her eyes going wide and her wings drooping.

The place was a disaster. The cauldron she used for most of her brewing was knocked over, with the contents spilled across the floor. There were also multiple shattered bottles normally used for brews, potions, and salves. Rainbow Dash had to be careful not to step on it. Getting glass shards stuck in the frog of her hoof would hurt, and there was no way of guessing what might happen if some of the contents still remained potent or mixed together.

It was already pretty clear, but Rainbow Dash decided to check one more thing just to be certain. Soon, she found Zecora's staff, broken in two, and her traveling cloak.

*****

"Since the door wasn't broken, we know she wasn't attacked by a creature from The Everfree."

"How can you know?" Luna asked, having joined after her bath.

"If they wanted to get in, they wouldn't knock. They would try to smash their way in."

"So, what happens now?" Fluttershy asked.

"I told the guard," Rainbow Dash said, "and Pinkie Pie. In fact, I just came back from leading some of the others out to her hut to look for clues. Decided to stop by here while they take everything we found back to the office. Thought you would want to know since you were there when Pinkie told me what happened."

"I got an idea," Luna shouted as she ran to the kitchen. In seconds, she came back with a box of cookies and held it out to Rainbow Dash.

"Here. Cookies always make me feel better."

"Heh," Rainbow Dash chuckled as she took one. "Thanks, squirt." She took a bite.

Luna grinned.

"And since you're having one..." she reached in and pulled one out. The grin grew wider before she bit down.

Unfortunately she bit into nothing. Opening her eyes, Luna found that the cookie and box were gone from her hooves, with Fluttershy looking down at her, smirking.

"Nice try," she said.

Luna let out a huff as she crossed her front legs.

Fluttershy tucked the box under wings and held the cookie back out to Luna.

"Just one," the older pony stated. "We don't want you to spoil your appetite."

Smiling, the filly takes the cookie and eats it.

"Thanks for the tea," Rainbow Dash said as she got up from the table, "and the ear. I need to get going though. We have a missing zebra out there waiting for us to find her." The other two followed after her as they walked to the door.

"I'm sure you'll find her," Fluttershy said with a smile.

"I really hope so."

Come One Come All

All of Ponyville was abuzz with gossip and curiosity. All over town, ponies were getting together and chatting. There were two major subjects of gossip that everypony was talking about.

One was what happened to Zecora. All sorts of possibilities were discussed and speculated upon. Some -- such as the mares that worked to sell flowers -- claimed that she met a stallion and ran off with him to elope, after which they would have a whirlwind tour of Equestria as their honeymoon. Others believed that Zecora's witchcraft had finally caught up with her, and a demon had taken the zebra to drag her down to the deepest pits of Tartarus. When it came to the best gossip, facts were not really something considered important.

The other was the strange new cart that had appeared in the center of town. None of them had seen it arrive in the night or knew where it came from. The only thing they knew for certain was what it told them. The entire side of the cart was painted up like a massive billboard. The main portion of it was the image of two pale yellow unicorns with red and white manes in straw hats grinning widely. Along the top was written "The Flim-Flam Brothers," and along the bottom was "Traveling Sideshow Spectacular!"

As the day progressed, more and more ponies got curious about the cart. Word spread further and further through out Ponyville as ponies came from all over town to investigate it. Included among them were Applejack -- who saw it when she was getting ready to sell apples -- Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash -- who was sent to check it out while on town guard duty -- and even Fluttershy, Twilight, and Luna found their way there.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked between yawns. Her ears and tail drooped as she walked along with her head low. The purple coated unicorn had pretty much locked herself in her room the entire weekend, reading. She skipped meals and read until she passed out from exhaustion. Now she was paying for it.

"I'm not sure," Fluttershy replied, "but I think I see Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Come on."

The three made their way to the crowd, then started working their way through it. Luna had it the easiest, simply slipping between the larger ponies' legs or walking right under them. Fluttershy led the way for the other two, asking permission or apologizing. This was not completely effective, as a few flanks ended up getting poked by a sleep-deprived Twilight's errant horn.

Eventually the group found their way to where Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and (it turned out) Scootaloo were standing.

"Excuse me" Fluttershy said as she approached her friends, "do you know what is going on here?"

"Not yet," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she glared at the cart, "but if something doesn't happen soon, I'm gonna..."

"Now, now," Rarity's voice called out as she approached yourself. "Just be patient. If the sign is any indication, they are some sort of entertainers. As such, with such a crowd, they should be doing something for a performance shortly."

"It better," Rainbow growled.

Luna, meanwhile, was staring at Pinkie Pie. The changeling in the form of a pink earth pony was shifting her hooves. Her eyes seemed wider than normal and she was constantly looking around.

"Are you okay?" Luna finally asked.

"Fine," Pinkie replied. "Just... I've been feeling something... unpleasant since I got out here...."

"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, catching the conversation.

"It's..." she shifted again, "...hard to explain. It's like... there's something nearby that is cold and full of hate..." She shivered again.

"Fillies and colts," a masculine voice called out, getting the attention of all the ponies assembled.

"Mares and stallions," called out another -- similar -- voice.

"Ponies of all ages," both said together before speaking one at a time again.

"Welcome to Flim-"

"And Flam's-"

"Traveling Sideshow Spectacular!" the two finished together.

There was a fanfare of horns as confetti burst out of seemingly nowhere. The massive billboard side of the cart lowered like a drawbridge, turning into a stage. A massive red curtain pulled back, revealing the same pair of unicorns pictured on the side. They looked identical except for one wearing a mustache. The two stepped forward, curtain closing behind them.

"He's Flim," said the mustached one.

"He's Flam," added the clean shaven.

"And we are," they said together, "The World Famous Flim Flam Brothers!"

A nod passed between the two. Flim took a step back, slipping back behind the curtain.

"We have traveled all across Equestria," Flam continued, waving a hoof as he spoke, "searched far and wide, and put our lives on the line to find, catch, and bring to you some of the strangest, most exotic, and most dangerous creatures in all the land."

He paused, looking at the audience a moment.

"That's right," Flam continued. "We have sought out and collected creatures the likes of which you have never seen before. You will be awed. You will be amazed. You will be frightened. But don't you worry, my little ponies. We will make sure you are safe and sound from the creatures you see here today. That means you don't have to be worried about being by the likes of...

"The GRIFFON!"

The curtains pulled back to reveal Flim standing next to a cage. Inside it was a griffon. Golden yellow eyes glared out at the audience from purple lined features. There was a rope around her beak, holding it shut. The eagle wings flared wide, giving a flick, and the long lion tail flicked back and forth in frustration.

Rainbow Dash tensed, wings fluttering. Her eyes went wide as her jaw dropped open slightly.

"Gilda..."

Sideshow Display

"Behold," Flim called out to the crowd as Flam slipped out of sight, "the mighty griffon! Part eagle, part lion, all predator. These creatures are ferocious carnivores..."

Flim continued to talk about the captive creature held on stage, trying to make it sound as frightening as possible ("And it's favorite food... is pegasus ponies!"). Not all the ponies assembled were listening at the moment.

"Gilda?" Fluttershy asked. "You mean the griffon you told us about in Cloudsdale?"

Rainbow Dash nodded still staring up at the stage.

"Are you certain it's her?" Twilight asked, looking between the griffon and the pegasus.

"Mostly. It has been a couple years since I've seen her last, but she looks pretty much the same."

The six mares and two fillies turned their attention back to the stage as the curtains closed, leaving Flim out in front of it alone.

"While one of the most predatory," he proclaimed, "the griffon is not the only hybrid in our collection. Our next display is a combination of something you are very familiar with, and supposedly of something that has only been heard of in myths and legends. Citizens of Ponyville, we present to you... the minotaur!"

Once again the curtains parted. This time it revealed the mustachioed Flam and the creature mentioned. It stood up on two legs, nearly as tall as three ponies. It had the head, back legs, and hooves of a bull, but the upper body and limbs were not. It was broad chested and well muscled. It was also chained up with blinders placed around its eyes to only let it look forward.

"Oh," Fluttershy whispered, "that poor thing."

"That's it," Rainbow Dash growled, wings flicking open. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this." With a flap of her wings, she started to lift off the ground, only to feel something stop her. Turning around she found herself being held in place by Twilight's magic.

"What the hay, Twi?"

"I know you want to check this out," Twilight said, "but... I think you should wait a moment."

"What?!" Rainbow Dash cried out in surprise, staring at her friend.

A hoof pressed against her shoulder, patting gently.

"Rainbow, dear," Rarity stated. "I'm inclined to agree. If you will listen for a moment, I shall explain."

Rainbow Dash landed and let out a huff of frustration. Her ears pulled back as she glared at her friends, but waited.

"Now," Rarity continued, "I believe that your plan is to fly up there, announce yourself as a member of the town guard, and confront them directly, correct?"

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash responded.

"Well, I'm fairly certain that -- in this particular case -- it would be a bad idea." Rarity motioned toward the stage. "If you were to confront them as it is, then the group would flee immediately and most likely escape before reinforcements were able to arrive and assist you."

"I guess so," Rainbow conceded with a huff. "So, what do you think I should do then?"

"Well for now," Rarity continued, "I think you should wait." She turned to look up at the stage again. "Let's see what they have in this... show... before we do anything else first."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she looked at the white unicorn.

"Seriously?"

"I know patience isn't exactly one of your strongest virtues, but just wait and see. If they have abducted your griffon friend like you think, then they have likely done so with other creatures as well."

"Huh..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin, letting that statement sink in. "That's actually a good point." Her eyes narrow as she stares at the stage. "Zecora disappeared a few days ago, and these two show up...."

"Do you really think that they would do that?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know yet," Rainbow Dash replied, "but considering what we've seen, it is a possibility.

"In the mean time," she turned to Scootaloo, "I want you to go to the town guard offices and have them check to see if there is any information on The Flim Flam Brothers, or their show."

"I'm on it," Scootaloo said with a salute. Quick as she could, she slipped through the crowd. Once out, she hopped onto her scooter and took off like a rocket, wings buzzing as they flapped as fast as they could to propel her forward.

"Twilight," Rainbow Dash stated, "I want you to make a list of everything they show."

Twilight Sparkle let out a gasp of excitement. Her horn lit up as she pulled out a quill, ink and parchment.

"Hold on," Applejack said, looking at Twilight. "You mean to tell me... that you just happen to have those on you?"

"Don't be silly," Twilight replied with a wave of her hoof. "I always carry them around with me. You never know when you need to make a list, note a new discovery, write down a new magical theory, write down some information you want to research-"

"Okay, okay," Applejack interrupted. "I get your point."

Grinning, Twilight returned her attention to her parchment, writing down what they had seen so far: a griffon, a minotaur, and -- currently being brought out onto the stage -- a manticore. On this last one, the audience was not very impressed. After all, there were families of manticores living in The Everfree Forest.

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh as she looked up at the stage.

"Now, please tell us that you've been in The Everfree recently..."

Cracked Carapace

"Prepare yourselves!" Flam [Flim? Whichever had the mustache (the two had been switching so much, most ponies lost track)] shouted. "Because our next one is something that nopony has seen before. Our next creature is one that could be among you... without you even knowing it."

There was a collection of gasps from the audience. Eyes were wide as the crowd moved closer, their interest piqued.

"What you are about to see," the stallion on stage continued, "is a sneaky, cruel, malicious creature that wants nothing more than to take the place of somepony you care about and steal your very life force.

"Mares and stallions, hold your foals close and brace yourselves as we present to you...the changeling!"

The audience gasped as the curtain pulled open, with Pinkie Pie being one of the loudest. Flim stood beside a cage where a insect looking pony shaped creature stood, and it did not look well. Under the stage lights, the creature's carapace looked dull and rough. There was even a noticeable able crack on its head that was oozing a green liquid. It looked out toward the audience, its eyes looking a dull purple color with tinges of red around the edges.

"It... it's hurt..." Pinkie Pie whispered as she stared at the trapped changeling on the stage. Her ears dropped as tears started to well from her eyes. "It's hurt and scared. I can feel it."

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy each reached out with a wing to wrap them around their friend. Rarity and Applejack moved closer, pressing their shoulders to her. Twilight reached out a hoof, giving Pinkie's flank a gentle pat. Moved closer to Pinkie as well, giving one of the mare's front legs a hug.

"It may look a lot like a pony," Flim called out, "but don't be fooled. These parasites desire nothing more than to feed off your love and-"

The rest of his statement was cut off by the audience. They were booing and hissing. The unicorn stallion on stage stared wide-eyed at the audience that was not glaring at him.

"Somepony get me a rotten tomato!" one of the members shouted.

Flim eyes went wide and he let out a cough.

"Now, now," he called out, his voice cracking. "No reason to resort to violence." He stepped forward, horn glowing to shut the curtain behind him. "We are simple here to inform and entertain."

The crowd continued to glare, but said nothing more. None of them wanted to be the one to tell about Pinkie Pie since she was a friend to most of them. The fact that it was a strange pony from out of town that seemed to make money off exploiting other creatures for profit also encouraged them to keep quiet about it.

"Don't worry," Flim continued. "We have one more creature for you all to see. First, I feel that I should warn you all."

Out in the audience, Pinkie Pie took a step back from the stage, pulling her friends with her. A faint chatter could be heard from her teeth, and her body began to twitch and shake.

"Bad," she mumbled. "Bad, bad, bad..."

"The creature you are about to see," Flim announced, "is something of myth and legend. It is a creature that most have heard of every year, but few have ever seen -- until now. I am talking about something that feeds off the very chaos created between ponies. A creature that -- in the right circumstances -- could plunge all of Equestria into a cold, frozen, wasteland.

"Behold!"

The curtains flew open to reveal the creature in question. In the center of the stage was a cube that looked like it was made out of glass. The corners were covered in frost, and the surfaces were fogged up. Still, there was something that was moving and shifting inside. The details were hard to see, but it looked to be some sort of white horse shaped creature.

"The Windigo!" The Flim Flam Brothers announced together.

The very air seemed to grow colder. An icy wind blew across the audience, letting out a chilling howl. The audience moved closer to each other for warmth, most of them having their ears pinned back against the sound as they shivered.

"You have nothing to worry about," Flam called out.

"The one we have before you can make it cold," Flim added, "but can't harm you."

"Between the warmth of your hearts," Flam continued, "and the fact there is only one-"

"-plus the fact it's springtime-"

"-mean that you are all perfectly safe from this thing." He grinned as he gave the wall of the glass box a gentle pat with his hoof.

"Most of you-"

"-if not all-"

"-have heard of these creatures before."

"Since they are a part of the tale both of Hearth's Warming and the founding of Equestria."

"Few-"

"-if any-"

"-have seen them alive before."

"The ferocious windigo lives in the coldest-"

"-darkest-"

"-furthest-"

"-most isolated portions of Equestria-"

"-where it always snows-"

"-and is said to be the home of what was once The Crystal Empire-"

"-where the mythical King of Shadows once ruled."

There was a murmur among the ponies at that. After the events at the Spring Equinox Celebration, all of Ponyville now knew that The King of Shadows was real. They did not talk about it much, wanting to get on with their normal lives. Still it had been a major event. The sun was even blocked by the moon for over a week. Such a story should have reached most of the ponies in Equestria. So how did these two not seem to know of the "mythical" king's actual return?

"That's incredible," Twilight Sparkle said, eyes wide as she stared at the glass cage.

"That's dangerous," Applejack grumbled. "Having something like that cooped up..." she shook her head. "Ain't nothing good gonna come from this..."

"I think we've seen enough," Rainbow Dash stated. "Come on. Let's go get a look at their trailer. Maybe we can find a way in or something useful."

Cold War

Outside the Flim Flam brothers' cart stood Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Luna. The three all perked up their ears at what sounded like a howl coming from inside.

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked, looking at the door.

Luna walked up to the door and tried to open it. It did not open. She pushed it, pulled it, kicked it, even threw herself at it, but it did not open. She even tried using magic. Unfortunately, being young and untrained, she could not even get enough to make her horn spark.

"Move aside," Applejack said. Once clear, she turned her back to the door. There was a whir of gears as she adjusted her stance. The mare bucked out, kicking the door with both of her mechanical legs. The wooden door shattered under the impact of the metal hooves.

It began to fly inward, but flew out as a blast of ice cold wind burst out of room and struck the three of them. The wind sent a chill up Applejack's spine as she was struck flank-first by it. Luna crouched down, eyes clenching shut as she got hit by the freezing air.

Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes as well. Her horn began to glow with a purple aura of magic. Grabbing Luna, Twilight moved closer to Applejack then encompassed them in a dome shaped shield.

"Something must have gone wrong."

Applejack looked at Twilight, an eyebrow raised.

"Really?" she asked. "What could make you think that?"

"Now's not the time for sarcasm," Twilight retorted. She grabbed Luna and placed the filly on her back. "Come on. We need to help them. Keep close and the shield keep us warm and safe... unless it gets really bad."

Applejack nodded and moved so she shoulder to hip with Twilight. With a nod, Twilight led the way into the room.

The shield hummed and shimmered with power as wind and frost kept striking it. If not for the energy of the magic, it would have started to frost over. As it was, the ice would melt and evaporate before it could form too thickly, leaving a clear path of where they had been. Unfortunately, it also forced Twilight to use more energy to hold and maintain.

"Can you see them?" Twilight asked, looking around.

"I can't see a thing," Applejack replied. Between the steam and the frost, their vision was obscured.

"On the right," Luna called out. "I think I see something over there."

Not seeing much else in the way of choices, the group went in the direction that Luna pointed out. They stopped when the shield shifted and sparked, coming into contact with steel bars. A shadowy black figure moved on the other side.

"Hello?" Twilight called out.

The figure moved closer and crouched down. On the other side of the bars was the minotaur. His arms were wrapped tightly around his chest as he shivered. Bits of ice stuck to his face.

"We need to help him," Luna said.

Twilight shifted, her ear giving a flick. Admittedly, a part of her was worried about the idea. After all, they never met a minotaur before. Could he actually be dangerous?

Then again, considering how things were going, it seemed unlikely that he would have any desire to harm them. It would put him back in danger of freezing to death.

"Step back," she shouted. When the minotaur did so, Twilight turned to Applejack.

"Do you think you could kick this door open, too?"

"Ain't exactly what they were made for," Applejack replied, "but I can sure try."

"Try to hit the lock directly if you can."

Applejack gave one last nod and move toward the bars. She studied the door, looking at the spot the lock was at and trying to figure out the angle.

Okay AJ, you can do this, she thought to herself. Just like bucking the sweet spot on the trees back at the orchard. You've done it hundreds -- maybe even thousands -- of times. Slowly, she turned around. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out, pushing aside the nervousness of trying to kick a steel cage door.

Once again she braced herself, muscles growing tense. Kicking out, she slammed her back hooves into the cage. There was an ear piercing clang as metal hit metal, followed by a shriek as it twisted and tore.

"I can't look," Applejack stated, eyes still closed. "Did it work?"

"It did," Twilight replied before turning to the minotaur.

"Come on. You'll feel warmer in here."

"Thanks," the minotaur said in a deep, scratchy voice as he stepped into the shielded area. "You have Iron Will's gratitude."

"We need to find our friends," Twilight stated. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"

"One was protecting one of the brothers from the griffon," Iron Will responded, pointing. "Should be somewhere over there."

Taking his suggestion, the group made there way in that direction. As they moved, a lump started to come into view. The sight sent a thrill of fear through Twilight. Was one of their friends hurt? Or worse? Had whatever happened now left them buried? She had to resist the urge to run and find out. It would be bad to lose the others because she suddenly darted off, taking the shield with her.

It was a relief to find that the lump did include a familiar pony, and that she was not frozen. Rainbow Dash stood over the unconscious body of Flim (if they remembered which brother was which correctly), wings spread and down to protect her and him from the wind. Pressed against her was the griffon doing similar.

"Y'all okay?" Applejack asked as they approached the group.

"A little frost stuck to our feathers," Rainbow Dash replied, "but otherwise fine. Right, Gilda?"

"Yeah," Gilda grumbled, giving her wings a flick before tucking them away.

"What about him," Twilight asked.

"Unconscious," Rainbow answered, "but alive."

"Here." Applejack moved forward and crouched down. "I'll carry him."

"You should leave him here," Gilda growled, eyeing the unconscious stallion. "Would serve him right to freeze to death. Those two caused this whole thing anyways."

"What happened?" Twilight asked as she helped lift Flim onto Applejack's back. The stallion let out a groan as he was moved, one side of his jaw swollen and purple.

"Not entirely sure," Rainbow Dash replied, "but something happened that let the windigo out of it's cage."

"Windigo?" Luna squeaked, turning pale. She squeezed down against Twilight, trying to get as small as she can.

"We need to find the others," Twilight stated. "Our best chance of getting through this is to get everypony together in here."

"Why's that?" Gilda asked, moving over toward Iron Will.

"For one," Twilight replied, "the more bodies we have in here, the more body heat we can generate, which will keep us all warmer.

"For another, if we all get together, we might be able to do something about it. It's a long shot, but we might be able to put an end to this the same way they did in the story...

"And if not, then at least we can all get out of here together."

"We should probably head this way then," Rainbow Dash stated. "Pretty sure that most of the others were near the changeling cage. If we keep to this side and head that way, we should find most of them."

The small group started to move, following the suggestion.

"Hey, Twi," Rainbow spoke up. "There's something I don't get." She turned to look at Twilight. "Why didn't the windigo just leave when it got loose? Why is it still in here?"

The question made Twilight Sparkle slow her pace as she considered it.

"That... that is a good question..."

It was actually something that she had not really thought about before. If the windigo had managed to get free from its cage, why was it still in the cart? More so now, since they had broken the door open. Nothing was holding it in the cart, was there? Twilight had not felt any magic when she came in (save for the cold and wind), nor had she seen any sort of markings on the outside of the cart for a powerful spell.

She let out a sigh and shook her head.

"We'll have to figure it out later. Now's not really the time to try and work on theories."

Twilight picked up her pace, moving with the others. They made their way past several cages, some times stopping to check on the creature inside. It did not do much good since most of the time, whatever was in the cage seemed to prefer avoiding the door and the shield than the possibility of being released and warm.

After making their way through the cold and searching, the group found the other four. Pinkie Pie laid unconscious, her earth pony look gone to reveal her changeling form. Fluttershy sat beside her, one of the large bat wings wrapped around Pinkie and holding her close to the batpony's side. On the other side of Fluttershy -- pressed close to her side -- was Rarity. She was stretched out on her stomach, but awake. Occasionally she would cringe in pain as Zecora ran a hoof along her spine.

"Fluttershy!" Luna shouted as she jumped off Twilight's back and lunged into her caretaker's chest, getting a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Fluttershy answered, "and so is Zecora. As for Rarity..."

"She is sore," Zecora stated, "but shall be fine. The blow to her back has not damaged her spine."

"And as for Pinkie Pie..." Fluttershy turned to look at her under the wing. "She's alive, but I don't know. I found her knocked out."

"It might be the cold made her go to sleep," Twilight suggested. "I mean we don't know much about changelings, but many insects sort of hibernate in the winter, so that might be what happened with her."

"Okay, egghead," Rainbow Dash called out to Twilight. "We're all together at the moment. Now what?"

"I have to ideas," Twilight answered. "One is that now that we are all together, we try to head for the door. It should be easier to get back out now that we are all together and know where to go. The second is... a little bit odd..."

The others all looked at her, saying nothing.

"We try to do what they did at the first Hearth's Warming... Try to create enough friendship and happiness that it forces the windigo to flee..."

"If you don't mind," Zecora spoke up, "I would suggest, that we try the latter as it may be best."

"Seriously?" Gilda asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want us to try and banish it with happy thoughts?"

"It worked in the story," Twilight insisted. "Besides, that was three ponies against a lot of windigoes. There are more of us here and only one of them."

"I'm in," Fluttershy said.

"Me too," Luna agreed.

"Shoot," Applejack said with a sigh. "Sounds a bit out there... but I'm willing to give it a go."

"Dash?"

"...Do you really think this will work?"

"I don't know," Twilight admitted, "but we can at least try."

Rainbow Dash looked at her a moment, then around at the others.

"Alright. I'm in."

"Seriously?" Gilda repeated, now staring at her friend.

"If it doesn't work, we just wasted some time. We can still make our way for the door." Rainbow Dash moved to place a hoof on Gilda's shoulder.

"Trust me."

Gilda rolled her eyes and let out a huff.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with so we can get out of here."

"Good," Twilight said. "Now, everyone get as close to each other as you can. I know it might be uncomfortable for some of us -- " Including me " -- but it should help us."

The nine that were conscious did so. Soon, they were all pressed tightly against each other. Shoulders pressed against flanks. Wings were spread out to encompass multiple bodies. Ears flicked against each other.

"Rarity," Twilight continued when they were all close, "I need you to use some of your magic. Nothing specific yet, just summon it and be ready."

"Very well." Rarity closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn began to glow with an aura of blue magic that shifted as she held it.

"Now, everyone close your eyes and think about the happiest, warmest moments in your lives."

Twilight did as she had suggested immediately, as did Luna. The others looked at one another moment before slowly closing their eyes one by one. They let their minds wander, settling on moments when they felt incredibly happy.

We are so proud of you.

You will have a family and home here now.

I see a lot of potential in you.

Look at that sunset.

Your mother would be proud.

Meet your little sister.

Family dinner.

We will always love you.

There was an audible pop as the shield vanished. In its place was a glowing pink aura of raw magic. The power suddenly burst outwards, spreading throughout the room. Everywhere it touched, the magic would melt the frost. The creatures still in cages shifted as they were reached, feeling a calm warmth spreading throughout their bodies. Soon, the warm magic filled the entire room.

When the power struck the windigo, it let out a massive whinny. Pushed by the warmth and kindness that was spreading, the windigo fled from the cart and into the night.

Freedom or Not

Rarity and Twilight let out groans. The auras around their horns shrank, shifting from pink to their normal colors of pale blue and purple, respectively, before fading. Rarity continued to lay where she was, not moving very much. One by one, the others opened their eyes and looks around.

"Everypony okay?" Applejack asked, looking around.

"It looks like it worked," Rainbow Dash said.

There were two faint moans. One came from Pinkie Pie, and the other from Flim. Fluttershy lifted her wing and looked down at Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie? Are you okay?"

"I..." Pinkie Pie paused to let out a yawn. "I think so. What happe-" She gasped.

"The changeling!"

Jumping up, Pinkie ran toward the cage that the changeling had been in. The door to it was wide open, and the cage was empty.

"It's....gone." Her body sagged with disappointment. She let out a sigh as she stared at the empty cage, her eyes beginning to water.

"I guess it escaped during the windigo's storm," Twilight said as she looked as well.

"But... but it's hurt," Pinkie muttered, still looking at the cage. She turned when she felt a hoof placed on her shoulder, and found Rainbow Dash standing there.

"Take AJ," she said. "Go see if you can find it."

Pinkie Pie grabbed Rainbow Dash, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you - thank you - thank you!"

"Easy!" Rainbow Dash groaned as she pushed herself free enough to breathe. "Just get going."

"Okay." Pinkie grabbed Applejack's hoof and pulled her along. "Come on Applejack."

"I'm comin', I'm comin'."

"Wait!" Rainbow Dash called out, making the two stop. "Leave Flim here with me."

"Oh..." Applejack looked at her back finding the waking unicorn stallion still there. "Right. Forgot he was there." She tilted her shoulders, letting Flim fall to the floor with a thump and a groan.

"And see if you can find Flam while you're at it," Rainbow Dash added. "It looks like he fled as well."

"You can count on us." Applejack gave a grin and adjusted her hat before she ran off with Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash turned to the others.

"I need one of you to get the town guard. If they aren't on their way already, they need to know what's going on and brought here as quickly as possible."

"I'll go," Fluttershy volunteered. "I can probably get there faster since I can fly. Plus," she turned to look at Twilight and Rarity, "I think that they need to rest a little longer."

"Good."

Rainbow Dash turned to the groaning Flim. She gave him a poke in the side with one of her hooves, getting a slight grunt. She glared down at the unicorn stallion as he opened his eyes.

"You are under arrest for multiple instances of abduction, unlawful imprisonment, and who knows what else we'll find." She leaned in close and poked him with her hoof. "I suggest that you behave and not try to escape. Because if you do, I won't be able to keep you safe from them."

On the last word she pointed. Flim followed Rainbow Dash's arm and found her pointing at Iron Will and Gilda. Iron Will laced his fingers together and stretched his arms, popping his knuckles loudly. Gilda glared, tail lashing furiously behind her.

"We could just stick him in a cage," Gilda growled. "I'm sure the manticore over there wouldn't mind sharing its cage with him."

Flim's gaze shifted from the pair to the manticore. He went pale as he realized that it was staring right at him, licking its chops hungrily.

Rainbow Dash watched him a moment more before turning to Iron Will and Gilda.

"I'm sure you want to get out of here and start making your way home, but I need you to stay so the guard can get your stories about what happened." She glanced over to Zecora. "Same with you. Once that's done, we'll do what we can to see about getting you back home."

"Waiting to tell the story is fine with me," Zecora stated. "I am grateful just to once more be free."

"I guess we can wait around," Gilda said as she looked at one of her claws. "Not like we're in a hurry to get anywhere."

"Iron Will is okay with waiting. Especially if it means other minotaurs will be safer in the future."

"Great," said Rainbow Dash with a smile before letting out a sigh. "Now comes the hardest part." She sat down, letting her ears droop. "Waiting."

Loose Ends

The windigo shuddered as it was forced from the cart and out into the warm spring night. The heat and magic had burned away a lot of its form. Currently, the creature was nothing more than a small cloud. As it floated in the air, it shifted and moved, working to re-take the equine shape. Once re-formed, the once mighty windigo was now the size of a foal.

The creature tried to lift up, but was too weak. Instead of flying up into the sky, it could only float a few feet from the ground, leaving a trail of frost below it. Doing the best it could, it began to move north, searching for a cold place to rest and recover. Preferably some place that was frozen with some sort of fighting.

Beyond the edges of town, the windigo continued to make its way. As it flew, inky blackness formed in the air around it. Glowing green eyes formed to glare down at it, as a wide, sharp-tooth grin appeared. A black tendril reached out to grab the windigo, a thin layer of frost forming where the dark surface touched the icy cold form.

"Well, well," Sombra said as he brought the windigo closer to him, "what do we have here? Looks like a windigo. I haven't seen one since The Crystal Empire."

The windigo continued to squirm and whinny, trying to break free. The black tendrils wrapped around it more as it was pulled closer to King Sombra. His eyes narrowed as he studied the small spirit of ice and anger closely.

"Not very strong. Looks like you've been through a lot." His grin grew wider. "I might still have a use for you though. Maybe even help you get some power back.

"Now..." Sombra's gaze shifted as he looked back toward town, "where did you come from?"

*****

The explosion of the windigo cage sent Flam flying back, slamming into one of the walls. There was a burst of pain as his shoulder hit, creating a loud pop.

With a wince of pain, he pushed himself back up onto his hooves. There was pain, but it felt like nothing was broken.

"Sorry, oh brother of mine," he said aloud, "but it seems like this is a moment of 'everypony for themselves.'"

Following the wall, he made his way along until he felt the door knob. Flam's horn glowed as he gripped the knob to pull the door open. Despite giving it a hard yank, the door did not move. With a growl, Flam increased the magic going through his horn and pulled harder. Slowly, fighting against the cold wind, he was able to start pulling it open.

For reasons unknown to him (the opening of the door by Applejack), there was a sudden change in the air pressure causing the door to fly open. The ease threw Flam off-balance, stumbling a second. Catching himself, the stallion ran out, shutting the door behind him.

After quickly glancing around, Flam started to walk calmly away. At the moment -- hopefully -- nopony would be looking for him specifically. So the best way to get away was to draw as little attention to himself as possible. Admittedly, the hat, shirt, and mustached did make him stick out, but nothing could be done about it at the moment (and he was never parting with the mustache, even if his life depended on it).

Despite himself, Flam could not keep a casual pace. The further he got from the center of town, the quicker he started to move. By the time he was past the buildings, he was running at a full gallop. It did not bother him. After all, now that he was pretty sure nopony would see him, he wanted to get as much space between him and Ponyville as possible before they caught up with him. Maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to keep moving all night and get a massive head start.

The thought was lost as something grabbed a hold of Flam's hoof, causing him to fall. Pushing himself back up, he looked back, but saw nothing.

"Excuse me," a deep voice called out, causing Flam to jump. A shadowy black form now stood in front of him. Sombra's glowing green eyes narrowed as he made a sharp-tooth grin.

"Does this," he held up the windigo, "belong to you?"

Flam's eyes went wide as his retinas shrank down to pinpricks. He opened his mouth, but nothing coherent came out.

"Wel-nah-mi-mean-..."

"SILENCE!" Sombra bellowed, "before you have me considering if your lack of intellect is actually contagious."

Closing his mouth, Flam swallowed and nodded.

"How disappointing," Sombra said with a sigh. "I was hoping that you may have been of use to me. It seems I was wrong."

The equine features of Sombra started to fade, turning back into shadows before dissipating.

"Wait!" Flam called out. "I can be of use."

He pushed himself back up into a standing position.

"You like that thing? I can get you more! Others. My brother and I have been tracking down and catching creatures all across Equestria."

"Have you now?" Sombra's voice asked, echoing through the night.

"Indeed we have," Flam replied. "I'm certain I can get whatever you want..." he smirked. "For a price, of course."

The smile slowly faded as their was no response. He shifted on his hooves, looking around.

"And what might that be?"

"Some bits," Flam answered, "and you help me get my brother out of prison."

"...interesting..."

Flam turned around, looking for the source of the voice.

"If you can prove you are as capable on your own as you claim," Sombra's voice stated, "then I shall see about helping your brother escape incarceration.

"In the meantime, I want you to head to Canterlot."

"Ca-ca-Canterlot?" Flam cried out. "Bu-but that's the capital of Equestria. The royal guard and the princess are-"

"If you are unable," Sombra cut in, "to get there and do as I need, then I have no use for you. From here on, it is up to you."

Flam opened his mouth, and stopped. He was uncertain how he knew, but he was aware that he was alone. With a sigh, he looked around. After figuring out where he was, he adjusted his direction and started heading for Canterlot.

*****

Rainbow Dash sat outside the cart, next to Gilda and Iron Will. The three of them watched as the rest of the town guard worked to deal with Flim and the rest of the sideshow. Twilight Sparkle was helping the guard move the cages that contained animals, the plan being to release them into The Everfree Forest. Rarity was giving her statement, telling about what happened as she understood it. She was actually the last that needed to. After giving theirs, Pinkie Pie and Applejack went to look for the missing changeling again. After hers, Fluttershy had taken Luna back home.

"You've really changed," Gilda said, looking out the corner of her eye toward Rainbow Dash. "I mean the Rainbow Dash I knew wouldn't have been something as lame as a town guard." She looked out over the scene. "Then again, she probably wouldn't have been able to lead some other ponies into something as stupid as this and get out of it without any pony getting hurt."

"Heh," Rainbow Dash let out with a grin. "Thanks."

"So what's going to happen to the cart?" Iron Will asked.

"The guard has somepony who comes and collects stuff like that," Rainbow Dash replied. "They'll probably sell it off in a week a week or two. If that doesn't work, it'll be torn apart and sold for parts."

She turned to look at him.

"Why? You planning on buying it?"

Iron Will gave a shrug, but said nothing. Rainbow Dash looked at him a moment longer before turning her attention back to Gilda.

"What about you? What are you going to do now?"

Gilda shifted, rubbing at her chin. Her long feline tail gave a flick.

"I don't know," she finally answered with a shrug. "Not completely anyways. Not sticking around here though."

"Can't say I blame you," Rainbow mumbled.

"I think I might spend some time on the open road though." Her eyes narrowed as she looked away from Dash. "Maybe spend some time getting to learn more about..."

"Oh?" Rainbow said with a smirk. "Does the big bad griffon have a crush?"

"Don't be such a dweeb," Gilda snapped back. Despite herself, her face was turning a deep shade of pink. "Besides, I don't know enough about him to feel that way... yet."

With a flap of her wings, she took off and flew over to Iron Will. Gilda landed on his back, wrapping an arm around his neck and tail around his waist.

"Come on, beefcake," she said with a grin. "Let's get out of here."

*****

In The Everfree Forest, a lone changeling wandered. Its eyes -- normally a blue, but currently purple and tinged red -- were glassy and unfocused. There was a crack on the carapace covering the changeling's head, a glowing green liquid leaking from it. The changeling continued to stumble through the forest, passing through all sorts of plants it did not bother to notice, much less recognize.

The changeling stopped as it felt something wet against its hooves. Looking down, it saw its own reflection in a pond. Except for ripples from the changeling's hooves that were quickly fading, the water was still. Once it faded, the surface reflected the creature's features like a mirror.

Leaning down, the changeling got a better look at itself, its eyes blinking slowly. A glowing green light spread out from the tip of its muzzle, spreading out. The mystical energy spread further and further, moving across its body before dissipating.

In place of the black insect-like pony appearance, stood a pink pony mare. She looked similar in build to Pinkie Pie. Her coat was a darker shade of pink. The same was true for her mane, which fell straight to one side of her head and covered half her face. On her flank was the outline of a cupcake, filled with a deep blood red color.

"P...Pu... Pi... Pin... Pinka..."

She tilted her head, looking at herself still.

"M... My... My n... My na.... My nay... My name..."

Her eyes narrowed as she smirked.

"My name is Pinka...."

She narrowed her eyes as she grinned, revealing sharp predatory teeth instead of the regular pony kind.

"...and... I... like..."

She licked her lips.

"CUPCAKES!"

Among the Imprisoned

After making their way around to the back, checking to be sure neither brother was around, and learning that Rarity had a talent for picking locks none of them had previously known about ("I have my reasons, dear"), they were at the door and ready to go in.

"Twilight, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said, "you two wait out here with Luna. That way you two can keep those brothers busy and Luna can come in to warn us."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Twilight asked. "I mean who knows what else they might have in there. Creatures they didn't show that are too dangerous, or weird old artifacts or something."

"Don't worry," Rainbow Dash stated. "Our first goal is to see if Zecora is in there. After that, we'll see about releasing anything in a cage. Hopefully we can be in and out before those stallions know what happened. But you three stay out here just in case."

"You can count on us," Applejack said, placing a hoof on Luna. The filly gave a stern salute.

Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy slipped inside. The four mares looked around as they made their way further into what looked to be the holding area. There were dozens of cages, each holding a different creature. There was the manticore and a timber wolf, both just sort of laying stretched out in their cages and looking unhappy. Gilda was stretched out in hers as well, untied and currently preening one of her wings. The minotaur leaned his back against the bars, glasses on his face as he looked at a book.

Further back, near the pacing changeling, sat a zebra. She sat on her hind legs, front hooves pressed together in front of her chest and eyes closed.

"ZECOR-" Pinkie Pie started, being cut off as Rainbow Dash shoved a hoof into her mouth.

It did no good. The shout had already gotten the attention of most of the creatures in the room. Zecora did not seem to notice, and it was not possible to tell what the windigo in the glass cage was doing.

"Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said, "go check on the other changeling." She figured it was what Pinkie wanted to do anyways, so may as well make it a part of the plan.

Pinkie Pie gave a nod and headed toward the changeling's cage.

"Rarity, see if you can pick the lock to Zecora's cage."

"I can certainly try."

"Fluttershy, see if you can find a key for us to use."

"Okay," Fluttershy agreed before taking off.

Rainbow Dash watched the others each head off to do what they were told. She then made her way straight to the cage that was holding the griffon in it.

"Hey Dash," Gilda said as her cage was approached. "What's up?"

"I was going to ask you that," Rainbow Dash responded. "How did you end up here."

Gilda's wings and tail gave a flick as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you know how it is. Stay in one place too long, and I get bored. Figured I'd drop by and see how you were doing. Heard these twerps were coming down this way and thought I'd make some bits on the way."

"Ha ha," Rainbow Dash fake laughed with an eye roll of her own. "Seriously though, what happened?'

On the other end of the room, Pinkie Pie hopped up to the changeling grinning. The changeling stepped back, moving away from Pinkie and pressing against the bars.

"It's okay," Pinkie Pie stated. "See?"

Her earth pony form vanished in a flash of light, revealing the pink tinged changeling that was her true form.

"I'm a changeling like you."

The caged changeling blinked a moment, taking in the sight before it. Slowly, it moved forward, bringing itself closer to the front of the cage and Pinkie Pie.

"That's right," Pinkie said gently as she changed back into her earth pony appearance.

"My name's Pinkie Pie. Do you have a name?"

The changeling said nothing. It moved closer to the bars still, nearly touching them with its snout. It's head tilted as it continued to stare at Pinkie Pie. As it watched, she pulled out a cupcake and offered it.

"Here." She pushed it through the bars. "It's a cupcake. It has some love in it, so it might make you feel better."

"Cup...ca..." the changeling mumbled as it took the treat.

"Pink...a..." It brought cupcake closer, sniffing.

"Cup..ca.." it repeated before taking a bite.

At the same time, Rarity made her way the cage that contained Zecora. Closing one eye and squinting the other, she peered into the keyhole for the cage's lock.

"My friends," Zecora stated, "your faces I am grateful to see. I hope you have come to help release me."

"As soon as I managed to undo this lock," Rarity replied, "or Fluttershy finds the key."

Her horn glowing with a pale blue aura of magic, she pulled out a hair pin and inserted it into the lock.

"What exactly happened anyway?" she asked as she started trying to pick the lock.

"In my hut, bottles did I work to fill," Zecora said, "to sell during my visit to Ponyville. Upon my door, a knock I did hear. So I went to see who was there. I found a stallion standing at my threshold. Across his back, another he did hold. The two were tracking a monster, he did claim, when the monster attacked and his brother it did maim. He was carrying his sibling through The Everfree, when my hut they did see. Fearing that they would not reach town before the brother was dead, he did decide to ask my help instead.

"A life I believed hung by a thread quite thin, so I did bid them to come in. While trying to clean the wounds, I did discover my mistake, for it was then that I discovered that the blood was fake. Capturing the timber wolf, they did come to try, but they also wanted to capture I.

"I managed to catch them off-guard as I fought back, but was overwhelmed by both and their magical attacks. Unfortunately, I did not last as long as I wished, or made it a dire cost. All the same, it was still I who lost. It is fortunate to discover that my life was not immediately at stake. Still I was unhappy when in this cage I did wake. I am relieved as I started to worry that nopony would come looking for me."

"You can thank Pinkie Pie for that," Rarity said as she pulled the cage open. "She was the one who told Rainbow Dash that you were late for your monthly visit."

"Then my gratitude to her I shall give," Zecora stated as she stepped out. "Provided that when we get out, we still live."

"Any luck finding that key?" Rainbow Dash called out.

Flutteshy came back, wings giving one last flick as she landed. She gave a shake of her head.

"Sorry. I've looked everywhere and couldn't find a key. They must have it on them or something." She shifted. "I..I did find something though. It looks like-"

"What are you doing in here?" a voice called out.

"...another door..." Fluttershy finished.

Author's Note

Do not expect to see much of Zecora in future stories for any series or one-shots I write. As much potential as she has to explore and fill out as a character, I am not poetically inclined. It is a Discord sized pain trying to get her to say something specific in the way that she is supposed to speak. She will still appear in stories from time to time, but probably just for one or two scenes.

Fight for Freedom

Flam stood on one side of the windigo's cage, with Flim standing on the other. The brothers glared at the ponies before them.

"It seems," Flam stated, "that these ponies are trying to steal our creatures, oh brother of mine."

"Indeed it does," Flim agreed. "What should we do with them?"

"Perhaps it would be best if you went and called the town guard," Rarity suggest. "You go ahead. We'll wait."

"Considering that you have somehow managed to release one of our newest acquisitons," Flam stated, "the town guard would probably not be the best idea."

"A valid point, oh brother of mine," Flim agreed. "Still, we can't let these ponies get away with all our exhibits."

"Okay," Rainbow Dash shouted. "That's enough. Where are the keys?"

"Keys?" Flim asked. "What keys?" He turned to his brother. "Do you know what she is talking about?"

"I believe they are looking for this." Flam pulled out a chain from beneath his shirt, revealing a key hanging from the end of it. "After all, it would be much easier than trying to pick all the locks." His eyes narrowed. "Of course, they aren't going to-"

The sentence was cut off as Rainbow Dash flew right at him. Flam dropped to his stomach, ducking right under the pegasus.

"You're going to have to do better than-hey!" Flam shouted as a long tongue grabbed the key, yanking it from his grip. Catching the chain in her teeth, Fluttershy took off.

"Get back here!" Flam yelled as he got up to chase after her. "That's cheating."

Fluttershy let out a squeak around the key as she saw that the unicorn was chasing her, his horn beginning to glow. With a hard flap of her wings, she shot up toward the ceiling before dropping hard. She had no idea what was happening, but she hoped that she was avoiding anything that was being shot at her. She dropped further, landing on top of one of the cage, and dropped the key.

"Here you go."

Gilda smirked as she picked up the key, spinning it around one of her talons.

"Give me that," Flim shouted.

"You want it, twerp?" Gilda growled, narrowing her eyes at the stallion. "Then come in here and try to take it."

Flim moved closer to the cage, his horn beginning to glow as he got his magic ready. Before he could cast anything, Gilda grabbed him by the horn and yanked hard, slamming him face first into the bars. The stallion's eyes went cross as his skull slammed into the steel before falling limply to the ground.

"Wimp," Gilda huffed as she stuck the key into the lock. She kept one eye on the prone pony as she worked the key, not really able to see it from the other side. The feline tail gave a flick of irritation as she focused on the lock, working to get free. After seconds that seemed painfully long, there was an audible click as the door came open.

"Hey, Willy! Catch!" She gave the key a firm throw, aiming for the cage of the minotaur. It stopped in mid-air as it was caught in an aura of magic.

"Nice try," Flam called out, "but you're going to have to do better than that."

"How about this?"

Flam turned to look toward the source of the statement just in time to see a pale blue hoof. Rainbow Dash punched the stallion in the jaw, sending him spinning and causing him to lose his concentration. As the key fell, Rainbow Dash reached out with a wing to grab it. She shoved it into the lock of the minotaur's cage and unlocked the door.

"Rarity!" she called out. "Here! For Pinkie!" She pulled the key from the lock and tossed it. Rainbow Dash then flew over to Gilda, getting between him and Flim.

"Gilda," Rainbow Dash growled, "don't."

"Out of my way, Dash," Gilda growled back. She pointed a claw at the prone pony. "It's what he deserves for what he did to me."

"I can't let you do that. Just step back and let us deal with him our way. He will be punished for what he did."

Gilda's eyes narrowed as she glared down at Rainbow Dash and Flim, her tail giving a flick. The pegasus adjusted her stance as she kept between the the prone unicorn and griffon. She glared back, her ears pinned back against her head. The tension grew thicker between the friends as they locked eyes with each other.

"Fine," Gilda huffed as she looked off to the side. "I'll let your stupid little pony laws deal with him." Her gaze shifted back as she pointed a claw at the stallion. "But if I ever catch him again, he is griffon chow. Got it?"

"I got it," Rainbow Dash replied.

Meanwhile, Rarity had caught the key in her magic and carried it with her to the cage with Pinkie Pie and the changeling. She stopped as she felt something cold against her hooves, and looked down.

There was a thin layer of frost developing on the floor. The pale brown wood was white as ice formed over it. Rarity's eyes followed the frost, seeing it get thicker as it got closer to...

The windigo's cage.

The fighting!

"Come on, Darling," Rarity said as she hurried to unlock the changeling cage. "We best hurry and evacuate before w-"

The rest of her statement was cut off as a blast of magic struck her, sending her flying. The air was knocked from her lungs as she slammed against the side of the windigo cage, the burst of air turning into a cloud of fog. Her head snapped backwards as she hit, her horn tapping the glass and causing it to crack.

"I think you have created enough trouble for my brother and I," Flam stated. His magic wrapped around the white unicorn and lifted her up, bringing her close.

"You arrogant fool," Zecora shouted out. "You know not what it is you do."

"I know exactly what I'm doing," Flam retorted. "It's simple. You let my brother and me go. Once we are out of here, I'll let this one go free."

"No, That is not what I mean, I will have you know. The arrogance of your attack has created a crack. When Rarity struck the cage from your deceitful blow, you created a way to escape for-"

The sound of glass shattering filled the room. It was followed by the ear-splitting howl of the wind.

"-the windingo!"