Chapter 6: Morning in G3 Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain! That everything is certainly... fine?

Discord frowned. "This dream again!" He said to himself, with a sigh (nowhere near his kind of favorite dream), as the dream proceeded around him, with remarkable order and clarity (something he detested profusely!)

His dreamself frowned, tired of father going around everywhere "deleting worlds as unworthy." What a load of crock! And do you know how interesting that was? Not at all! Sure it was all good fun at first: "Zap you're gone! Zap you're gone! You're outta there! See you never -- because you've been deleted!" But in the end, all that happened is you got was silent, empty, final, and boring! IT WAS BORING!!! He was tired of it!

So when he heard that his father had run into a world that was basically broken and unstable -- disobeying it's own basic rules. An idea came to his head a deliciously devious, chaotic idea! And what an idea it was! (Excuse his Cheshire Cat smile, he's just happy to be here.) What if he turned this world into his own little sandbox? What if he were to, say, put all the pieces back into the box? And then, perhaps, he could play the game over and over and over and over again!

Heck! Maybe he could replay this world's last thirty years or so over and over again? (For all that chaos, ok... and for the lols of it!) And, he could let the system's inherent brokenness feed it with infinite entrope. Heck, if he wanted, he could even extend the timeframe by a couple of years by appending something very unique at the end.

But why should the system be the only thing to enjoy the fun of infinite entrope? What if, instead, he were to put part of his essence into the system to grow? Now Discord was crafty, and had already heard legends of artifacts out there that could defeat his kind. But with objects of infinite entropy and boundless chaos... He would be invincible! He could rule like a titan or a g -- The thought made his dreamself giddy. He could absorb all the beautiful entropy created by endless repeated destruction of the world into his little artifacts, and watch them grow -- chi chi chi chia world!

And everything went better than expected! The inhabitants didn't even put up a fight -- well with a couple of noticeable exceptions. But nevertheless, he would finish resetting the world shortly, and, what was better was that, it had been easier than he had expected. Well... all except for the throwbacks still out there, who just couldn't get with the program, all standing there... mocking him!

Silver Glow, a blue pegasus with blue eyes a blue mane with white tinsel and a starscape cutiemark.
Star Catcher, a white pegasus with especially large wings, blue eyes, a tri-color blue, white, and pink mane, and a giant pink heart for a cutie mark.
Rarity The Unicorn, a tiny pink unicorn, with an undersized horn, a pastel rainbow mane, and a heart with a rainbow swirl for a cutie mark.
Minty, a mint green earth pony with a pink and light pink mane striped mane, and trio of mints for a cutie mark.
Pinkie Pie. a pink earth pony with a light pink mane, and a trio of balloons for a cutie mark.
Lily Lightly, a purple unicorn with a tri-color light pink, pink, and purple striped mane, and a blue and pink two-tone tail, blue eyes, and a pink lily flower with a blue stem for a cutie mark.
Skywishes, a pink earth pony with striped dark pink and purple mane, green eyes, and a kite and butterfly cutie mark.
Wysteria, a purple earth pony with a striped purple, white, and pink mane, green and yellow eyes, and a set of wisteria flowers for a cutie mark.
Rainbow Dash, a blue earth pony, with a rainbow mane and tail, and a cutie mark of a rainbow arching between two clouds.
Kenbroathe Gilspotten Heathspike, a tiny blue scaled dragon with a purple mohawk, and an orange underbelly.

Dreamcord laughed raucously. Of all those that had ever had the audacity to challenge him, this was the most pathetic collection of losers, and rejects, imaginable!

His laughter turned into a bellowing laughter as he opened his mouth to speak -- turning to the pink earth pony, known as Sky Wishes. "You had one! Just one!" He said, holding up a single talon. "Of your 'special wishes'." He said, pointing at Lily. "And you wasted it on her!" He said, with disgust. "You don't even know her!" He shouted, with a fake rage. "Why? Because she only appeared in one movie! ONE!!!! And you weren't even in it!" He said, shrugging his claws.

"No! Lily's our friend! I had to help her!" Skywishes said, defiantly.

Dreamcord resumed bellowing. "You G3 phonies are so ridiculous!" He exclaimed, with a raucous laughter. "And that's why I like this world! That's why this is going to be Discordtopia!" He said, shrinking down to her size, and putting a claw on her shoulder -- the other claw waving off into space. "You know you could have brought back somepony you are actually a friend with... like..." He said, running through his collection of figures -- which materialized into thin air. "Ahhh! Twinkle Twirl!" He said, holding up a Twinkle Twirl doll (or maybe a Twinkle Twirl Action figure... Or figurine?... Or maybe collectible?)

"No! Twinkle Twirl!" Sky Wishes shouted, in horror, her symbol beginning to glow violently. "I'll bring you back! I promise!" She shouted, as her eyes began to glow one color. "Discord! I'll bring her back by stopping you!"

"Stop me!" He bellowed. "And how do you intend to do that my dear?" He said, saying the phrase 'my dear' with a certain amount of sarcasm. "You're out of your 'special wishes' my dear, and then -- to make it more difficult for you -- your idea of how to stop me is to try to bore me to death with meaningless prattle." He said, wearing a old timey american school boys outfit -- complete with dunce cap.

"No!" Sky Wishes shouted -- feeling the uncontrollable urge to wish -- a wish that she just had to scratch, kite or not! "I wish. I wish. I wish!" She cried, an aura appearing around every inch of her, from head to tail.

Dreamcord snickered circling around her -- wearing a pair of Sunny Daze's oversized sunglasses. "You know you need a kite for that, right?"

"No I don't!" Sky Wishes retorted, as something began to happen. "I can feel it! Be patient, Twinkle Twirl! You'll be back soon!"

"Oh? And how might that be?" He asked curiously. "And, for that matter, what makes you so sure you can even stop me at all?" He said, losing his smile -- looking at his watch. "You know I'm on a tight schedule here!" He said, playing a game of solitaire with a deck that suddenly materialized. "I need the place ready to put into the universe egg before father wakes up, or else!" He said, with urgency in his voice.

"Because I wish we had the power to stop you!" Sky Wishes shouted, as Rarity, Wysteria, Lily Lightly, Star Catcher, Silver glow, and herself all started glowing, jewelry slowly forming around their necks (or on top of their heads for the pegasi.)

"This is unusual" Dreamcord said, with a frown. "And -- " He gasped suddenly looking like the white rabbit, complete with old timey watch. "I'm late!" He said, growing back to size. "It's time to finish this -- " He pronounced, powering up his best magic. " -- And -- Hey what's with the jewelry?"

"I have another wish!" Sky Wishes announced. "I wish for the return of our friends!" She shouted, the eastern yin-yang symbol on her necklace glowing faintly.

Star Catcher smiled, a tiara slowly materializing on her head. "The most special wishes are the ones you share with your friends." She said, the sun symbol on her tiara beginning to glow with Sky Wishes' zeal.

"Please Discord stop this." Wysteria begged, the star symbol on her necklace glowing vibrantly. "There's no reason to be mean. We're all friends here in Ponyville."

"It's not unicorn fun to lose those you love!" Rarity pronounced, growling slightly -- showing her canines -- the heart symbol on her necklace glowing in sync with the others. "Bring back Cheerilee, and Whistle Wishes, and Brights Brightly." She asked, her usual smile replaced by a mighty frown.

"It's not too late to be friends." Lily pronounced, the flower symbol on necklace glowing wildly.

Dreamcord chuckled. "Oh I'm sooooo scared!" He shouted, pretending to shake in fear. "More worthless platitudinous nonsense!"

"Discord." Star Catcher said her voice chiming melodiously. "Your reign of cruelty is at an end. Are you ready Silver Glow?" She asked, the sun symbol that sat in the center of her tiara glowed melodiously.

"I'm ready!" Silver Glow said, fiercely. "Let's bring back Coconut Cream and the others!" She shouted, as the moon symbol that sat in the center of her tiara started glowing in sync with the other pegasus' -- albeit a much fiercer color.

"Oh what are you going to do now?" Discord asked, mockingly. "You planning to bore me to death?" He said, with a yawn, suspending himself, in mid air (sipping from a slurpee, just lying there... Sipping on a slurpee...) "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a world to put back into it's box and into the nice easter egg I had planned." He pronounced, suddenly wearing a pair of nineties three-d videogame glasses, a pair of power gloves, and an outfit that looked remarkably like neo's outfit from the matrix.

"Star Catcher, shall we shut his mouth?" Silver Glow asked, exuberantly.

"Consider it done." Star Catcher responded, as a pastel colored rainbow shot out of the artifacts heading straight for the giant draconequus.

"Psychedelic!" Remarked the monster, still playing around -- this time, his stare distant and his hair ruffled. He was wearing a shirt with a distinctive five leaved plant on it and was holding a purple mushroom with black eyes, and a skull on it. "Radical!" He said, as the pastel rainbow landed.

The draconequus stopped laughing then and there, making blood curdling screeches behind the wall of light.

"Oh darlings!" Rainbow dash said, elatedly. "It's over!" She said,with finality. "Though, I almost feel sorry for the darling!" She said, sympathetically, feeling sorry. "Poor darling! All he wanted -- "

"Well I wouldn't be!" Said the draconequus sadistically, a blood thirsty expression showing on his face, as the light began to clear. "In fact, since you said that! You'll be the first! Darling!" He shouted, looking vaguely like Zha Zha Gabor. "And then you two!" He said, pointing at Star Catcher, and Silver Glow, who now sported a pair of horns to go with their wings. Although the spell, was unable to vanquish the monster, it was able to shrink the draconequus considerably -- and also greatly diminished his powers -- that being said, the beast didn't lose much of his swagger, as he still towered over his opponents by three or four times their height.

"Oh dear!" He said, looking at Star Catcher, and Silver Glow. "This simply won't do!" He said, dressed like a stuffy british noble. "You are broken!" He said, turning his attention to the other four bearers, who were now glowing even more vibrantly than before. "And if I don't hurry! I'll lose four more of the pieces of my board game! And I simply won't permit that!" He shouted, getting a fierce expression.

"Quick! While he's vulnerable!" Rarity shouted. "We have to do this for Cheerilee and the others!" She shouted, her signature smile still long gone. "We can do it!" She shouted, with confidence.

However, her words were unheard by the pegasus, who quickly turned tail and ran. "He's invincible!" Star Catcher shouted, turning and flying away, in panic, like a frightened child -- flapping her giant wings as fast as they could go.

Suddenly the mood of everyone, along with their jaws dropped like stones, as all the ponies could do is watch in horror as the usually cool Star Catcher cracked like a chipped pot.

"Star Catcher! Come back! Please!" Wysteria shouted desperately, for her friend to return, as she began to disappear into the darkness. "We have to ...."

"No Wysteria!" Rarity shouted angrily. "I won't let you get way with this! Not like you did with Cheerilee!" She shouted, also disappearing, herself, into the inky darkness. "And Brights Brightly, and Whistle Wishes, and ..."

"No! Not again!" Lily shouted, panicking herself (trying to run, but finding that her movements led her nowhere), as she too started to fade back into the darkness. "We're doomed! I'll never get to giggle until my horn glows ever .... "

"I wish! I wish! I wish!" Sky Wishes shouted, making one final wish, as she faded away, herself, into the inky darkness. "I wish that our friends would eventually return! And that I would have the power to protect them! ... "

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, crying. "What will we do?" She asked, looking at Silver Glow for guidance.

"Don't worry girls!" Dreamcord stated, his smile, and jovial mood returning. "You're next! But... Since I'm a draconequus of my word! As promised: you first darling!" He shouted, pointing at Rainbow Dash, only to watch in bemusement as the tiny blue dragon disappeared instead -- having jumped in front of his finger.

"A sacrifice play?" He smirked -- dressed like a coach. "Pointless!" He said, laughing mightily. "I call foul on that play!" He shouted, blowing on his whistle.

"What are we gunna do?" Minty shouted, with a frightened expression. "We don't stand a chance. We're all doomed!!!"

Silver Glow frowned. "Maybe..." She said, trailing off as her horn began to glow. "Or maybe not!" She exclaimed serenely, as Pinkie, Minty, Rainbow, and her disappeared into a bubble of light.

Discord's voice chimed over the scene. "I'm going to have to tell them eventually... Especially if they all keep rematerializing..."

**********

"Rainbow Dash!" Shouted the doctor for the third time, this time singsong, having been unable to get the attention of his patient the first two times.

Rainbow shook her head. "Sorry about that, darling. Good eveni -- " She said, shaking her head slightly, with a blush, looking out the window, which was obviously more morning then evening now -- and, at that moment, having realized that she had lost track of time.

"Morning." The doctor replied, deadpan -- correcting his patient, who seemed to disoriented.... Most concerning...

"Oh sorry." Rainbow responded, looking out the window to verify what she was told. "Morning then, doctor darling." She replied, with a smile, looking out the window -- her blush growing.

"Have you been up all night? " He said, freezing for a second. Strange! This scene seemed very familiar to him. Maybe he should make sure she'd finished her reading materials and wasn't going to try to sneak back into the hospital by night, again...

"A little, darling..." Rainbow said, with a frown. "I've been practicing some of the exercises that Twilight gave me to help control my magic, doctor darling, and I kind of lost track of time." She said, blowing out the firefly lantern, that she had been using for the task.

The doctor frowned. Ok that explained the disorientation -- though he should warn her not to do that. "Please be mindful of that, Rainbow Dash. Remember that stress seems to exasperate your condition, and, even if it didn't, a lack of sleep is never a good thing..." He said sternly, adjusting his glasses. "However, In any case, -- " He said, his voice becoming less harsh. "I'll be quick." He said, his frown turning into a proud smile. "Congratulations, Rainbow Dash. We're checking you out of the hospital." He said, tilting his head back slightly.

Rainbow returned a smile. "Oh that's excellent news, darling. I'll be sure to have my things ready for later today -- so that I'll have time to find out if the young lady ever gets reunited with her darling Francesco?" She said, eagerly -- it was great to be finally leaving this tacky, horrible, unrainbowy room. And she can spend the morning packing what few things she had brought with her, and --

"No." He said, shaking his head, his smile unmoving. "Right now." He said, with a smile that made Rainbow very uneasy.

"Right now, darling?" She asked, in surprise -- and fear. "As in, 'right now' right now?" She asked, as the doctor opened the door for Nurse Sweetheart and Nurse Snowheart.

"'Right now' right now." The doctor said, eagerly as the two nurses rushed in, Nurse Sweetheart dragging the wheelchair behind.

What came next could only be described as a flurry of activity that sounded more like a bar fight, and looked more like a dust storm.

"Unhand me, darlings!" Rainbow shrieked. "This is so very unrainbowy!" She cried, as the bandages around her broken ribs were removed, and her hospital gown forcibly returned. And she was relentlessly shoved into the wheelchair.

"But, darling," Rainbow Dash protested, over the back of the wheelchair, as the nurse started to push. "Now I'll never get to know if the maiden somehow escaped from the clutches of Francesco's treacherous brother Antonio!" She said, with horror, and nurse Sweetheart started dragging the wheelchair out the door.

"Now, take it easy, Rainbow Dash." The doctor said, with glee. "And remember to try to get a full night's sleep." He said, with a smile, as the nurses dragged Rainbow out of the room. "And if you need to finish that book -- please go bug Twilight this time, instead of sneaking back into the hospital!" He said, his face growing stern. "Thank you."

"Have a good day!" Said nurse Snowheart, waving as the other nurse unceremoniously dumped the wheelchair she was sitting on right out the front door. The door shutting behind her.

After a few seconds the door opened, revealing nurse Snowheart again, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to hide a frown. "Please remember to see us immediately if symptoms return." She cautioned her former patient, who nodded back -- she would do that, but, of course, the nurse hoped that she wouldn't need to.

The nurse shook her head. Rainbow's recovery had been nothing short of miraculous, going from being a dead mare to fully healed -- which had, naturally, left her doctors slightly baffled. Doctor Stable almost didn't want to let her go, for fear that this was only a temporary recovery. However, In the end, he let her go (after only a couple of days of observation.) Because, after all, the hospital is for the sick, not the well. Plus, the nurse suspected, that it hurt his pride to let Rainbow go without, himself, knowing the cause of her condition.

Nopony ever did find, let alone apprehend, that odd intruder -- and, as a result, the prevailing theory that swept the hospital was that he had something to do with her condition. In any case, though, they had to let her go, with the hopes that her condition wasn't just in remission as the doctor feared.

Ok! The nurse thought, stealing her nerves, back to work with her!

**********

Meanwhile, Rainbow sat there wondering how long it would take for Twilight and Pinkie to return to tell her where she was staying, on this, their final night in Ponyville. And also, for that matter, what she was going to tell her friend/daughter. It just felt weird! On one hand, part of instinctually knew that the pink pony was merely just one of her closest friends -- and definitely not her relative. However, on the other hoof, thinking of her as her daughter just felt so right! Rainbow snarled, actually starting to get furious, for some reason. Curse that Dripcord -- or whatever his name was! Messing with her head is definitely not rainbows!!!

But contemplation quickly started to transform into worry, as she began to contemplate all the people who would be affected by this.

First of all there was the matter of, that darling, Pinkie... How would she explain that there was no Mama Pie, at least as Pinkie knew her, because she was Mama Pie? Would her pink friend take it well? Or would she get upset? (This wasn't the always-chipper-always-happy-super-goofy-not-at-all-cupcakes Pinkie Pie! NO! This was the prone-to sarcasm-can-get-angry-super-serious-does-a-lot-of-thinking Pinkie Pie!) And, for that matter, would the pink pony even believe her? (after all, her story was really unbelievable.)

And then there was the matter of Minty... Was there a Mama Minty out there, somewhere, crying her eyes out for her lost loved one? Would Mama Minty even remember her? And would Minty be happy to meet the mother she never knew she had, or would it only serve to upset the darling? Then there was the question of whether this sudden realization would break the green pony yet further! And how would the mint pony handle it? What would she think when she found out that it was Rainbow who disciplined her throughout her childhood, not Mama Pie? Or would she feel betrayed to be abandoned by Mama Pie as well?

And then, if that wasn't bad enough, there was the matter of their whole lives being a lie. A life intended for -- and lived by -- another pony. How would Pinkie, and Minty handle that? Heck she wasn't sure how she was going to handle it! And, to make matters worse, she wasn't even sure if she believed what she saw with her own eyes -- let alone what she would be saying! So how could they be expected to believe it, especially because it would just be her word?

And what would their friend's say? Would they think Rainbow was crazy? Or would they believe her and be angry, because she had been impersonating Rainbow Dash all these years? And then there was the matter of whether or not they would still be mad about Minty kind of making a mess of Christmas? And that was assuming that everyone was still ok? Twilight had said that she had heard from little Rarity that something bad had happened. What if something bad happened to her friends? She asked herself, her mind a twitter with questions.

Of course, that would be the moment that Pinkie chose to show up. Of course, it was probably for the best, though, as all that thinking was probably going to exasperate her condition (Twilight and the doctor had both taught her some basic magic exercises to help control her magic levels, but it didn't mean her condition was fully fixed, and if she wasn't careful it might rear it's ugly head again.)

Rainbow waved to her pink friend, however it was the straight haired pink party pony that got the first words. "Why hello mom!" She said, giggling slightly, giving a playful smile. "Oh! I'll never get used to saying that!" She said, with a playful wink, to go with her smile. "I mean, I've always thought of you as my friend and..." She said, just noticing her friend's face fall. "Are you ok Rainbow?" She asked, noticing that her friend's face had gone a ghastly white. "Oh dear.... Did I upset you?" She said, a sorry expression forming on her face.

"How... Did.... You find out, darling?" Rainbow asked, trembling like a leaf. "Please don't be angry, daling!" Rainbow said, a horrified look on her face, fearing what her friend, who frequently mentioned how much she missed Mama Pie, would think to learn that not just was Mama Pie not dead, but was, in fact, standing right before her. "I'm so sorry!!!" She exclaimed, falling onto her knees, breaking down into tears -- her hooves covering her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you, darling! I didn't mean to abandon you darling! I really didn't!" She said, bending her arms and hooves into a begging (or praying) position.

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, crying herself. "Please don't be sad!" She begged and pleaded, giving her friend a nice big hug. "I know you never meant to hurt me." She said, looking her friend in the eyes, her own eyes showing sincerity. "It's just the way things turned out!"

"Do you mean it, darling?" Rainbow asked, her face still red from crying. "I mean after all you've been through... How much you've missed Mama Pie?"

"Oh Mama Pie! I could never be mad at you!" Pinkie said, weeping tears of joy. "I've just missed you so much!" She continued, swallowing slightly. "Besides, Twilight said that some mean guy called Dipcolt cast some spell on us, so that you weren't yourself when you abandoned us." She said, to her friend. "Though, by the sound of things, we're better off this way anyways." She said, smiling warmly.

"Thank you darling!" Rainbow said, her smile slowly returning. She paused for a second, pondering something that Pinkie had told her. "So Twilight told you, darling?" Rainbow asked, with a puzzled expression. "I guess, at some level, I'm kind of surprised." She said, feeling slightly betrayed. But in the end, though, she figured that Twilight probably either did it unintentionally -- either that or Minty had overheard something again, as she was in the habit of doing, and as a result Twilight probably had to spill the beans. In the end, maybe it was probably ok, because she was worried what the pink pony would think anyways -- though it hurt her heart some, being unable to be the person to do so. Her face changed, as the topic of discussion slowly shifted, a question remaining. "Weren't you staying with that other Pinkie?" She asked, with surprise -- certain that Pinkie would've stayed with the other Pinkie, because of how well they got along.

Pinkie frowned. "They kind of had to move me in with Twilight after my little argument with the other Pinkie." She said, solemnly. "She actually got over it really quick, but the Cakes thought it would be better if I stayed with Minty, and Twilight instead." She said, her smile returning. "Not that I can blame them, this town probably isn't ready to handle Minty yet." She said, with a sarcastic smile -- giggling again, probably already imagining the mischief an unaccompanied Minty might get into.

"Oh of course, darling!" Rainbow said, with a slight giggle in her voice, motioning with her front leg. "So I guess we have been here long enough." She said, to her friend. "Shall we go and talk to Minty?" She asked, getting out of the wheelchair -- which was quickly repurposed behind her. "I suppose we've probably kept her waiting long enough, darling!"

"Makes sense to me!" Pinkie said, nodding in agreement. "Shall we go see Twilight?" She asked, with a smile.

"Of course, darling." Rainbow said, eagerly. Of course!"

**********

"Twi!" Applejack shouted, racing into the room. "Could ya read this fur me?" She said, presenting a letter to Twilight. "'Cause I'm not sure what ta do, -- " she said, frantically. " -- but ah know one thing fur sure: we have ta do something!" She said, with dismay. "'Cause it sounds like things ah're going crazy down there in Appleloosa! And ta' make matters worse! King Longhorn has shown back up again!" Applejack said, making sure to put extra venom into the mention of the bull's name. "We should rush down there an! -- " She said there sternly, just praying that the princess would agee.

Twilight shook her head. "We can't, Applejack! It's not that I don't care about the poor ponies of Appleloosa, but Celestia has personally commanded us to stay in Ponyville until further notice -- twice."

"Ah why not Twilight?" Applejack asked, in dismay. "We've always dropped everything ta help ponies in need! Why not now?" She asked, getting in Twilight's face, and snorting angrily.

"Look Applejack! I feel for them! But Queen Chrysalis is on the move, yet again!" Twilight said, wondering why they didn't post a proper guard over her after that whole Secretariat Comet incident. "And, now, I have a foal alicorn with an unbelievable amount of magic, to teach, running around, that still can't even cast the most basic unicorn spells!"

"Fine!" Applejack said, snorting angrily. "But could ya at least read mah cousin's letter?" She asked, shoving the letter in Twilight's face.

"Sure!" Twilight commented, scanned down the letter, dutifully -- a smile gracing her face.

"Cousin,

What I'm about to say might come off a mite crazy, but stick with me. I promise that everything I say is the honest truth!" The letter said, the darkness of the writing said that the apple used a little extra force when writing it -- probably due to the seriousness of whatever he felt he had to say.

Twilight skimmed down further, the pony went into copious amounts of details about life in Appleloosa, and the harvest. He talked about the sheriff being out of town. More details about relatives and the daily life of the town's ponies... (Leaving Twilight to wonder if she should be reading this letter at all, seeing as she was basically intruding on the Apple's privacy right now.) Finally...

"An so I went chasing after the varmint, and no sooner had I caught them then; but what should I see upon removing the stolen hat and poncho? A horn and a pair of strange looking wings. That's right! I found myself a regular princess (that's right, although, I thought she was a he because of her giant square muzzle and general size, she's actually a she.)"

Twilight read, her face going pale. "Another?" Twilight she exclaimed, with bewilderment to something she read. "Is this even possible?" She asked herself. "I mean Cadance and I, I can fully understand, but now we have that tiny unicorn filly turned alicorn, Rarity, and now..." She thought, reading the letter. "How can we possibly have another nascent alicorn? How could she possibly ascend? And when could she possibly have ascended?" Twilight stopped. "Wait... Giant muzzle?... Strange looking wings?... Could it be possible?"

Twilight scanned down the letter further. Apparently the alicorn was extremely emotionally fragile, apparently refusing to be called princess -- and apparently unaware -- or unwilling to admit -- that the ponies of Equestria instinctively called them princesses.

Braeburn continued. "Last night, Wysteria had some doozie of a nightmare, and it caused her magic to go crazy. I have no idea why though, all I know is that it had to do with her being a princess, and her friends leaving her." He said, continuing to speculate. After a few seconds came another interesting tidbit. "She claims to be from Ponyville, and that her village was attacked by changelings (now this I believe, as it's the only thing that makes any sense, but, on the other hoof, there ain't no way she can be from Ponyville!) And I think that -- "

"Wait!" Twilight thought, scanning up the letter. "Ponyville!... Attacked by changelings?..." Twilight thought, with dismay. "Could she be from the same Ponyville as Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity? Could she have something to do with them? Especially with that muzzle, and those wings -- " She thought to herself, putting two and two together " -- just like Rarity!" She thought, to herself, contemplating her options. "I'll ask Rarity about her during Twilight time," she said, to herself, having reached a decision. "Meanwhile I should send a letter to Princess Celestia. She might be able to figure out what's going on." She thought to herself, considering her strategy as well as multiple backup strategies -- and really wishing that she had agreed to go to Appleloosa, with Applejack.

"Spike!" Twilight yelped, causing the dragon to snap to attention. "I need this letter sent to Princess Celestia immediately!" She said, quickly scribbling out a letter. "Apparently another nascent alicorn has been discovered, and by the sounds of things, she's having trouble with nightmares, and emotional instability -- both very bad things for an alicorn to have (she cautioned, remembering some of the stark warnings the princess had given her, about losing control of her own emotions.) So could you send these two letters to Princess Celestia!" She said, attaching Braeburn's letter to her own.

"Gotcha!" Spike said, breathing fire to send the letters.

"Now we wait!" Twilight said, impatiently -- hoping for a quick reply from the princess. "But first: -- " She said to herself, reopening her mouth to shout. "MINTY!" She called up the stairs, causing the green pony to come running down -- covered mane to hoof in garlands, and looking like a crusader (covered in pine needles and tree sap.)

"What is it Twilight?" She said, with an enthusiastic smile. "You need something?" She said, as she stood on only her two back legs -- her left front hoof pointing straight up in the air. "By the way? I was wondering what you'd like for Christmas? Do you want anything in particular that Santa can bring you?" She asked, probably trolling for gift ideas for Twilight.

Twilight smiled, and giggled slightly. "'Santa' huh!" Twilight said, rolling her eyes, who, in the hay, was this 'Santa Claus', anyway? "Well before I tell you, could you tell me if you know anything about a pony named 'Wysteria'?"

"Why of course Twilight!" Minty said, smiling. "She's one of my friends, and -- "

"Great!" Twilight said, shushing her for a second. "Tell me all about her!" She said, with a big smile -- and slightly spooky smile --, levitating over a mug of tea.

**********

"Hello! Minty, daring!" Rainbow said, as she walked through the door into the golden oaks, making sure to wave her mane ostentatiously. "How are you feeling, darling?" She asked, opening the door, expecting to find catastrophe, and instead found her green friend sipping a cup of tea along with the princess.

Rainbow walked up the stairs, before coming back down again -- blinking her eyes a few times to make sure that they were seeing what she thought they were seeing.

"Oh Minty!" Pinkie said, with a giggle. "You haven't messed anything up while we were gone did you?" She asked, teasing her friend lightly -- while surreptitiously looking around the room to see if she could find what the green pony broke.

"Oh of course not Pinkie!" Minty said, with a smile. "I was very careful not to! Especially since I was planning for a make up Christmas!"

"So why are you and Twilight having tea?" Pinkie asked, with a smile. "I thought for sure you'd be tied up in some garlands, or something." Pinkie said, with a giggle -- joshing her friend lightly.

"I did but... Ooof..." She said, stopping when the princess of friendship gave her a surreptitious nudge with a broom. "I mean... I didn't have time to!" Minty said, obliviously. "Because Twilight wanted me to tell her all about Wysteria." She said, with a grin. "So I've been telling her all about her, and her love of flowers, and the Princess Promenade -- she seemed especially interested in that flower that Spike gave her..." She said, with a chuckle. "Though I really don't understand why!"

"Wysteria? Twilight darling?" Rainbow asked, with curiosity. "Why would you need to know about Wysteria?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Twilight sighed... Busted... "Well Rainbow." She said, trying to think how to minimize it. "She kind of appeared in Appleloosa about three weeks ago, and the letter was sent the morning after. But apparently the Equestrian Post office in Dodge Junction held onto it for about a week and a half. And apparently she's... um... (how to put this without scaring everypony? She's a princess now? No not good.) Changed! And she's apparently been having nightmares about being a princess -- and I need to know why!"

"Oh I can answer that!" Pinkie responded, not noticing that Rainbow's face had gone pale. "When she discovered Spike's flower --" Pinkie said, not noticing Twilight taking special interest. "-- and put it into her hair." She said, with a frown. "He kind of put her into a kind of princess boot camp, and basically told her that she wasn't allowed to be around anyone, or to have friends, or to do... well... basically anything!" She said, looking slightly perturbed at the memory. "Not to mention telling her that she, basically couldn't be herself!"

Twilight frowned, that might explain why she didn't want to be a princess (was it possible she was suffering some kind of cutie mark derangement syndrome -- like she and her friends suffered at the gala?) But how did she find out that she was a princess? ... Sompony must have have run into her before Braeburn, and made a remark about her being a princess!

Meanwhile, Rainbow grown ever more pale, and began to look very concerned. "Oh dear! The poor darling was deathly ill the day we left! I can't imagine how she'd be now." She said, looking really sorry.

She began pacing. "I can't even imagine what she looks like now, for that matter! And, now I feel terrible, darling, that I couldn't be for her, darling." Rainbow said, sounding like she was on the verge of a breakdown. "And the pains she'd been having in her sides! Ever since Christmas."

Twilight quirked her eyebrows -- 'pains she'd been having'... very interesting! Didn't little Rarity's nightmares start at Christmas? And, by the sound of it, Christmas must have been when Wysteria started ascending. But the question that needed to be asked was: why Christmas? Did it have something to do with Minty's accident? But how? And, more importantly, why?

Pinkie continued, in the background -- putting her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "Well Rainbow..." Pinkie responded. "I understand how you feel, but you and Minty weren't much up to going anywhere until just now." She said, giving her friend a hug. "But we can see how she's doing now if you want."

"Actually, darling." Rainbow said, with a frown -- unable to handle the melancholy anymore. "I think it would be better if we went home to Ponyville instead, I need to check on the place." She said, steadfastly resolving something in her head. "But first the three of us, and Twilight need to talk!" She had to tell them the truth -- no matter how much she didn't want to.

"What are we going to talk about?" Minty asked, with a chuckle. "Christmas? Or maybe who's birthday it is?" She said, eagerly. "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! This year's promenade!" She said, imagining how Wysteria (who she had forgotten was sick in her exuberance) was going to top last year's princess promenade.

"No, darling." Rainbow said, shaking her head. "But first, Twilight." She said, turning to the unicorn -- her face growing stern. "I really need to know why you told Pinkie about our true relationship?" She said, with a surprising amount of sternness. "I feel this was a betrayal of trust, darling! And I want to know why you did it!"

Twilight frowned, looking away. "I actually didn't mean to tell her." She said, with an apologetic expression. "She was kind of told by Minty, who overheard me talking to the doctor about your condition, late at night." She stammered. "The doctor was giving me advice on how best to help you three, and I guess we didn't notice her trotting down the stairs." Twilight said, with melancholy.

"I see..." Rainbow said, solemnly, her feelings hurt -- but, on the other hand, what could she do? It was an accident, and she was sure that Twilight and the doctor meant well, Minty just kind of had an ability to mess things up. "Well... I guess that's ok, darling," she said, with a sniffle. "But I would really have prefered to be the one to tell them." She said, crying softly. "She is, after all, my daughter, and Minty is my great niece, after all!"

Twilight noded, softly -- feeling bad about breaking her friend's trust, even if accidentally as that was the best way to lose a friend's trust FOREVER!!!! She looked around, uncomfortably, was her Pinkie already standing around, watching her -- menacingly!... (Maybe she should check the grandfather clock?) Luckily the mare was nowhere in sight! Twilight thought to herself, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Oh Rainbow!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "You can tell me now, Rainbow Dash, darling." She said -- imitating her friend/mother --, with a chuckle, waving Rainbow on, encouragingly with her hooves. "I will even pretend that I didn't hear Minty." She said, reassuringly. "So please tell me!" She pleaded, her smile growing serious. "I think it would make both of us feel better!"

"You would do that for me, darling?" Rainbow said, feeling better. Having finally gotten her chance to set things right. "Bless you, Pinkie darling!" She thought to herself, her eyes filled with tears. "Even for you failure of a mother?" She said, as Pinkie noded lovingly.

"Especially for you!"

Lady Rainbow smiled -- this was her chance at redemption, a chance to fix everything. "Pinkie?" She asked, reobtaining the attention of the pink pony (all part of the ritual.) "May I talk to you about something?"

Pinkie nodded, with a smile -- making believe that she hadn't heard Minty. "Yes, Rainbow?" She said, acting along with a soft giggle. "What do you need?" She said, with a smile -- Rainbow needed this, and she was happy to give it!

Rainbow turned to Minty. "Minty? Could you come over too?" She asked, to her green friend. "This involves you too, darling!" She asked, hoping her green friend/cousin would comply. "If it's not too much trouble, darling." She said, sounding more like Fluttershy, and less like Rainbow Dash.

"What cha need Rainbow Dash?" She asked, innocently -- her mind already rocketing past what was going on around her. "I thought we were going to talk about you being -- " She started saying, obliviously -- her mouth being quickly closed by Twilight's magic, who wanted, herself, to make sure that Rainbow got her opportunity to set everything right.

"Let Rainbow speak." Twilight said, with a bemused smile. "She's got something important to say." She said, with a wink. To a smile and a nod from the green pony, her smile looking almost mischievous.

"Thank you Twilight, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile to her purple unicorn friend. She gulped slightly, opening her mouth. "So Pinkie... Minty... Darlings!" She said, getting everyone's attention. "I have something to tell you, and it might sound a little crazy, but it's the truth, darlings!" She said, anxiously -- hoping that they didn't respond in the way she feared they would.

She turned to Pinkie. "To start with." She said, hesitantly. "Mama Pie wishes to send her apologies for not being there for you, Pinkie darling!" She said, with a frown -- tears starting to form in her eyes. "She feels horrible, because she let you down!" She said, gulping -- her lip quivering. "I can't do this." She said, covering her eyes with her front hooves, and starting to trot away.

Pinkie nodded, with a smile -- letting her friend let it all go. "Please Rainbow! You have to do this." She said, sternly. "You need to do this!" She said, motivating her friend to push on.

Rainbow nodded, and gulped silently. "And Minty." Rainbow said, turning to the mint green pony. "I don't know how to put this darling, but I shall anyway."

"Yes Rainbow?" Minty responded, with her goofy smile. "What do you need to tell me?" She said, standing on only her back hooves -- her legs parallel to her barrell, holding herself up by her front hoof, which was planted against a wall -- jutting out ninety degrees against her barrell and hanging straight out from her side.

"Mama Pie wants you to know that she loves you dearly, and always thought of you as one of her own -- even though she was never your mother!" Rainbow said, starting to feel relieved to let it all out -- despite the fact that she was ready to break down again, but she swallowed, and continued.

"Why's that?" Minty said, obliviously. "Did she contact you from the great beyond?" Minty said shaking. "Is she a g...g...g...ghost?" She stammered, shaking in fear. "Did she show up? Is she here right now?"

Rainbow frowned, sometimes her friend's enthusiasm could be exasperating -- causing her to jump to premature, or even brash decisions. "Yes!" Rainbow replied, patiently. "She's here right now!" Rainbow said, hoping her friend would pick up on the clues, but continued to look on vacantly. "She even with us in this room."

"Is she an angel?" Minty said, with confusion -- she couldn't be an angel! "No wait! She's behind you right!" She said, to sea of eye rolls.

"Because I am mama pie!" Rainbow announced, for all to hear. Sometimes that pony bugged her! But in the end, she loved her anyway. Minty was Minty, after all! The goofy, adorable, overeager lump of a pony.

"Ohhhh...." Minty said, with an extended gasp. "Who could have ever guessed?" She said, finally putting the puzzle pieces together.

Twilight rolled her eyes, she'd already seen first hand how dense the green pony could be. Like the time she tried to use some poison joke that Twilight had been experimenting on for one of her wreaths. The next day, she woke up with more of a floral mint hue (a horror to the mint green pony)... Oh... And as a Stallion... As Twilight recalled Spike was making jokes for weeks about that... What did he call ~~her~~ him? Spear... something? Oh well!! It didn't matter... Well... Except for the fact that it broke the green pony's mind for another whole week!

"Now it gets worse, darlings." Rainbow said, beckoning for her friends to sit down. "The next part gets even weirder, darlings!" She said, turning around so she couldn't see their faces (she just couldn't bear it if she did.)

"What is it Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie said anxiously, hearing something she had never heard before. "What else is there?" She said, in surprise (hiding the horror she felt) she didn't hear anything else from Minty, and was worried what else there could even be.

Rainbow bit her lip. Which was going to be easier to start with? 'We are disgusting bug ponies!' Or maybe 'we aren't really Pinkie, Rainbow, and Minty?' "This is going to sound even weirder, but Twilight can back me up on this one." Rainbow said, pausing for a second -- hoping Twilight would jump in, for her.

Rainbow hesitated again. Unable to bring herself to drop the hammer.

"Let me guess." Pinkie said, with a frown. "You aren't Rainbow Dash, Minty's not Minty, and I'm not Pinkie?" She said, solemnly.

Rainbow nodded, sadly. "Did Twilight tell you that as well?" She asked, the anger coming back -- not just at the continued perceived betrayals of her trust, but also at herself because she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"No." Pinkie said, shaking her head, feeling sad for Rainbow. "I had a lot of nightmares when we first arrived in Ponyville, and in all of them I wasn't me, but someone else." She said, waiting for Rainbow to confirm or deny what she said.

Rainbow nodded. "You always were a smart one." She retorted -- feeling relieve that Twilight didn't betray her trust -- again --, and that she didn't have to reveal the truth. "That's the truth, darlings, and to make matters worse, we aren't even regular ponies." She said, to a sea of dropped jaws. "We are nasty bug ponies that feed off of love... Except for you Pinkie." She said, to Pinkie's relief.

"Oh! I was so worried!" Pinkie said, remembering her dreams. This was such good news! She couldn't even begin to imagine if she was some kind of horrible love eating monster! --

Rainbow sighed. "You're half bug pony." She said, watching Pinkie immediately faint, like she did when Rarity splashed mud all over her.

Twilight sighed. "I'll get her to the bed." She said, heaving the earth pony in her magic. "I think that was, apparently, too much too soon." Twilight said, apologetically, feeling she shouldn't have encouraged Rainbow to go so far.

**********

After a few minutes, Pinkie began to stir -- still looking disoriented -- with a really sorry expression on her face. "Have I just been using my pony friends all my life?" She said, looking down -- unwilling to leave the bed that she had been placed in. "Have I just been using Sunny Daze, and Sweetberry, and Razzaroo? Have I been stealing something from my friends every time we had a party?" She said to herself, self doubt and confusion swirling through her mind. "Was I taking from them instead of giving when I showed them the proper way to blow up balloons? Am I an ugly monster like the ones in my dreams?" She asked, her face filling with dismay, and her mind with inky darkness. "Am I going to go feral someday, and jump Sunny Daze while she's doing pony summersaults, or Sweetberry while she's baking, or Razzaroo while she's planning a party? Of course it could happen while -- "

"You ok Pinkie, darling?" Rainbow asked, coming up the stairs, followed closely behind by Twilight. "I'm sorry for upsetting you, darling." She said, with dismay. "I just thought that it would better to tell you, then not, darling." She said, firmly -- though still apologetically, looking down. After a few seconds, she nodded her head, and approached her friend to give her a reassuring hug.

Instead, Pinkie shook her head, crying into a pillow. "Don't come near me!" She demanded, her pink face turning red. "Who knows what I might do to you!" She whined. Crawling away from the other two ponies. "Who knows what would happen if you got too close to a monster like me!" She shouted, violently.

"You aren't a monster Pinkie!" Twilight said, with a reassuring smile. "You shouldn't think that, Pinkie!" She said, firmly. "It isn't true!"

Pinkie shook her head. "I feed on love Twilight!" She retorted, firmly. "I'm probably doing it now! I'm sucking you dry till you don't have any love left -- and you become an ice hearted monster! A monster just like me!" She said, breaking into uncontrollable sobs.

Twilight shook her head. Should she tell Pinkie the good news first, or the news that would make her a better pony?

Twilight shook her head again -- that was a silly thing to be debating. The poor thing was struggling enough! Twilight decided, coming to her senses. She didn't need a friendship lecture, no matter how much Twilight wanted to give one. What she needed was someone telling her that it would be ok.

"You don't feed on love Pinkie!" Twilight said, telling her outright.

"But don't mutant bug ponies feed on love?" Pinkie replied, confused. "And I thought you said I was a mutant bug pony?" She said, seething slightly -- wondering if Twilight was just leading her on.

Twilight opened her mouth. To explain, but Rainbow got the first word in. "What she means to say is that, because you are half bug pony then you can feed on food like regular ponies -- not love. And I am not sure that you are even capable of extracting love in the same way." Rainbow said, with a smile. "I just think you're half bug pony nature manifests itself in making you extra empathetic, and giving you the ability to share your emotions with others, and it tends to make them see things your way, and be extra eager to please."

"But what about you and Minty?" Pinkie asked, with concern. "Don't you feed on love."

"I don't know, darling." Rainbow shook her head. "I certainly hope that we don't have to actively feed if we don't choose to. I would like to think that, right now, we have been feeding off the ambient love energy that the ponies are giving out, like I did in my dreams -- instead of actively robbing them of what belongs to them -- but even if that isn't the case, darling, Minty, we shant hurt them unless we choose to; and I shall endeavor never to do that." She said, with a smile -- causing Pinkie's smile to slowly reappear. "And I'm sure that that darling, Twilight, can find a way to help." She said giving a trusting smile to Twilight.

Twilight opened her mouth to talk. "And even if that wasn't the case. Let me ask you a question, Pinkie." She said, sternly -- her face getting extra serious.

"Ok?" Pinkie said, her Pink face still beet red from all the crying she had been doing. "What do you want to know, Twilight?"

"Pinkie." Twilight reiterated, sternly. "Do you feel like a monster?" She asked, rhetorically. "Do you wish to hurt your friends?" She asked, the pink pony -- intending to make a point.

"Well no." Pinkie replied, hesitantly. "But what wouldn't I still be a monster if I went around hurting them unintentionally?" She asked, still not sure she believed Twilight.

Twilight sighed. Pinkie had her there, but the point still had to be made -- the pony had to be made to understand. "Was your goal to hurt them?" Twilight asked again, even more firmly than before. She waited for the pink pony's response. "Is that something you set out to do?"

"Well no but..." Pinkie rebutted, being shushed by Twilight.

"Then you're not a monster, and I'm sure your friends will forgive you!" She said, with a smile. "You just have to believe in yourself!" Twilight continued. "In the mean time, I'll talk to Zecora and see if we can come up with a potion for the three of you that will allow you to feed without taking another pony's love. Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes please!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "But what if we do it unintentionally?" She asked, doubt creeping back in.

"Zecora and I will come up with a solution to that too." She said, with a smile (of course, she'd have to go and talk to the zebra later on, but at least it seemed to put the pink pony at rest.) "In the meantime." She said, turning to Rainbow Dash. "Have you thought about what you three are doing next?" She asked, to see how much thought the blue pony had put into their plans.

"Yes, darling." Rainbow said, frankly. "We need to see what those horrible monsters did to Ponyville." She said, flatly. "And we have to see for ourselves what happened to all our friends, including the unicorns that I don't remember meeting!" She said, firmly. "Well... up until now." She said, blushing slightly. "I'm a little worried," She replied, looking at her friends, and frowning slightly. "if both Wysteria and Rarity ended up at strange places... Then what happened to the others?"

Twilight nodded happily. "Let me send another letter to Celestia telling her everything I learned about Wysteria from you, as well as your conditions -- if you wouldn't mind. " She said, with a smile -- eliciting a nod from the three G3 ponies in the room. While she was at it, she should also request that the princess find the other ponies. " I'll also ask her if she could spare some guards to help you get safely to your Ponyville." She said, planning the letter to make sure she got every possible detail in there.

"Ok, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile. "Hopefully everyone is ok." She said, her mood slowly recovering. "And I hope that this Princess Celestia can help!"

Twilight nodded. "I hope so too." She said, to Rainbow, raising her voice. "Spike! I need you to take a letter."

"Ok!" Spike said eagerly, appearing in a puff of smoke -- out of, seemingly, nowhere. "What is it you needed me to say?" He asked, quill in claw (and parchment in other claw!)

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight narrated to the dragon, who put the quill to the parchment, focusing intently on every word that came from the princess' mouth.

**********

Belladonna purred, licking her lips. "So our pppprrrray has hidden themselves in this sad little hole?" She said, with a smile, eagerly awaiting the hunt. "But how do we plan to fetch the second bearor without Star Swirl's mirror?"

Solanaceae smiled. "Leave that detail to me." he said, with a smirk. "If Star Swirl can turn a mirror into a portal -- then so can I!" He said, winking to the other two changelings -- slightly overconfident in his 'vastly superior changeling magic'.

Phytolacca smirked, sharpening one of his needles against his horn; licking it for effect. "I'm just hoping the chosen bearor doesn't come willingly." He said, with a smirk, throwing the needle against a wall, causing it to crumble.

"Careful!" Solanaceae cautioned, sharply. "That wall belongs to the hive -- and we don't condone the wanton destruction of hive property."

"I suppose." Phytolacca replied, like a child who was just told that they couldn't have that second helping of ice cream. He stamped his hoof for a while, making like he was dancing.

"Quiet!" Solanaceae ordered, his horn glowing vibrantly. "I'm trying to repeat a spell that has only been accomplished twice before." He said, with a frown -- his horn glowing multiple colors as he cast spell after spell.

"So are you going to cast that spell or not?" Phytolacca said, impatiently. "I mean I have ponies to meet, -- " he said, with a sadistic smile. " -- and alicorns to hunt," he said, under his breath, already planning revenge for the hive's little failure at that other strange town (well failure other than the collection of some magical goodies, but Phytolacca didn't much care for magical MacGuffins.)

Solanaceae started swearing -- sweating profusely. If he didn't succeed, and his boss was forced to intervene, then he could kiss his position good-bye (and possibly other things as well -- including, possibly, his head.) No! He had no other choice! He had to get this portal open! He would prove that the changelings were superior to any pony, and that he was superior to any changeling! He decided, practicing a trick he learned from the lady while he was still training under her (and he hoped it worked, because if it didn't...)

Belladonna hissed. "So are we going to get this show on the road, or not?" She said, contemplating her own search for the pony that had the misfortune of humiliating her back at that strange town (and she would make that pink pony with the wishing cutie mark sorry!)

The changelings began to shout at their leader, louder and louder -- causing his face to scrunch, and his expression to become more angry.

Solanaceae, finally, gave a sharp grunt -- about ready to scream at the childish ponies. Come on! He knew how to do this! The lady taught him this trick -- heck she showed it to him! He had to do it! He just needed a magic burst, that was all! He thought, his face scrunching with effort as he concentrating on his magic, forcing it into his horn. He concentrated on his thoughts, trying to force a magic burst by forcing them, making them race and whirl.

After a few seconds, he could hear raucous laughing from his two compatriots. "It looks like our leader is going to have an aneurysm." Belladonna said, with a mocking chuckle, cleaning her face with her hoof.

"Well it looks like we are getting another new leader!" Phytolacca said, dancing with enthusiasm. "I guess the lady didn't teach Solanaceae all her tricks after all!" He said, laughing maniacally. "I vote me for new leader!"

"Shut up!" Solanaceae shouted, finally losing control of both his temper, and his twisted horn, as the magic burst he had hoped for arrived. "RARRRGGGGG!!!!"

The mirror warped, and bend -- making horrible noises, slowly taking on a translucent color, before revealing an alien landscape covered in strange buildings for a second. Before shattering violently, into a million tiny crinkly bits.

Solanaceae sweared, like a sailor -- as he was now covered in cuts and nicks, and more than a small amount of pain.

"Well if you don't succeed!" Phytolacca said, with a smirk. "Try! Try again!" He said, taking a step out the room to plan his extracurricular activities.

**********

Twilight smiled eagerly, having received the response to her second letter surprisingly promptly (much more promptly, in fact, than she expected.) The funny thing was, even as a princess, she still sometimes still suffered from a kind of fangirl syndrome towards her second mother.

"Ok Spike!" She said, diligently, making sure to look her best. "Do I look like I'm presetable enough for a meeting with the princess?"

Spike sighed, slapping his head. "You realize she isn't here right!"

"Yeah I know." Twilight said, blushing slightly. "I forget sometimes." She said, with a smile. " I just, so badly, want to impress her!"

Spike rolled his eyes with viger. "And you realize that you're a princess too right?" He said, with a smirk. "So you don't have to do the whole fangirl thing!"

"Sure!" Twilight said, blushing again -- she hated to admit it, but he had a point! "So Spike!" She said, to the young drake. "What does Princess Celestia have to say?" She asked, eagerly, hovering closer to the young dragon then he liked.

"Actually it's not Celestia." Spike said, in surprise. "It's...." He stammered, his eyes going as wide as saucers. "From Princess Luna!"

"Princess Luna?" Twilight said, in amazement. "As in 'Princess Luna' Princess Luna?" She asked, in surprise, Luna never wrote, and never, ever, gave orders.

Spike nodded, vigorously. "The one and only!" He said, shocked himself.

Twilight quirked her eyebrows. "But why would Luna be sending me a response instead of Princess Celestia?" After all --

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Maybe she'll say in the letter."

Twilight nodded. "That actually makes sense." She said, sheepishly. "What does Luna say?"

Spike shrugged. "Shall we find out?" He said, his eyes scanning up and down the scroll.

"Greetings Princess Twilight, (we shall save you the customary formalities)

We have received your second letter, and wish to send condolences to the pony formerly known as the Changeling Princess Auroras -- currently known as Rainbow Dash.
We only became aware of her friend's plights because of Princess Rarity ascension -- and wish to inform her that we are currently working tirelessly to locate them. So far, we have located most of them, though a few still remain lost, including Wysteria, whom, we are now aware -- thanks to Princess Twilight Sparkle --, has been located somewhere in Appleloosa; Lily Lightly, Whistle Wishes, and Brights Brightly, who have been taken into custody in Unicornia under the pretense of being spies for Equestria (this is why Princess Celestia is unavailable to respond to this letter, as she has been forced to go there personally to negotiate their release.), Sky Wishes -- whose whereabouts remains unknown. We have also yet to locate any of the Breezies (not to be confused with the ones that you met earlier this year, the Breezies I speak of look very different than those), or Heathspike, whom we are tirelessly searching for.

As for Wysteria, we thank you for informing us of her ascendance -- this is both exciting, and very troubling news. However, we are also greatly dismayed by her nightmares, and her growing instability (as you are aware, Princess Twilight, if an alicorn's temperament becomes unstable or they are exposed to a negative emotion that is too strong or too large, then very, very, bad things can occur -- just ask ourselves.) And, as such, we now plan to go to Appleloosa immediately to escort her back to Canterlot (we had originally planned to make arrangements for Braeburn to escort her here.)

So as a result, we are going ourselves (much to Kibitz dismay.)

As for Rainbow, Pinkie, and Minty, I believe it would be most prudent for them to see what has become of their village, though I suspect they will not appreciate what they see. And as such, we have appointed some of your guard to the purpose of escorting them there -- I believe you are very familiar with one of them: one Flash Sentry." The letter said, causing Twilight to blush slightly -- she kind of liked Flash, though she wasn't sure if it was Flash she liked, or if she was still feeling that crush she had on Flash's counterpart, Brad. Nevertheless, the letter continued. "We believe this is prudent as you do not seem to need as many guards as my sister had originally anticipated -- she saw a vision of a grand castle for you and your friends, and the center of a new kingdom, however this has appeared to be only a dream.

We must reiterate, Princess Twilight, that you are to continue to stay in Ponyville, especially since the queen's plan to eliminate her aunt has failed -- and she will, as such, most likely be looking for somepony else's blood instead. And, furthermore, you are also to continue Princess Rarity's training, as the small alicorn has at least as much magic as any of us -- and about as much control over it as a newborn foal (we do not know why the foal princess ascended, but she did and it is our responsibility to make sure she lives up to her new position.)

Finally Princess Twilight, we wish to invite you to this years Grand Galloping -- "

Twilight rolled her eyes. There was no way in Equestria that she was going back to that Celestia forsaken event -- not even for Princess Celestia....

Ok! She changed her mind, for the princess she would do this! Though she really didn't know why.

**********

Solanaceae grinned, they said he couldn't do it! They said he didn't have it in him! Well he just proved them all wrong! He did it! He opened the gate -- and all it took was a bronze mirror (the most magical kind of mirror), a magic burst or four, and numerous tries -- although he was quite certain that even Star Swirl, himself, wasn't this successful when he cast the spell.

A thousand years ago, give or take a century or ten.

"I did it Celestia!" The aging unicorn stallion said, with a beaming smile -- as the mirror in front of him warped, and bent, an alien world showing, instead of his reflection. "And on my first try no less!" He said, puffing out his chest in pride at his latest accomplishment. "Of course, -- " he said, his face growing serious. " -- I suppose that, using a bronze mirror would have made this trick foal's play, but I feel that the extra clarity of glass will allow us to better observe without intervening." The unicorn said, in a moment of clarity. "And that is an excellent thing.

Back in the present.

"Whoopty doo!" Phytolacca said, unimpressed. "Should I give you a medal or something?" He said, giggling slightly. "So whom should go through first?" He asked, giving a mischievous glance at Belladonna. "It would have to be somepony expendable! Somepony that isn't wanted, and won't be missed." He said, pointing at his fellow assassin with his tail. "Hmm...." He said, taking a thinking pose. "I wonder who that could be?"

"Quiet!" Belladonna hissed, swiping her hoof at the giggling Phytolacca -- who dodged agily. "Well, I think that, maybe, it should be somepony stupid and gullible!" She said, with a sarcastic smile, to her boss. "Somepony that doesn't really belong here!" She said, indignantly.

"Silence! Both of you!" Solanaceae shouted, grumbling angrily -- and cursing slightly. "You're squabbling is driving me crazy!" He said, his mane starting to get ruffled.

They didn't stop, starting to quirrel louder.

"Well maybe you should go first! You're nothing but an ugly old Mule!..."

"Well you're nothing but a waste of space! An undignified lout who has no business being in the hive ... let along one of its great assassins!"

"You know what I think? ..."

"SILENCE!!!" He shouted, at the top of his lungs, stamping his feet violently. "You will both listen to me as I'm talking!" He commanded, using the pseudo royal semi-canterlot guardian voice. "Now sit down and shut up!"

"Wow!" Phytolacca giggled, his face growing serious. "I remember that one." He said, switching from the face of a maniac, to an almost sorrowful expression. "Dad used to use that one on me all the time." He said, his voice trailing off. "But oh well..." He said, his mood bucking back up. "So what do you need boss?" He said, with a serious expression.

Solanaceae smiled. "I think it's time for ~~commander~~ Raphanus to be given a chance to redeem himself." The assassin lead said, this time, himself, getting slightly sadistic. "Go and fetch him, Belladonna." He said, plainly, motioning for the lowest ranked assassin to do the dirty work. "Use force, if necessary! Just make sure he gets here!"

"Very well..." She hissed, her voice getting soft. "But I'll remember this slight once I have enough witching potion to bring about regime change!" She said, leaving the room. "Treat me as an underling will you!!!"

However, after a few minutes, she returned, dragging a trembling Raphanus by the tail. "The mouse didn't want to play." She said, as her pupils dilated, flattening like daggers. "So I had to convince him to show." She said, with satisfaction-- looking kind of like a cat that just caught a mouse.

"What... What is it that you want?" The ex commander said, anxiously -- trembling slightly. "I apologize for my failures, but haven't I paid enough for them?" He asked, stuttering slightly. "Can't I just suffer in silence?"

"Oh commander." Solanaceae said, with a wink. "Don't you want to be a commander again?" He said, making sure to get good and close to the commander.

"Well yes sir." The young changeling responded, hesitantly. "But the prince said." He said, before being hushed by the assassin head.

"Don't worry about the prince." Solanaceae said quietly, with a wink -- making good and sure to look him in the eye. "I'll put in a good word for you if you complete this one task." He said, with a reassuring smile. "... Maybe he'll even reinstate you."

"What is it sir?" He asked, apprehensively. "What... What... What do you need?" He asked, wondering what he was signing himself up for.

"Why it's simple." Phytolacca replied, giggling himself. "So simple that even you can do it." He said, winking again. "Just walk through the mirror... Nothing more."

"Walk through the mirror?" The ex captain asked, with confusion. "Are you sure that's all?" The changeling asked with dismay. "There's nothing else?"

"Yes! Just walk through, and then turn around and walk back!" Phytolacca said, with a mischievous smirk. "Simple right?"

"I suppose so." the captain replied, gulping as he carefully stuck the tip of one of his hooves through the mirror (though he was expecting to touch the bronze surface.) "Just walk through?" He repeated himself, anxiously.

"Oh come now?" Phytolacca said, with exasperation as he used his back hooves to buck the ex captain through the mirror.

Phytolacca smirked, again. "Oh and captain!" He shouted into the mirror was the captain slowly transitioned between universes ('an improvement' that Solanaceae made 'fully intentionally'.) "Do make sure to take careful note of what lies beyond!" He shouted, putting his ear to the mirror to see if he could hear any blood curdling screams.

When after a few seconds he couldn't hear any, the assassin looked down, and walked away sadly. "I was really hoping that the mirror would've failed the first time." He said, scuffing his hoof against the ground. "Oh well!!! We have a bearor to find!" He said, grabbing some of his things, and doing a cannonball through the mirror.

**********

Twilight blushed, looking at her old crush. "Hello Brad..." She said, uncomfortably. "So... Um..." she said, looking away -- her cheeks reddening slightly. "How's things going."

"Well... You know..." Flash Sentry said, himself looking away -- his own cheeks reddening slightly. "I've been busy... You know... With... Guard stuff." He said, awkwardly now. (Don't think he hadn't noticed her call him 'Brad'! He hadn't even been to that other world before, and he already hated his counterpart! Especially since his counterpart had stolen Twilight from him! But don't worry! He had a plan to win her back! A plan so secret that I'm not allowed to talk about it! No siree bob! -- Ok maybe his talk of plans was overrated... But Flash was still determined!)

"So... Um... What brings you here?" Twilight asked, uncomfortably, already knowing the true answer. It was more difficult to talk to the pegasus then she thought.

"Well... Um..." The Pegasus replied. "I'm here to escort Lady Rainbow, her great cousin, and her daughter to that alternate Ponyville." He said, motioning to the chariot, that had already been filled with a giggling Pinkie, and an eager Minty. "We're just waiting for Lady Rainbow." He said, calmly -- hoping she would show up shortly.

"Oh I can't wait!" Minty said to Pinkie, with a smile. "We get to ride on a chariot!" She said, eagerly. "And it's being driven by two really real for real pegasus ponies!" She said, getting a careful look at her guards, and blushing noticeably. "And stallions to boot!" She said, turning quickly away -- the red in her face growing more obvious (they didn't have that many stallions in their Ponyville, and so it was kind of an odd experience for the mint green pony.)

"Really real for real pegasus ponies?" The guards asked, looking at each other -- exchanging confused expressions, what were these strange ponies talking about?

"Don't worry." Twilight said, calming down for a minute. "I'll get her!" She said, looking to the door of the library, waiting impatiently.

"Rainbow!" She shouted towards the library, waiting for the earth pony's response. "Are you ready to go yet?"

"In a minute, Twilight darling!" Rainbow shouted back."I have a few more things to pack and then we can be on our way!" She shouted back, to sounds of rustling coming from inside. "Remember Twilight, darling, perfection is never ready -- it just... happens!"

After a couple of minutes, Twilight blushed with embarrassment, giving out a nervous giggle -- glancing back and forth between Flash Sentry, and the other two guards, and the library. "One moment please." She said, quickly galloped back into the library. "I'll... be... right back!" She said, with an embarrassed smile.

"So? How long do you think they'll take?" Minty said, with an oblivious smile.

"Well..." Pinkie said, thoughtfully, chin to bottom of muzzle. "Rainbow does have a habit of overpacking. she said, remembering the trip to Unicornia that she had never actually done.

What could heard next was arguing. "But darling! I need all these things! How would I ever survive without them!" A pony that sounded a lot of like Rainbow said, defensively. "I mean to say, darling, what if we need them, and they simply aren't around?"

"You don't need them! This isn't a vacation!" A pony that sounded a lot like Twilight said, sternly -- like a principle to an unruly student. "Your home might not even still be there!" She said, putting a hoof to her mouth, with a blush -- that was probably a poor thing to leak. "And, besides -- " she said, resuming her lecture. " -- there's no way all those suitcases can fit into that chariot!" The voice said, even more sternly.

"Oh! I know, darling." The voice said, starting to get sad. "But I was hoping to bring something back to my friends, and your darling Rarity has left me with so many darling gifts, it would be a shame to leave them all behind!" The voice said, apparently feeling sorry to be leaving her friend already.

"Well you'll be coming back to get them!" Twilight's voice boomed over the sounds of midday. "But you'll have to wait until you get back from that other Ponyville!" The voice said, starting to get soft again.

"Couldn't I carry one small handbag!" Rainbow's voice begged, desperately. "I carried it in my dreams about going to some dragon's home Whimsey-something-or-another! So it should be ok right!?" The voice shouted, trying to appeal to Twilight's sensibilities.

"Um! Rainbow!" Pinkie shouted, politely -- at the library. "Whimsey Weatherby!" She shouted, correcting her friend.

"No! Not even that!" Twilight's voice said, beginning to sound agitated as Rainbow's voice continued to argue with her. "And if you don't head out there right now I'm going to use my magic to make sure you get there!" The voice shouted, as the sounds of a stamping hoof could be heard.

"But daring!" The voice argued, before scuffling could be heard, and Rainbow shot out a window of the library landing into the cabin of the chariot.

"Ouch!!!" Rainbow exclaimed sorely. "I hardly believe that was necessary, darling!" She shouted, with agitation, looking back at the library. "You could've just asked!" She said, to a faint chuckling by Pinkie.

"Well..." The pink pony said, with bemusement. "She kind of did, darling." She said, chuckling slightly -- winking at her friend.

"I suppose so, darling." Rainbow replied, waving her hair back and forth, ostentatiously. "I suppose so." She said, crossing her front legs

Flash chuckled silently in front of them. "Well do you wish to go ladies?" He said, gallantly.

Rainbow frowned. "Couldn't I grab a thing or three first?" She asked Flash Sentry -- hoping that he would say yes, where Twilight didn't.

"Sorry Rainbow." Flash said, with a sigh -- it didn't feel very gallant to say no, did it? "I think Twilight's right in this case! We should be carrying as little weight as possible, in case we have to leave in a hurry." He said, remembering that the town had been attacked by changelings.

Flash smiled, and winked. "But don't worry ladies! We'll be there and back before you know it!" He said, chivalrously.

"Why of course." Pinkie said, with an odd smile, looking at the stallion. "Shall we be on our way?" She asked, battering her eyes slightly.

**********

Belladonna looked on. She didn't know why, but she hated these strange bipeds, or rather, she couldn't remember why. She stood there, trying to remember why.

Till it finally occurred to her when a group of three humans passed by: an older blond female, a younger redhead male, and the youngest of the brood, another blond female -- all with blue eyes.

"Ahh yes!!!" This is why I hate these creatures. She said, recalling the scene. "She reminds me of the one who ruined me!" The old changeling said, with a frown. "The one who ruined Rep!"

She had ample witch weed potion (or witching potion as she called it.) That is, until her incompetent assistant let the Bushwoolies escape -- which invariably, left her no choice but to look elsewhere for a source of labor to make her witching potion (an otherwise time consuming, and dangerous, process.)

So naturally the nearby pony kingdom came to mind. A kingdom whose inhabitants were peaceful, timid, and otherwise easy to manipulate (especially when their queen wasn't around, which was when they were especially vulnerable.) And seeing that their deity unicorn queen was m.i.a., she lept at the opportunity, whipping up a doozie of a snowstorm -- and in the middle of spring no less -- with the purpose of captured those ponies in a giant ball of ice and snow, a task she more or less accomplished, sadly, having to use most of her remaining witching potion to do. Oh well, she felt quite proud none the less, sucking in a snow ball filled with the pathetic, whimpering, collection of quadrupedal creatures -- creatures soon to man the machines necessary to produce her witching potion.

That was until SHE showed up! The blond female with the blue eyes! That female human wh -- (Tut tut tut! Temper! Temper!)

"Ok Rainbow! Do your stuff!" She shouted, brandishing an artifact that summoned a rainbow which not just blew away her clouds and snow, but also knocked her onto her back, not just once but twice.

Things quickly disintegrated from there, until she was left dangling over a vat of her own witching potion -- begging for mercy from those ridiculous quadrupedal creatures!.

But today she would change things! She would change it! She could get revenge on that girl and --

"Remember Belladonna!" Solanaceae said, sternly, putting a... What were these weird things? They were like hooves, but much more flexible, with strange things dangling off the edge... Anyway, he put his weird hoof thing on her wither. "We are here to fetch the bearer for our employer, not revenge!" He said, pushing her towards the door. "Save your personal vendettas for later."

"I suppose so!" The old changeling said, looking more like a cross between an anthropomorphic cat and a fairy princess. "But let's hope we find our pppprrrray quickly -- otherwise I can't guarantee anything!"

"Fair enough!" Solanaceae replied, with a smile. "We'll split up! And signal the others when you locate the target." He said, creating a small ball of magic in his finger. Apparently his kind kept their magic, even in this weird world -- a very useful thing! Despite the fact that they were relatively odd looking, looking more like fairies and less like humans.

"Sounds fair to me." Phytolacca replied, with a chuckle. "But hopefully you don't mind if I play with our mark a little bit before I turn them over?" He said, getting scowls and head shakes from his colleagues. "Oh come on guys! Can't a stallion have a little fun?"

"No!" Solanaceae replied flatly, his eyes turning fierce. "We want to enter and leave without being seen! The goal is to not have Celestia getting word of our movements until it's too late." He said, grinning malevolently.

"Fine!" Phytolacca replied, crossing his arms. "These creatures do have some interesting expressions they can do." He thought to himself with a chuckle (for those who are wondering: it's easy for master actors like the changelings to pick up the movements and motions of the humans, and it didn't hurt that one of the three already was well aware with the intricacies of bipedal movement.)

**********

"So where are all those strange creatures that we saw earlier?" Phytolacca asked, inquisitively, turning to his leader. "Did they all run away?"

"Unlikely." Solanaceae replied, carefully peering into the windows of the building -- looking for signs of life. "I doubt they even suspected anything, either. But I'm not sure, though, is where they went -- or why. Maybe they hibernate during the day and --? "

"Hey!" A large muscular bipedal stallion said, walking up from behind. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the day?" He asked, the rather large nose ring, that he was wearing, glowing in the light. "Do you have your hall passes?" He asked, crossing his arms, an authoritarian expression on his face.

"Hall passes?" Solanaceae asked, with curiosity.

"Yeah!" The large male replied, amplifying his voice, for effect. "This is a closed campus! And that means that you can't just leave the campus during the middle of the day!" He groused, poking one of the assassin's in the chest with his finger. "And truancy is not permitted at any time!"

"Truancy?" Phytolacca replied, laughing wildly. "So this is a school?" He said, with a chuckle. "Fascinating!" He replied, concocting a plan.

"If you laugh at me, then I wrath -- " The male started, before breathing in. "Remember your anger management classes, Iron Will -- besides these are only students." The male thought to himself, starting to count.

"Terribly sorry!" Solanaceae replied, taking on a very sad expression. "But we're new at this school, and we seem to have gotten the hours wrong." He said, scuffing his feet. "So maybe just let us go this time, and we'll find out which classes we are taking and..." He said, giving a silent signal to his partner, which was returned by his partner.

The old stallion gave out a deep belly laugh. "THAT old excuse again." He said, cuffing his head, with his hand. "Oh come on? You think I'm really that stupid!" He said, grabbing both changelings by the shirts. "You two boys are coming with me to see the principal." He shouted, not seeing the needle the onyx assassin was juggling in his hand.

Phytolacca smirked at his leader. "Principal huh?" He thought, putting the needle back in his pocket and sending a telepathic message to his young leader. "This should be interesting. You must be working on a plan, though I don't know how the old bat is supposed to help us find the bearer."

"Oh you'll see." Solanaceae thought, with a smirk -- sending his response to his friend. "Not originally, but, now, I think I already have a feeling I know how we are going to find the bearer -- you don't become leader of an elite group of assassin's such as ours without knowing something of the outside world -- and even if I'm wrong, then we can get some leverage -- incase they get cold hooves."

"Oh! Ho! Ho! Ho! You are a smart one." Phytolacca exclaimed with glee, eliciting a confused expression from the hall monitor.

"What kind of mischief are you two up to, anyway?" The hall monitor asked, once again having to count to control his temper."I don't like mischief!" He said, his voice giving a guttural growl.

"Oh you'll see..." Phytolacca said to himself, quietly. "You'll see..."

**********

"Hmm..." Belladonna said to herself. "My pppeeerrrray is within my grasp." She said, noticing that the necklace, that she was holding, beginning to glow an eerie light. "She must be that way." She said, pointing in the direction that caused the necklace to grow the most brightly. "All I have to do is -- "

"Home Ec teacher Catrina?" A voice came from behind, causing the assassin to jump slightly -- trying to embed her ~~claws~~ fingers in the ceiling.

"What do you want?" The assassin shouted furiously, turning around to find out who was speaking to her.

Behind her stood an old woman with peach skin, and greying hair, the last few pink strands of it still, barely visible, turning to the old witch -- the woman's dress containing a large and very distinctive quilting patch. "I thought you retired decades ago?" She asked with glee, her yellow eyes looking the assassin up and down. "What brings you back to Equestria High?" She asked, trying to make small talk.

The old witch wretched -- how dare this old goat bug her while she was in the process of finishing the work of the hive! Maybe she'd have to show her what comes to those who pestered her! A little swig of her witch weed potion and --

"Though you really shouldn't be wandering the halls without a permit." The old woman said, insistently. "Vice principal Luna would have my hide if I didn't -- "

The witch did a doubletake, carefully putting the vile of witching potion back down below her neckline. "Vice pppppeeerrrincipal Luna?" The old witch sneered, eagerly -- perhaps she might have some fun this mission, after all. "Why, terribly sorry about that mrs -- ?"

"Patch..." The women said, her face dropping in a mix of sorrow, and concern. "You don't remember me Catrina? I was your student, back, in the day, before you were fired by Principal Majesty." The old woman said, with melancholy. "Poor thing, must have been hard, it was the same year that you lost Rep..."

Belladonna snarled quietly. Yes she recalled now. She hoped, to this day, that Majesty burned for that indignantly! And for her role in Rep's end! And, of course, the ponies would pay dearly for her loss! Of course she should also probably thank old Majesty, it was after Rep's passing that she realized just how transient and fragile love could really be. "Oh well." She said, with a fake smile. "These things happen, so no hard feelings." She said, dishonestly. "Though I really should find Luna, I've been rehired -- you know, I had to get reemployed... the economy and all that."

"Oh yes!" The old woman agreed. "I've been forced to do the same. The grandchildren want me to retire, but I just can't..." She said, with a frown, her voice trailing off. "I'd go broke if I did." She said, sadly. "But good luck, Catrina, Luna should be over there, -- " She said, pointing down the hall. " -- take the third hall, -- " She said. twisting her wrist to point right. " -- then the second right, then she should be the fourth door.

"Oh of course." Belladonna said, with a sneer. "I'll go and talk to her for you, and we'll meet later to reconnect." She lied -- figuring her counterpart was probably long gone, and when the senile old mare figured it out Catrina would be long gone -- target in hoof.

Though it was fortunate that her mark was nearby -- because she'd be able to have a talk with them after she finished with 'Vice Principal Luna'. She sneered again -- after all, Tirek's work is never done.

**********

"You two sit there!" Iron Will demanded, sternly -- pulling out his wrestling voice (the middle aged man still loved to wrestle in his free time, like he did when he was a young man -- to this day, it still made him feel young again -- though, these days, he was forced to spend his time mostly teaching PE, and giving pep speeches -- a necessity as his age was slowly starting to get to him.) "Principal Celestia will be with you shortly."

"So are we going to wait for the old bat?" Phytolacca said, with incredulity. "I mean I have better things to do than wait around for some old dinosaur to show up.

"Hush..." Solanaceae said, taking a careful listen to a conversation between the secretary, and Iron Will. "I want to hear this."

"What do you mean Principal Celestia won't be back from her meeting for a few more minutes? I found two delinquents out there, slinking around, and skipping the classes." He shouted, with a scowl, his hand pounding on the desk. "I demand that something be done about this!" He said, his face scowling a bit with anger. "We've let too much slide as it is! Don't think the students didn't notice how we let little miss. sunshine get away with tearing the front off of the school." He continued, before his face turned softer and more satirical. "Oh lay off of her Iron Will. She said she was sorry." He finished with a falsetto.

"I know, Mr. Will." The secretary responded, calmly. "But there's nothing we can do, the Principal has to finish her meeting with Superintendent Tirek, -- " she said, calmly, her hands and arms raised in a shrug. " -- it's vital to getting the funding we need to finish repairs to the school that we needed after that whole... Demon incident!" She said, looking around uncomfortably. "So you see, Mr. Will, that the delinquents will simply have to wait." She said, with an overstated shrug.

"Fine!" The man said, with a sigh -- proceeding to walk away. "But I can't stick around her, -- " he said, sternly -- taking another look at his watch. " -- my lunch break is over in a couple of minutes, and I need to be in class at that point."

"So it would appear that 'the principal' won't be back for a few more minutes." Solanaceae said, stroking his chin with his hand. "Maybe now would be a time to look around for our mark." He said, pointing to the principal's door. "Would you mind doing the honors?" He said, turning to an eager Phytolacca.

"You mean by breaking and entering?" Solanaceae's fellow assassin said, with a smirk. "Oh and spying at private records?..." He asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Why certainly!" The assassin responded, with glee. "Allow me!" He said, starting to giggle manically. "But I would recommend that you don't stand a pawn's, rook's or bishop's move from the door -- just saying." He said, as he took a small sewing needle and chucked it at the lock -- causing the needle to enter the hole with a surprising amount of accuracy.

After a few minutes, sickening sounds could be heard coming out of the lock as the needle bounced, and rebounded around in the lock -- moving and warping metal as it bounced around. Eventually causing the door knob to fell clean off with a loud clanking.

"Gee..." The older of the two assassin's responded, with a chuckle after hearing a clunk that, quite frankly, should have woken the dead. "I would've expected the secretary to come running with a loud sound like that."

"Oh she didn't hear a thing." Solanaceae responded, with a smirk. "When I heard the sickening sounds coming from the object around her head from feet away (who knew that Principal Celestia's secretary was a fan of heavy metal pop r&b rap viking rock fusions?), I knew she wouldn't be able to hear anything we did." He said, pushing the door open, gently.

"Gee..." Phytolacca said, with bemusement. "I'd expect there to be pictures on this wall." He said, examining the wall right inside the door. "In fact, I may have been right, it looks like something used to hang here to boot," he said, touching the wall and comparing the dust levels at one location vs the other.

"Don't worry about the old crow's portraits of her ex." The senior of the two assassin's said, pointing at a few filing cabinets. "I need these opened!" He shouted to his fellow conspirator, pointing at some filing cabinets.

"Got it!" His fellow assassin said, using a couple of needles to pick the locks.

Solanaceae gave Phytolacca a baffled look, and pointing to his collection of needles.

"What?" The other assassin responded. "Were you expecting me to waste more of my magic on a couple of filing cabinets?"

Solanaceae nodded, still surprised that the other assassin wasn't using his signature ability.

"Look! It would be a waste of my magic, and besides." He said, with a chuckle. "I learned this trick stealing some of the placement tests for the EUP guard to impress daddy with my test scores." He said, with a chuckle. "How do you think I became one of Celestia's royal guards? Merit?" He laughed, getting a knowing nod from his compatriot.

"Shush!" Solanaceae said, pointing to the cabinets. "Turn them upside down, and find anypony with any connection to this symbol!" He said, showing the other assassin a picture of the necklace that Belladonna was currently holding onto.

"Naturally!" The other assassin said, as they both began to pour papers and documents onto Celestia's office floor.

After a couple of minutes Solanaceae gave a squeal of glee. "Just as I suspected!" He said, with a smile, turning to his assistant, who was now covered in papers. "Take a look at this, and tell me what you see on her shirt?"

He shrugged, the symbol on the girl's shirt wasn't all that special. "It's a picture of a sun! What's so special about that?" He asked, nonchalantly. "I thought I saw one of those weird bipeds with a skull on his shirt." Phytolacca said, with a lack of interest.

"Look more closely." Solanaceae replied, putting the picture of the necklace next to the school portrait.

"It's the same symbol." Phytolacca said, in utter surprise, a theory beginning to form itself in the assassin's mind. "Then that means that we need to find out the whereabouts of mrs..." He said, trailing off as he read the name at the top of the file. "Sunset Shimmer..." He said, with a smirk, pulling out a needle. "So all I need to do is look at the class registrations in the filing cabinets in the next room and -- "

"Why is lock to my office's door laying on the floor?" An older female asked, standing in the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently. "And why are you two snooping around my office instead of being in class!" She asked, with incredulity (was she looking at more bullies? Blackmail? Or, were these two acting as paparazzi for their blog?) She looked down at the file in the onyx human's hands -- a file she recognized intimately. "And why do you need to know where Sunset Shimmer is at this hour?" She asked, walking up towards the two assassin's, her looking of agitation slowly growing.

"Sorry principal." Solanaceae replied, dishonestly, giving his best fake apology face. "I'm sorry, you were right! We were trying to find out some dirt we could get on her as revenge on her for blackmailing us back at... the... um...." He said, thinking of a decent excuse. What kinds of holidays might these bizarre creatures celebrate?

"Winter Promenade?" The principal asked, a smirk gracing her face.

"Yeah!" Phytolacca replied, quickly. "We were angry about her... um... blackmailing us right before the Winter Promenade and ... "

"Phytolacca!" Solanaceae quickly shouted, his face filling with terror. "She made that up! There is no Winter Promenade!" He said, immediately seeing through the teacher's rouse.

"Smart boy!" Celestia responded. "You aren't from this school are you?" She responded, getting serious -- her body slowly backing towards the door, and one of her panic buttons.

"Horse Apples!" Solanaceae responded, swearing like a sailor -- his fairy wings unfurling as he took a quick jump back.

The principal's face lost all color as she staggered back, on the verge of fainting. "You aren't even from this world are you? You're from that other world, like Sunset and the Dazzlings aren't you?" She said, turning to run -- forgetting all about her panic button.

Solanaceae and Phytolacca looked at each other, sharing a quick smirk, as the other changeling unfurled his wings, and they both took belligerent stances.

Solanaceae gave a sadistic smile, feeling invigorated, his chance finally coming to do battle with the counterpart of one of Equestria's deity princesses. "I guess, Celestia's counterpart is just as perceptive as she is..." He continued, raising his hand, and pointing a finger at the fleeing principal. "Too bad, I suspect her counterpart isn't a quarter as magical," he announced, his advantage soon to play in his favor.

**********

Belladonna smirked. Yes! She needed to see Vice Principal Luna... You know... To get her hall pass, and assignments! And not at all to have revenge on the hated princess' counterpart!

"Excuse me young lady." Belladonna said, talking to a purple and aquamarine haired student, with mulberry eyes, and fuchsia skin. "I'm looking for the Vice Principal's office!" She said, with a false benevolence. "You see I'm going to be hired as the new home ec teacher, and I needed to finish my paperwork." She lied.

The student gave an uninterested expression -- baring the fear that showed in her eyes -- looking up and down 'the teacher's' form carefully.

"Is something wrong, deary?" 'The teacher' purred. "You feeling uncomfortable?"

"No." The student replied deadpan. "I just... Have to go... To the bathroom... The vice principal's office is over there." She said, pointing calmly, at the office, pausing frequently 'to think'.

"Of course." The witch said, with a glimmer in her eye. It was a good thing she brought her witching potion, because, as she suspected, the child was going to pull in just the ponies she wanted, and needed. But first, she had an appointment with the vice principal. She thought, with a glimmer in her eye.

Apparently all the rubbish -- or students, as they called themselves -- had decided to clear out, which was ok with Belladonna, she didn't really want all those ruffians in her way anyways.

She walked over, and carefully tapped on the vice principal's door -- concocting an elaborate excuse as to why she had been sent there. A sinister smile growing in the meantime (oh this would, most certainly, be fun!)

"Excuse me." She purred, waiting for the vice principal's response. "I know you weren't expecting me for a few more days, but I'm the new home ec teacher, and the district has ordered me to show up a few days early for my orientation."

Luna opened the door slowly, showing her serious face. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't been informed of a new home ec teacher. " She said flatly -- closing the blinds (for maximum effect) -- her face showing no small amount suspicion.

"Well I was told to show up this morning!" The changeling assassin purred, slowly entering the door -- where she could drop all pretenses. "So maybe we should go into your office, and... discuss things!"

"Very well." The vice principal said, walking over to her phone -- and making sure to put one finger on the panic button. "So tell me more about 'you being hired' mrs..." She said, before stopping -- her face growing pale as she began to recognize a form she hadn't seen since kindergarten -- it wasn't possible! It just couldn't be! She retired years ago! And to make things even more spookie, Luna was certain that the old teacher had already passed on!.. Years ago!

"Home ec teacher Catrina?" Luna said, in abject panic. "You got fired while my sister and I were in training pants for larceny, theft, extortion, and the abusing of child labor laws." She said, spouting off a laundry list of offenses. "... But mostly because we have no need for home ec any more! Besides, home ec is sexist!" She said, stammering like she'd seen a ghost.

The old cat smiled, her pupils dilating into the shape of daggers. "Then maybe I should make this quick." She smirked, taking a swig of a vial full of a foul smelling liquid that hung from around her neck. "Are you ready to battle now?" She asked, the principal of the night, whom, at this point, was backing away slowly. Belladonna was certainly glad, at this point, that she drank some of her witching potion, because she knew, for a fact, that this would be a difficult battle! After all, this was the princess of the night! And she was, by far, the most crafty and battle hardened of Equestria's four princesses; she was, after all, the best warrior of the four, striding over the other three in battle, like a titon!

Her plan, therefore was simple! She'd throw a fake blow -- using only a fraction of her energy, and then -- ...

She floored the vice principal with the quick jab. There was no dodge! No fight! No nothing, one quick blow that immediately floored her.

"Gee...." The changeling said, in confusion. "That was... alot easier... Then I was expecting." She said, her eyes as big as plates, as she examined her paw, with awe. Did she just do what she thought she did? Did she just floor the Princess of the Night's counterpart with but one blow? "I didn't even get to use the vast magics of my witching potion." She said, with disappointment.

Belladonna frowned. That was a let down for her. Oh well! Maybe she could take her disappointment out on the vice principal or --

"Sunset! Vice principal down!" A pink human with bright pink hair cried, making siren sounds, dragging a child's red wagon behind her -- that the assassin had no idea how she obtained.

Belladonna smirked, as the six human children approached, and the necklace she held started glowing violently. Apparently she was right to let that student go -- she did, after all, do exactly what Belladonna wanted, and brought the bearor right to her.

**********

Phytolacca turned to his boss, his eyes filled with disdain. "What do you mean you just put her to sleep? This is our chance to rid ourselves of the hated Celestia! Our chance to be the heros of the hive!" He said, with anger, and profound disappointment.

"No!" Solanaceae said, shaking his head, sternly. "This wasn't the real Celestia -- only her counterpart -- and I'm worried that destroying this world's Celestia would disobey Star Swirl's fourteenth law of cross dimensional travel.

Phytolacca used his hand to fake the bantering of the senior of the two assassins, lip syncing the words like he was part of a boy band. "Yeah... I know!" He said, deadpan. "The one where we can cause both universes to collide ... blah blah blah! End of the universe! Possibly all universes! Yakkity Yakkity Yak!" He said, unconvinced. "Are you sure we can't finish her?" He said, grabbing another needle, and pulling it back for a quick chuck..

"No!" Solanaceae commanded, grabbing his compatriots' hand and needle in his magic. "Finishing her would only serve to alert Celestia to our plans! And we have to find five bearers including Sunset first!" He said, motioning down the hall. "Now come along!" He commanded his colleague -- pulling him with his magic.

"Meh!" Phytolacca said, unimpressed. "It just won't be the same!" He moaned, looking at his hands. "Oh well! Let's find Belladonna!" He shouted eagerly, still hoping for a fight.

"I'm actually surprised." Solanaceae commented, with a frown. "I had expected Celestia's counterpart to be less of a pushover!" He said, with disappointment, looking at his feet. "Oh well!" He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Belladonna should know about this Sunset -- and I'm sure our liege will be very impressed with how quickly we completed this mission!" He said, putting some pep into his step.

"Oh I think she already does!" Phytolacca giggled, as a scrambling could be heard nearby. "Apparently Sunset decided to find us." He said, with a smirk. "And I do hope that she and her friends put up a fight!" He said, with the giggles. "I was looking for something to do!" He said, racing out into the hallway.

**********

Applejack frowned, looking down at the crumpled body of the vice principal -- her hand crumpled into a tight fist. "When teh dazzlings, of all people, told us that teh vice principal was in trouble..." She said, with a slight blush. "well ah cain't say ah believed them at first. But apparently the proof is in teh puddin'." She said, giving the look over to the assailant. An old women with fairy wings that kind of looked like an anthropomorphic cat. "She's an ugly one ain't she." Applejack said, giving the monster a look straight in the eyes.

Rainbow scoffed slightly, her face remaining fierce despite what would normally be considered a passable joke. "I'd still make sure we keep a pair of eyes to look around, incase the dazzlings decide to jump us from the lockers or something." She said, pointing to Pinkie. "Pinkie: why don't you and Fluttershy keep an eye open, incase the dazzlings 'return to help' or something?"

"Sure thing!" Pinkie said, dutifully, snapping to attention. making like a night watchman on an old sailing vessel (tipping to a 75 degree angle, and all.)

Sunset frowned. This was worse than she thought! Not only were these monsters quickly able to take down the vice principal, but they had apparently already transformed to boot (she could tell the moment she saw the creature's wings jutting out.) She sighed to herself silently -- her mind filled with self doubt -- Maybe she should have brought the book after all? But Aria had been so insistent that they hurry, saying, emphatically, that she had seen some strange people wandering around, and that one had already assaulted her (mind you, she probably exaggerated somewhat, but she did have revenge to think about, after all.)

"So." Applejack whispered, turning to Sunset. "Yah think we can take 'em?" She whispered as softly as she could.

"Of course!" Rainbow whispered, with conviction. "All we gotta do is have Sunset help us with that whole Anthro-Rainbow-beam thing and we'll take her down easy!" She said, mimicking a pair of horse ears with her hands. "We won't even have to break a sweat -- ten seconds flat!" She said, waving her hand in a line -- it took more than a super spooky D-grade movie monster to scare the one... the only... Rainbow Dash!

"Ah hope so!" Applejack said, apprehensively -- lacking both Rainbow Dash's confidence, and bluster. "Ah hope so!"

"Quick girls!" Sunset commanded. "Get close to me!" She ordered, sounding much more confident than she really felt. "I really wish Twilight were here! She'd be able to do this easy, and I'm not sure I have it in me!" She thought, fighting very hard not to keep her face from dropping.

A song played in the background "Honesty... Kindness... Laughter..." As the girls puffed out their chests, and prepared for the anthro transformation and ...

"Pinkie? Could you knock that off please dear?" Rainbow asked, with agitation turning to Pinkie. "That music is starting to get on my nerves!"

"Sorry!" Pinkie said, with a blush, putting her boom box away.

"Now where were we?" Sunset replied, as they went back to their positions waiting for the inevitable... Earth shattering! Villain squishing! Evil stopping! Burst of ... Nothing...

"Wowwee!" Pinkie said, eagerly. "I'm all anthro! I have ears and a tail!" She said, with a huge grin. "Now this is the part of the movie where we form the heart, and then blast with an orbital rainbow blast of friendship and send her packing!" She said, waiting for a second. "Any second now...." She said, still filled with denial. "And it's a beauty!"

"Uh Pinkie..." Fluttershy said, frowning slightly. "I don't think it worked." She said, still looking like herself, shaking like a leaf. "I think we might be in trouble!"

"Oh you girls had me for a second!" Belladonna said, her face growing fierce. "I was having flashbacks. And I don't like rainbows!!" She said, still shuddering at the words of the Megan (also known as the tribal deity of the unicorns) as she summoned her rainbow with the words 'Do your thing Rainbow!' Belladonna growled, showing her fangs. "And I don't like flashbacks!" She said, her eyes dilating into the shape of daggers again, and her claws extending. "Now are you going to hand over the bearer quietly? Or am I going to have to get rough." The old changeling assassin said, with a smile -- her anger being redirected into a sadistic mirth, and she pointed her claw at Sunset Shimmer.

Applejack, glanced and Rainbow Dash, and nodded -- they had to do something, no matter how stupid it really was!

Rainbow returned the nod, and started sprinting face first at the trained assassin. "I can do rough!" She said, with confidence. "I'll show you why I'm the queen of the rugby, and football teams! (American football, though she prefered the non-American version -- also known, in america, as soccer.)

"Sunset run!" Applejack shouted, herself running towards the trained assassin -- throwing herself at the monster.

Sunset nodded, and started sprinting down the hall the other way. "I'll be back for you guys as soon as I can contact Twilight." She said, somberly to herself. "Please be ok! Twilight would never speak to me again if you weren't!" She said to herself, with a frown, the tears starting to flow down her cheaks.

"That was a pointless gesture." Belladonna purred evilly, taking a deep breath, and blowing a whirlwind at point blank range of Rainbow and Applejack, sending them both flying into a wall.

"Did that hurt?" She purred, as both girls staggered back to their feet -- pained looks on their faces. "But don't worry!" She said, with a chuckle. "If it didn't then I can simply blow harder!" She said, taking a good breath in, incase she wanted to blow out another whirlwind. "And don't worry about being left out!" She said, turning to the other girls. "There's a lot more where that's coming from!" She said, taking a break to give a strong laugh from her belly. "Of course, you can make it stop if you turn her over to us." She said, gleefully -- by now certain that Sunset's friends would be feeling betrayed, and would happily hand her over so that she could go back to her pony hunt.

"Never!" Applejack wheezed slightly as she talked, still defiant. "We'll never give her over to the likes of ya'll!"

Belladonna smirked. "We'll see." She said, walking over, putting a claw to the human's chin. "Though I wouldn't be so sure of that!"

**********

Sunset sprinted, running down the hall. However, her trip only made it as far as the principal's office, before a javelin came flying out of nowhere, landing mere inches from her feet.

"Going somewhere?" A balding teenager with onyx black skin, and a pair of fairy wings said. "You wouldn't be trying to get in contact with princess Twilight would you?" He said, with a chuckle. "My boss wouldn't like that!" He said, waiting for emphasis before putting his hand to his mouth. "Actually!" He said, in a pretend whisper. "Please try!" He said, pointing to his boss, who was carrying an unconscious principal Celestia by the neck. "That way my boss has an excuse to get rid of that meddlesome Celestia's counterpart." He said, with a morbid glee. "You know... that kind pony who took you in and then promptly abandoned for power..." He said, getting shocked look from Sunset. "You don't think we can't pull out biographical information, if we need?" He said, with a chuckle, fumbling a needle out of his bag. "You belong with us!!!"

Sunset frowned, looking back, she could see her friends being thrown around like rag dolls by the first assassin. And standing between her and her locker were two more -- one, though looking no older than this dimensions crusader's, gave off the aura of one who was surprisingly magically adapt. She could try running around them, though she might have trouble squeezing through. Maybe there was another way? Hopefully she learned something from those soccer lesson's Rainbow gave her when they became friends for real.

The child opened his mouth, showing a pair of fangs. "I wouldn't even think of running Sunset, if I were you..." He said, growing serious. "You see!" He said, laying out his demands. "For each minute that we are forced to wait for your surrender, we will make sure that one of your friends..." He said, intentionally trailing off. "Well... It won't be pretty." He cautioned -- trailing off again. "Do you get the point?"

Sunset frowned, what was she going to do? On one hoof she absolutely had to contact the princess -- both worlds probably depended on it! But on the other hoof, what would happen if they weren't bluffing? What 'consequences' did these horrible ponies have in store for her friends? She thought, her mind starting to go feryl slightly -- dropping back to pony terms, something she hadn't used in years.

In the end, Sunset had to take a risk, her friends were making a huge sacrifice -- knowing what they were getting into -- and Twilight was the only one who could help, and Sunset knew it. So it was decided, Sunset would get Twilight. She just had to hope this maneuver worked! She held her breath as she sprinted towards the taller of the two monsters, practicing a trick she learned from dash -- first breaking into a full sprint, and then sliding between the legs of the bigger of the two changelings.

Sunset looked on as the two monsters stood behind her. But her wonder quickly ceased as the cries of her friends brought the reality of the situation to her mind. So she did the only thing she could -- she sprinted towards the locker as quickly as she could.

Solanaceae scowled -- starting to make chase, only to be stopped by one of his fellow assassin's needles. "Why'd you let her go?" He scowled to the other assassin. "We can't let her get away! What if she brings the princess into this (and not just Twilight, but one that actually knows what they are doing.)

"Oh she's not going anywhere." The other changeling said, with a chuckle. "How long do you think half the time between here and her locker is?" He shouted, raising his voice more the further Sunset got away.

The assassin head shrugged, five minutes tops.

"So!" He shouted, making sure she could hear him as she ran down the hall. "I'll give her four minutes to return, before I start doing permanent damage to her friends." He said, with a chuckle. "Shall we see how Belladonna is doing?" He replied, walking towards the vice principal's office, making sure to drag the principal behind him (for insurance, incase something actually went wrong.)

**********

Belladonna purred with glee, watching three bearers frozen in fright, one lying on the ground -- wheezing in pain -- and one more held precariously from her hand. Oh it reminded her of a moment, oh so long ago.

"Do you surrender? I want Sunset, and I won't leave without her!" He said, with a chuckle. "The hive has a mission for her!"

"NO!" The three remaining fools shouted, defiantly.

"Very well!" She purred, deciding to have a do over of her great defeat, this time for a position of authority. "Then I want you to be my slaves!" She shouted, holding up Rainbow by one hand, and ... nothing in the other...

The answer of course was obvious. "What... the... hey is she even talking about?" Applejack asked, with a wheeze -- staggering to get back to her feet.

"NO!" Pinkie shouted, getting into the act, her voice starting out low and then raising, before dropping again. "Hey everyone why aren't you joining in?" She asked, motioning for everyone else to join in. "We're all supposed to shout NO all at once, and we need to do it low to high and then back to low again for emphasis! It'll be great!"

Everyone, including the assassin stared at her, wondering what she was talking about. Had the girl gone mad?

"If I spare the Rainbow, will you be my slaves?" She asked, holding Rainbow Dash over a trashcan. Gee? This moment was getting a little too familiar wasn't it?

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted, angrily. "Why am I the bargaining chip here?" She wheezed, angrily. "Why can't Rarity, or Pinkie be the bargaining chip for a change?" She shouted, not really expecting an answer.

"Has the dear lost her mind?" Rarity asked, looking on in puzzlement -- and at least a little concern.

"NO!" Pinkie shouted, once again, joining in the act (her voice doing a bad impression of Sandy Duncan's.)

This time joined by Rainbow Dash. "I'm not going to be your slave! So let me down!" She shouted, starting to kick at her captor.

"Then say goodbye to Baby Moondancer!" She shouted, dropping.... nobody... nowhere...

"Oh..." She said, looking around cluelessly, before a a blush finally crossed her face -- having realized her mistake (yeah maybe she got a little too eager to rewrite history.) But not to worry! She'd fix it with this part! "Then say goodbye to Rainbow Dash!" She said, dropping Rainbow in a trashcan.

Hmm... alot less epic then she hoped... Maybe back to the old plan she sighed to herself.

"Give me Sunset!" She shouted, swiping her claw, intending to give someone a nasty cut -- though it only got halfway before the other two assassin's arrived, and the senior (and younger of the two stopped her claw with his magic.)

"Uh! Uh! Uh!" Phytolacca said, with a chuckle. "We're giving Sunset four more minute before we start finishing them." He replied, looking over his motley looking resistance. "How about you keep the authorities out of our way." He said, with a smirk. "They'll probably be arriving soon." He said, to his feline cohort, with a smirk. "Though I was hoping to be the one to stop them..." He said, with a shrug. "I guess nothing beats Belladonna and her witch weed potion for stopping crowds." He said, turning his head to the side.

"Fine." She whined. "But you two had better bring her back." Belladonna moaned, once again feeling imposed upon. "I'll have to bug Starlight Glimmer when I get back! I think it's time to demand a cutie mark upgrade!" She thought to herself, with a chuckle.

"Oh we will!" Phytolacca said, with a smirk. "WE will." He said, turning to the five element bearers. "So who wants the next turn? I'd be more than happy to play if anyone is interested!" He said, checking to see if anyone was interested. "No one?" He said, turning his head down, with a loud sigh. "I was really hoping that someone would want to fight!" He said, changing to a shrug. "Oh well!" He said, turning his head to the side.

"Whatever shall we do?" Rarity said, with a frown. "Just look at Rainbow and Applejack!" She said, looking at her friends -- neither of which looked like they could take any more. "There is no possible way they can take any more." She said, seeing Sunset Shimmer racing down the hallway towards them, an open book in her hands. "But maybe there is something I can do." She said, walking gingerly towards the assassins -- making sure to sway her sides in a certain way.

"Excuse me gents." She said, gracefully. "But I certainly couldn't help but notice that you have absolutely fabulous wings -- " She said, deceitfully, hoping to grab the two males' attentions.

"Dear princess Twilight," Sunset wrote hastily in the diary as she sprinted towards the office.

"If you get any closer." Phytolacca warned. "I might have to force you to back off." He warned, smelling a rat -- though his face looked like it smelled a girl.

"Oh come now gents." Rarity replied, with a chuckle. "I couldn't help but look! I've just always dreamed of having wings like those." She commented, trying to feel one of the changeling's wings, giving Sunset a silent but noticeable wink, causing him to shake slightly -- a blush materializing on his face. "Certainly there's no need for violence, Sunset has a whole nother minute or two and -- "

"It's Sunset Shimmer! I have urgent news that -- " She started writing, before being unable to finish, as the book was short out of her hands by bolts of lighting from somewhere.

"Sorry!" The old cat said, with a laugh. "Did that lightning get too close?" She said, with a sinister smirk. "But I don't appreciate you disobeying orders!" She hissed, her eyes changing again.

"Phytolacca!" She shouted to her companion. "Sunset's tried to contact princess Starplot!" She shouted angrily. "What do you think we should do?"

"Oh ho!" Phytolacca laughed, with realization, his face dropping like a stone -- the goofy smile that had been growing on it hastily vanishing. "You were trying to trick me?" He said, evilly, causing Rarity to back up.

"Well... you see... I...." Rarity stammered, trying to regain her composure.

"Uh uh uh!" The changeling said, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Maybe a lesson should be given." He said, as he sent four of his needles flying.

Rarity gave out a shriek, cowering violently imagining the gaping hole she would have -- only to realize something. She was ok!

She felt herself up and down. Thank goodness she was ok! She could only imagine what the monster could have done to her!

At least she thought she was ok...

Well she had no noticeable cuts, or scrapes... Or bruises! So she had to be...

So what was that monster aiming at? She asked, coming to another realization. Was it just her, or did she feel a breeze? And did those two male creeps have a goofy expression on their faces.

"Oh dear!" She thought, as she fainted in place.

"She ain't gunna like that when she wakes up" Applejack said, with a frown, struggling to rise again.

"The boss doesn't want me to do away with her so I killed her fashion!" He said, with a chuckle. "So any of you want round two?" He chuckled, pointing the needle at different people. "Come on? No one!" He said, his chuckle turning to a belly laugh again.

Applejack finished staggering to her feet, and starting staggering towards the monster again.

"You ready to surrender Sunset." The monster asked, seeing Sunset's face contort with indecision.

"Don't give up Sunset!" Applejack grunted, a split second, before she fell back to the ground -- a pained expression on her face, as one arm held the other.

"Applejack! Your arm!" Fluttershy gasped, in horror.

"Now are you ready to surrender, Sunset?" Solanaceae asked again.

"Don't do it!" Applejack groaned, staying put this time.

The other girls started to join in.

"I wouldn't recommend that!" Solanaceae cautioned, with a chuckle. "The girls can't take anymore, and I don't recommend that you push it any further!"

"Weh just need to stall them a little longer, till the gate closes, then we'll be able ta handle ya at any point." Applejack said, thinking of the strategy that stopped the dazzlings for thousands of years.

Solanaceae laughed. "Too bad that won't work!" He said, lifting up a finger to lecture. "You see, Twilight's not the only one who can open and close the gate at will!" He said, wagging his finger at his opponents. "And worse case we can come again at some time that you won't expect!" He said, with a chuckle. "When you or your friends will be most vulnerable, Sunet!" He said, looking at Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. "Or we could simply take our frustrations out on your sisters, or someone's number one fan." He said, zipping up to Rainbow Dash's side, and standing cheek to cheek with her.

"Why you!" Rainbow shouted, as well as she could. "How dare you threaten the squirt!"

Solanaceae sighed. "Tut tut tut!" He said, pointing to Phytolacca, who raised another needle. "I wouldn't recommend interrupting me while I'm giving my demands." He shouted, pointing at a fly on one of the walls -- that was quickly impaled by the needle. "Now this could all be put to an end if Sunset came along, then we would have no more use for you, or this world -- and we could be on our way." He said, pointing towards the school's exit. "So what do you say Sunset?"

"Sunset would never!" Fluttershy said, with an unusual amount of confidence, speaking up for the battered looking Rainbow Dash. "She would never give up and -- "

"I give up." Sunset said with a defeated frown, looking down. "I'll go! Just leave my friends alone!!" She begged, falling to her knees. "I've failed them! The deserve a true friend like Twilight, not me!" She said, giving up.

"Sunset?" Rainbow asked, with dismay. "You aren't going to go with these guys."

Sunset frowned. "I have no choice." She said, walking forward, as the two changeling assassin's put their arms on her back. "I can't let them hurt you any longer!"

"But what about you?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know!" Sunset said, as she slowly walked out the front door, the three assassin's surrounding her. "I don't know..."

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, her hair looking flatter than normal. "Get help for Rainbow, and Applejack! (Oh and Rarity too! I totally forgot about her and -- )" She said, her expression growing fierce. "I'm going to have a word with those meanies!" She announced, sprinting after them.

Phytolacca chuckled. "One of the gnats wants another round." He said, raising his final needle. "Shall I?" He asked, before his arm was stopped by his boss.

"No need!" Solanaceae responded, as he pushed Sunset through the mirror in the school's statue. "We'll be long gone before she gets here." He responded, pulling on his fellow assassin's arm.

"Fine!" The assassin whined. "I have an alicorn to find anyway." He said, with a chuckle.

As the last assassin began to crawl through, the gate began to shimmer, and close.

"Oh no!" Pinkie said, angrily. "I'm not letting you get away that easily!" She shouted, looking kind of deranged herself. "You're going to pay for this!" She shouted, straight at the statue, and into the gate -- just as it closed.

**********

Twilight gave a nice hearty smile; pleased, with herself, that she was finally starting to get the knack for teaching magic. And, to make things even better, it looked like young Rarity's magic training was starting to move along -- meaning that, now that the foal had mastered levitation, Twilight could start teaching her other spells (though it helped that the foal was surprisingly earnest, well... once you could get her to concentrate, of course -- instead of goofing off, or being distracted by one of the thousand worms that somehow seemed to materialize out of nowhere, all the time.)

And she hoped that she might now be able to train the young alicorn in some more advanced kinds of magic (she had not yet found the kind of spells that the young alicorn would be casting, though. Well, you see, normally, a unicorn only learns one or two tricks, in their lifetime, based on their special talent, but the little foal seemed to have no end of tricks that she could, at least, attempt. And this left Twilight unsure of whether it was because of the fact that she had no real talent -- because a talent for loving rainbows made no sense --, if it was because she was an alicorn -- which made more sense, but seemed like a flimsy theory --, or if it had something to do with the strange nature of these odd ponies. Of course there was always the possibility that it had to do with her talent being in magic, like rainbow magic, or something -- she should ask Dash for some weather making lessons for the foal -- assuming she could get either one of the two of them to sit still for any period of time, at all.)

Meanwhile, her mentor/mother (Cheerilee had gotten the adoption papers just that morning, and was already asking Twilight to help her get them laminated, for all to see), was another story, having, just now, figured out how to activate her horn (Rainbow, of course, was to thank for that -- daring Dash, not darling Dash.)

Earlier that week.

Rainbow Dash giggled gleefully, as her newest prank began to take shape. Soon her favored target would be right in position -- right where she wanted her.

And you know what was even better? The prank was sooo simple that even a foal could perform it! And amongst the cheapest that she'd ever attempted. All it took was one cloud that she had 'borrowed' from the weather team, a couple of lightning bolts (that she had bought for a steal from crazy Cloud Hopper's used lightning emporium.) And a lot of time.

Rainbow giggled, feeling her mirth. This was a doozie of a prank, and it was sure to leave both her and her target in stitches (and Pinkie, were she here too.) But first, she had to shush herself, lest her mirth give off her position, because her target would be here any minute and --

"What ahr you up ta Rainbow?" Somepony below asked, blowing her concentration. "Ya ain't tryin' another one of yer dang fool stunts are ya?" She asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

"Me?" Rainbow asked, with a false innocence. "Never!" She said, barely containing the giggles."I was just... Um... Testing this cloud..." She said, pretending to look around in the innards of the cloud -- her head sticking through it! "Yeah!... Testing this cloud! To... um... make sure it's working correctly!" She lied, poorly.

"Uh huh..." Applejack said, looking the cloud up and down. "Then what's all the lightning fer?" She asked, getting a glimpse of Rainbow's stockpile.

"I'm... um.... using them... to.... um.... defend the cloud!" Rainbow said, sweating slightly, and looking around nervously. "That's right! Defending the cloud! In case of... Invaders! They're everywhere you know!" She said, with a fake conspiratorial tone. "Just looking for clouds to jack! But I won't let them!" She exclaimed 'bravely'.

Applejack shook her head, having rolled her eyes enough already. "Who they fer?" She asked, becoming more serious -- pointing at the lighting bolts.

"Nopony!" Rainbow Dash lied, 'smoothly''. "I already told you! I need my lightning bolts in case of cloud snatchers!"

"Rainbow!" Applejack responded, sternly -- her face scrunching slightly..

"Ok!" Rainbow said, bowing her head. "Derpy!" She said, honestly -- maybe she could still fudge the reason. "This is for her being an insult to the disabled ponies everywhere!... And I won't stand for it!" She responded, fervently -- puffing out her chest. "It's high time somepony told her not to be insulting to disabled ponies everywhere!... And I think that ..." She said, eliciting a head shake from the apple.

"Uh huh..." Applejack said, a smirk starting to appear on her face. "An' you just want to zap her!"

"I just want to zap her!" She said, pausing awkwardly, doing a few double takes. "Dang it!" She shouted -- feeling like she had been caught. "No... I mean that I was planning on -- "

Applejack's smirk now grew like a garden weed. "Ya wanted ta prank her didn't ya?"

Rainbow Dash continued. "Pranking her and ... " She said, before grunting loudly -- foiled again. "Yeah! I want to prank her." She admitted, loudly -- hoping that the apple pony would finally go away. "So will you go now?" She begged, seeing the grey pegasus approaching from below -- holding onto a box of baked goods.

Applejack nodded. "Fine! But could ya do me a favor, and not do it so close ta my cart?" She asked, politely. "Ah'm worried 'bout ya scarring off my customers!" She said, firmly -- with a smile (having, finally, given up on talking any sense into the pegasus.)

"Fine!" Rainbow said, hastily moving the cloud -- as the grey pegasus approached ever closer. Ok now she was --

"Hhhheeeeyyyyy RAINBOW Dash!" A hyper voice shouted at the top of their lungs.

"YAAHHHH!!!" Rainbow shouted, hopping slightly -- having been startled. "Pinkie!" She shouted, angrily. "Not now!" She shouted, sternly. "I'm trying to pull a prank on Derpy here! And everypony insists in getting in my way.

"Oh you mean her?" Pinkie asked, pointing at somepony singson, as the grey pegasus moved under the cloud.

"Dang it!" Rainbow shouted, quickly hopping on the cloud to release the lightning it held within. She would succeed at this prank yet! Shout decided, hopping up and down on the cloud, hoping to catch her at the last minute, and ...

"Rarity." Cheerilee said, calmly. "The rainbow ceremony is approaching soon, and it's now more important than ever for you to take your training seriously." Cheerilee lectured her mentee, with a smile. "It's up to us to bring the first rainbow of the season." She said, with a smile. "Otherwise ... " She said, bumping into a grey pegasus with blong hair, and a bubble symbol (or cutie mark, as the natives called it.)

"Oh sorry!" She said to the pegasus (picking herself up the ground, and helping the pegasus pick up her things), who simply smiled, and nodded knowingly -- a knowing expression gracing her face.

"Unicorn foals and fillies can be quite a hoofful can't they?" She said, with a slur, and a smile. "I have two of my own and ... " She said, as a bolt of lightning came down and struck the large purple unicorn right in the horn -- causing her to fall over.

"YAARRRRGGGG!!!" The unicorn shouted, shaking violently along the ground -- her coat smelling of smoke.

"Pinkie!" Rainbow shouted angrily. "You made me miss and... " She said, suddenly stopping -- realizing something, as she slowly started to look beneath the cloud.

"Oh." Pinkie said, with a frown. "Yeah, and you kind of hit somepony." She said, with dismay. "Maybe you should work on your aim." She said, starting to bounce away singsong.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh Dear!" Rainbow shouted, stomping violently. "I'm terribly sorry." She said, kicking the cloud away -- so as to hide all evidence of her prank turned bad.

"Are you ok?" Rainbow asked the purple unicorn, who was just now getting up -- her oversized eyes suddenly resembling the grey pegasus ponies.

"Wow that was a surprise?" She said, sounding dazed, moving her head woozily. "Was Rarity abusing the magic wand again?" She asked, holding her temple, with her hoof.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh Dear!" Rainbow said again, looking around in all directions, including straight up. "Are you ok?" Rainbow asked, anxiously. "My name is Thunderlane and ... " She lied, hoping the new pony in town wouldn't recognize her.

"Rainbow Dash?" Cheerilee asked, suddenly recognizing, what she thought to be, a familiar form (so much for Rainbow calling herself Thunderlane.) "When did you grow those weird looking wings, and why are there five of you?" She asked, her horn glowing like a lightbulb -- the pink alicorn foal giggling at the absurdity of the situation. "And why's my head glowing?" She asked, finding herself blinded by that light. Where was that thing coming from?

"It's not your head glowing silly!" The tiny Rarity said, with exuberance.

"Yeah! It's your horn." Pinkie said, joining in -- giggling along (didn't she bounce off just a minute ago?) "It's glowing like a nightlight." She said, holding a marshmallow over it by a stick (where'd she get it? Why -- isn't it obvious? -- she has stocks of them all over the city, in case of marshmallow emergencies!)

"My horn?" Cheerilee asked, looking up at the glowing thing on her head. "So that's what that feels like." She said, with a bashful smile. "It definitely hurts doesn't it..." She said, fainting onto the ground in a heap (back at the hospital, the doctor was none too happy to hear about the Rainbow's reckless prank.)

And now in the present.

The good news was that the accident gave her something that Equestrian unicorns take for granted (from birth), a fifth sense of what was happening to their horn.

The older unicorn, of course, had immediately started trying, in earnest, to learn the ins and outs of her previously unused appendage (even borrowing books of unicorn magic theory, and advanced magic from Twilight.)

Twilight was correct in her assessment of the purple unicorn, she did remind Twilight a lot of herself -- and not in a good way, having worn herself out a few times trying, unsuccessfully, to cast spells (in this case levitation) that she wasn't ready for.

On the other hoof, could Twilight blame the older unicorn? Cheerilee did, after all, feel a sense of duty to the young pink unicorn, and her training (and Twilight suspected that she didn't want to be left behind by the foal that she was supposed to be training.) However, Twilight found herself, once again, chastising the older unicorn, who had worn herself out trying to use all her magic to lift a half pound metal orb (Twilight had given up on using small household items with the older unicorn, as she tended to break objects instead of lift them.)

"Cheerilee!" Twilight said, sternly. "You need to use less magic when trying to lift small objects! You only need a little."

"But Twilight." Cheerilee said, with confusion. "You tell Sweetie to use all her magic."

Twilight sighed, Cheerilee meant well, but she, frequently, thought too much for her own good. "Yes, but she has a lot less magic than you or Rarity do."

"But you tell Rarity the same." Cheerilee said, tilting her head in a thinking pose.

"Yes." Twilight nodded, preparing her follow up lecture. "But, although, her alicorn magic is a lot more powerful, it's also a lot less focused, meaning that for every jewel of magic she uses that reaches her target, a thousand or ten end up floating off into space. Meanwhile your focus is much, much, much better." She said, nonchalantly, causing the older unicorn to fall to the ground, in dismay -- her energies spent, and her head spinning.

"I'll never understand magic." She sobbed in dismay. "How can I train Rarity properly if I don't understand magic? How can I properly raise her as a unicorn -- "

"Alicorn -- " Twilight retorted, falling back into her old habit of not accepting errors in her friend's speech patterns.

" -- as an alicorn if I don't understand magic." Cheerilee said, with deep dismay -- feeling completely inadequate, and wondering if she should have just stepping out, and gone back to Unicornia.

"You know Cheerilee." Twilight said sternly. "You have to be less hard on yourself." She said, feeling like she was speaking to her own inner demons. "The world doesn't rest on your shoulders, and you shouldn't feel that it should!" She said, looking the other unicorn in the eyes. "Besides." Twilight said with a smile, now that she had gotten the purple unicorn's attention. "Your training is coming along nicely!" She said, lifting the other unicorn's head with her hoof. "Do you remember how long it took Rarity to get this far after she first learned to activate her horn?"

"It took her two weeks before you gave her first lesson in magic." Cheerilee said, contemplatively. "But ... "

"Yes!" Twilight said, with a nod. "You started researching basic magic (albeit a six year old's guide to magic) all on your own!" Twilight said, with a smile. "Besides." She said, an idea occurring to her.

Twilight turned to Rarity, who was sitting nearby, occupying herself by using her horn to move bookcases around (much to Twilight's chagrin, as she would need to reshelve all those books later, and probably put the bookcases back into the wall.) "Could you do me a favor, and toss one of those books on advanced magic to your mother?" She asked the young unicorn, who gladly complied -- giggling with glee all the way at this opportunity to use her magic.

The young alicorn's magic, though, still remained unpredictable, as the book came flying towards the purple unicorn at dangerous speeds.

The purple unicorn cowered, putting her muzzle against her barrel, and blocking her eyes with her hooves. However, instead of a thump, nothing happened. "Rarity!" Cheerilee said, sternly, the worry and dismay apparent in her voice. "You need to be careful with your magic." She said sternly. "You know how dangerous it can be when you lose control and -- "

"Cheerilee!" Rarity said, bouncing up and down with glee. "Your magic!"

"What about my magic?" Cheerilee asked, with apprehension -- afraid to look up from the position she suddenly stood in.

"It's ok to look up." Twilight said, reassurishinly. "Your instinct kicked in." Twilight said, with a smile.

"It did?" Cheerilee asked, looking up just above her field of vision to see a book hovering there, covered in a blue aura. "How did I do that?" She asked, in amazement, wondering how she did it? It just felt so natural, somehow -- and yet she couldn't quite reach down and feel it.

"Instinct." Twilight said, with a smile. "I do feel sorry about the teaching method though." Twilight said, with a frown. "I really shouldn't have used that method, but I was worried that you would give up otherwise." She said, turning away from the purple unicorn in dismay. "And I just knew that if you did it once you could do it again." She said, with optimism.

"What kind of method?" Cheerilee asked, with a frown.

Twilight sighed, looking down sadly -- the memories replaying themselves in her head. "The unicorns and pegasi of old weren't as always as tolerant as they are now." She said, with a deep frown. "And some unicorn families still follow the old regime. As do more than a few of the pegasi families." Twilight said, her tone going dark, and her expression stern. "For example, in those families that still follow the old ways, if a pegasus is having trouble flying then their parent's leave them on a cloud until they either fly, or it evaporates. And unicorns..." She said, remembering the fierce arguments that she'd used to overhear between her parents and grandparents -- during the period before the magic test, when her aptitude for magic remained academic only. She'd even remembered one or two of the lesson's her grandparents had given her when her parents were away on extended business (and she could still recall all the bumps and bruises she got from her grandparent's 'teaching methods'.) "... sometimes throw objects at their young to try to force their magic to activate via their self defense instinct."

"I understand." Cheerilee said, with a smile. "I kind of needed some sense knocked into me anyway." She said, her countenance returning.

Twilight lifted her hoof, prepared to give a lecture about just how dangerous this teaching method was -- but Cheerilee didn't need to hear it.

"And I promise that I will never do anything mean, stupid, or reckless like that." She said, giving Twilight a wink. "Ok Rarity?" She said, turning to her daughter/mentee. "You ready to go?"

"Ok Cheerilee!" Rarity said, carrying half the book's in the library, as well as half the library's many statues (she'd be carrying out the other half of the books and statues, but Twilight had wisely hidden them after the previous day's lesson.)

"Umm... Rarity!" Twilight shouted at the young alicorn. "Could I have those things back!?" She asked, loudly -- chasing after the rainbow haired pink foal alicorn.

"Awwww!!!!" Rarity sighed. "It's not my fault!" She said, dropping to the ground, with a pouty expression. "This new magic is soo much fun and..."

"Oh Rarity!" Cheerilee said, shaking her head, stenly -- it didn't have quite the same effect as she was having trouble containing her smile. "You know how much Twilight prefers her books where they are.

"I suppose." Rarity said, with a frown -- handing the massive pile of things back to Twilight, who grunted slightly under the magical load (apparently the eager young foal was getting better at this!)

Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes. "Oh and Rarity! Cheerilee!" She said, with a smile. "I want you both here for Twilight time tomorrow." She said, eagerly. The reason was simple, as Twilight still found it useful to have the young alicorn join the crusaders for Twilight Time, because she found that it was much easier to train the exuberant young alicorn if another young unicorn was around for her to learn with -- even if they both tended to be kind of excitable. Nevertheless, this was not without it's pitfalls, as the young alicorn crusader, herself, definitely caused at least as much havoc as the other three crusaders combined.

However, Rarity wasn't the only one that benefitted from the expanded Twilight time, it seemed that Cheerilee also to learn a lot from watching Sweetie's magical failings -- not to mention Rarity's.

"So see you tomorrow!" Twilight said, waving with a smile. "Ok..." Twilight thought to herself. "They're gone now. Now maybe I can get these books back onto the shelves, and get some work done and -- "

"HHEEEYYY Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, hanging down from the top of Twilight's door frame -- making monkey sounds, in between fits of giggles. "What are you up to?"

Twilight sighed. "Hey Pinkie." She said, deadpan, knowing full that she wouldn't have the quiet time to finish her work now (and wondering what she did to incur the wrath of the original Pinkie.) "What do you need?"

"Not much Twilight!" Pinkie said, with a wink. "I just wanted to see if Cheerilee was still here!" It's almost her one-week-magic-versery!" Pinkie said, shaking with excitement. "And I was hoping to give her an invitation!" She said, holding an invitation in her hoof somehow.

"Actually Pinkie -- " Twilight started, before being interrupted by the pink pony.

"Oh! Good point Twilight!" She said patting Twilight on her head "I almost forgot about Rarity's ascentionverary later this week!" Pinkie said, in horror. "I simply have to get some more party supplies before it's too late!" She shouted, jumping off into the distance. "I simply can't leave Rarity out!" She shouted into the distance. "There's no time to waste!" She shouted, breaking into a bounce. "I have to get ready for Cheerilee's adoption party! Oh! Oh! Oh! And her adoption-versary!!!"

"O.... Kay...." Twilight said, scratching her head with a quill, that was held in her magical field. "What was that all about?" She asked, inquisitorial -- feeling like she was in complete mystery.

Twilight took a second, to attempt to make sense of it all, then before shaking her head. "Oh well..." She thought, moving the books a few at a time back into place -- shaking her head frequently while doing so. Rarity could still definitely be a hoofful -- no wonder Cheerilee was kind of a basket case.

Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes -- her face starting to show bemusement. After all, this was Pinkie, that she was thinking about. Who could understand her?

In any case, she still had to return all the things that the little alicorn had carried away with her (yeah, it took a while longer for the filly to pick up magic, then Twilight had anticipated -- but, once she did, she took after it like a duck to water.)

Twilight looked through the collection of things still left on the ground. Amongst which was the book that she used to communicate with Sunset.

Twilight sighed, this was probably the last thing she wanted lying there. She meant: what if there was a problem in that strange world? What if Sunset was in trouble? Or what if some other ancient evil like the Dazzlings suddenly showed up and Sunset wasn't able to get a hold of her?

Nope! This was entirely unacceptable -- and Twilight knew it! "Oh well!" Twilight said to herself, picking the book up with her magic, and quickly skimming through the pages to look for damage -- as she was getting to the last page she read, a thumping could be heard downstairs, like somepony was breakdancing (or maybe falling on a treadmill.)

"Spike?" She shouted, down the stairs -- that led into her lab. "Is that you?" She asked, her heart starting to beat faster. "You'd better not be pulling a prank on me!" She shouted, slowly walking down the stairs, the panic growing with each step -- powering up her horn.

As she opened the door to the basement laboratory, she noticed something odd: a pony sprawled out on the floor. She frowned vehemently, silently steeling her resolve, and swallowing. "Who's down there?" She shouted, her fear slowly turning into anger -- who dared intrude on her personal space without her permission? "What are you doing down there?!" She shouted down at ....

"Pinkie Pie?!?!" She shouted, in utter astonishment, rushing down the stairs, at top speed -- her anger turning back to fear for her friend. Didn't the pink pony leave, just a moment before? And how did she get down into her basement without her knowing? And why was the pink party pony's hair deflated? And what happened to her? Why did she look so hurt!?

"Pinkie?" Twilight asked, approaching the pink pony, who was covered in bruises and scrapes (Twilight didn't know that they had come from her trying, unsuccessfully, to trott.) "Are you ok?" She asked of the pink pony, who's eyes quickly shot open -- a crazed expression on her face.

"What did you do with Sunset!" She shouted, leaping like an angry dog at the alicorn princess, and completely catching her off guard.

"Give her!!!! BACK!!!! NOW!!!!" She shouted, trying to kick Twilight, pathetically, with her front legs and hooves -- and trying, unsuccessfully, to gum her with her teeth (yeah, she wanted to bite, but ... flat teeth.) "Or I'll... I'll... Well you don't want to find out! You horse... mutant.... thing!!!" She shouted, her voice filled with venom and vitriol.

Twilight gulped, had her friend gone mad? "Pinkie!" Twilight shouted, as calmly as she could. "What are you talking about?" She said, trying to dodge her friend's flailing, by moving her head. "It's me Twilight!" She shouted, wondering if Discord had decided to do an encore of his return party, a couple of years back.

The pink pony looked back with a lost expression, tears welling up in her eyes. "Twilight?" Pinkie asked, in confusion -- as if a cloud was clearing up. "Is that really you?" She asked, confusion and disbelief in her voice. "Is this your true form?" She asked, her stare distant.

"Huh?" Twilight asked, in confusion. "Pinkie? What are you talking ab..."

"Is this your world?" Pinkie asked, falling in a lump, the tears flowing down her face. She had failed Sunset! Now Lord knew what became of the girl!

"Yes, it's our world!" Twilight said, wondering what was going through her friend's head. "You've..."

"Twilight!" Pinkie shouted, in utter despair. "They kidnapped Sunset, Twilight!" She said -- trying desperately to crawl off Twilight -- her anger turning into a waterfall of tears.

"What do you mean 'they kidnapped Sunset'?" Twilight asked, with a gulp. "Who kidnapped Sunset?" She asked of her friend's counterpart (Celestia was not going to be happy to hear this... Especially not after that whole alternate Sombra adventure!)

Upstairs the book began to glow, the writing beginning to appear on it, in Fluttershy's handwriting, appearing off the last fragments that Sunset wrote. "Twilight! Help! Fairies stole Sunset!"

**********

"Going somewhere?" Asked the lowest assassin on the totem pole to her higher ranked counterpart. "Shouldn't you be here when Lord Vladímir places the artifact around that pathetic unicorn's neck?" She asked, a sadistic expression on her face, as she proceeded to clean her face with her front leg.

"Uh huh..." Replied Phytolacca, nonchalantly -- a small amount of perturbation. "And I'm guessing you'll be watching the ceremony from your cauldron in that weirdo town you constructed north northwest of Manehatten!" He said, with a smirk, receiving the scowl he was hoping to receive from his counterpart.

"You know?" He asked, looking off distantly, his eyes darting towards the other assassin, a mischievous glint in them. "I wonder if the Queen, or Vladímir is happy with the idea of you forcing that witch to help you turn regular ponies into mindless drones." He said, getting up close to his female counterpart, and tapping her on the side.

"How is that any different than what the hive normally does?" She asked, stammering defensively.

"Oh... I don't know." He replied, nonchalantly. "Maybe because YOU AREN'T CHANGING ANYPONY INTO A CHANGELING!!!" He mouthed loudly, causing her to stumble back -- waving her hoof a him, and trying to shush him. "No! You just use some weirdo magic to steal their destiny, and strip them of their minds..." He said, tapping her on the shoulder. "Or should I say... Not you, but that pony -- yes pony -- witch that you have in your employ!" He said, as his compatriot's face exchanged it's normal expression for a kind of lost expression.

"Well you see..." Belladonna said, struggling for words. "I can exp -- "

"No need!" Phytolacca responded, with a smirk. "I won't talk about 'Our Town', if you don't talk about my princess hunting!" He replied, with a smile. "Agreeable?" She said, with a smirk -- having, once again, put one over on his compatrate.

Belladonna gave him an angry scowl. "And your two emblems?" She retorted, in question form.

Phytolacca scoffed back, waving at her with his hoof. "No need to even worry yourself with that," he said, turning around. "I've already found the bearers of one of my two, and arranged a meeting with Prince Vladímir." He said, with confidence, puffing out his chest.

"And the other one?" Belladonna replied, quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about that." He said, putting a hoof on her wither. "I have our newest pony member -- and former drone -- out searching for it. She'll find my fourth bearer for me, and I can collect them once I finish my princess hunt." He said, stretching his wings, and flying towards a window. "So don't worry about it!" He shouted, feeling cocky, as he flew out a window.

Belladonna scowled angrily. She wasn't going to allow herself to be outshone by this pretender -- that was a fact! And she already had suspicions of whom her first bearer could be! (Of course she wouldn't act on those suspicions until the mare outlived her usefulness! She couldn't allow the prince to become too powerful too quickly, after all!)

**********

"Ok girls." Flash Sentry said sternly to his three passengers -- standing what used to be Breezie Blossom, at least they thought it used to be Breezie Blossom (it was hard to tell through all the devastation) -- before allowing them to disembark. "We have no idea what happened after your friend Rarity left Unicornia, so there's no telling what shape it could be in." He remarked, motioning to the two stallions who lowered to let the three earth ponies off.

Flash Sentry turned to the other two guards, taking charge. "Now, gentlecolts, I want you to fly a pattern overhead, and if you see signs of trouble -- or I give the signal -- then you are to arrange for an emergency pick up." He commanded, causing the colts to nod dutifully.

"Ok ladies, should we go?" Flash said, with a smile. "Could you lead the way, I'm not terribly familiar with the layout of your area," he said (much preferring to be the one to lead the way through this potentially hazardous terrain.)

"Why, of course, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile.

"But!" The pegasus stallion warned sternly. "Stay nearby me, incase I need to act in your defense," he stated, having brought four kinds of crossbow, two long swords, a short piercing blade, two samurai swords, and a war hammer.

Pinkie looked at him with a shocked expression -- the anger and hurt apparent on her face. "But Ponyville's a really safe and friendly place!" She said, sternly, her temper actually firing up.

Flash sighed, looking down, sadly. "That was before the changelings attacked." He said, the memories beginning to flow. Mommy! What's going on! ... No! Stay back! Mommy! What's with your wings? I didn't think earth ponies had wings like yours!... Run Flash! Run and don't look back!... What can't I stay, what the worst they will do... Don't ask!... Just trust me!... A Fluttering one has been detected, all units cease any and all feeding, any and all drones from this town are to be dispatched, prepare for --

"Darling?" Rainbow asked, causing the pegasus to shake his head. "Darling? Are you ok?" She asked, having noticed the pegasus holding his head against a toppled tree.

"I'm fine." Flash said, with a faux smile -- milking a false confidence, for all it was worth. "It's no big deal!" He lied. "But needless to say, whatever they did to your town is probably not going to be pretty!" He said shaking his head. "We'd best be going."

The scene at Breezie Blossom was less than pretty, Pinkie found one half of one of the topiaries that the Breezies had painstakingly carved out (in this case, a sculpture of giraffe carefully carved out of a bush) in two pieces, one in the lake, and one near the stumps of a few trees that had been cut down.

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, with a frown picking up the pieces of one of the breezies houses (which had been constructed from a hollowed out flower.) "I hope no one was here when they stepped on this house." Pinkie said, in dismay -- a tear starting to crawl down her cheek. "Why would anyone do this."

If Flash could have distorted his hoof into a closed fist, like a G3 phoney, then he would have -- the memories streaming into his head again. Mama! Mama!... Why are you motioning me away mama!... It's a foal, somepony grab him!... Our orders are, upon discovery of a fluttering one, that no drones are to be made, nopony is to feed, and that there are to be ... Tiny Flash ducked his head as a sea of changelings were sent flying by one mighty flap of her mother's weird wings. Her wings weren't like any normal pegasus, and they looked nothing like the the changelings' wings? So what were they? They looked almost like moth wings and --

"Darling?" Rainbow said, causing the pegasus to shake his head. "You spaced out again, " she stated, in concern. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"Terribly sorry about that." Flash said, with a frown, shaking his head for good effect. "My mind was wondering..." He said apologetically. "It's no way for a soldier like me to act at a moment like this," he said, with a sigh. "Not how a soldier should act at all..." So why was it all he wanted to do?

"Well very well then, darling." Rainbow said, with a smile. "But if you need to talk, darling, I would be more than happy to do so," she said, joining her pink friend, who had wandered off, despite dire warnings from Flash.

"Oh dear..." Pinkie said, having walked past what must have been the fifteenth or twentieth Breezie house she saw crushed under foot (this one originally carved out of a summer gord.) "This is terrible," she said, wondering further and further away, just looking at the horrors around her. "Who would do something mean like this? And why?"

Flash shook his head. Remember Flash! Don't badmouth them behind their backs. "The Queen can be ruthless when she wants to rid herself of something," Flash growled, actually sounding angry, for the first time... Ever! "Mommy!" Tiny Flash said, having returned from hiding in the woods for three long days. "Are you still there?" He asked the pile of... He wouldn't want me to say... but suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty... His little town along the border of the everfree, burnt to the ground.

"But what would the Queen have against the Breezies houses?" Pinkie asked, having experienced the horrors of the world, for the first time.

Flash shook his head... He could only guess... If only he could have been there! If only he had been strong enough to defend his mother then she wouldn't have d...

"Let's keep moving, darlings." Rainbow said, motivating the four ponies, all of whom looked either dejected, furious, or defeated. "Ponyville should be just over this br -- " She said, looking at the bridge, that was no longer there -- with the view of the large purple castle... (or pink after repaint for Pinkie's birthday, that never happened) That no longer existed...

"Oh dear..." Rainbow exclaimed, quickly joined by Pinkie, who gave a very similar response!

**********

"Is anypony still there?" Mini Flash asked, looking at the burned and destroyed ruins of his village. The whole village had been wrecked, and as best he could tell all the ponies ... well... no drones were made that day, and no ponies were standing there when he returned. And the ground had been salted to ensure that nothing would grow there again (the search team later confirmed his worst fears, the only ponies that remained... on this plane... were him and the town drunk, who had hidden themselves in a cider barrel.

"Hello?" Asked a guard in gold armor. "Is any pony still around?"

"I'm here!" Shouted mini Flash, panic stricken on his face -- as he raced towards the guard. "I've lost my mother, and I can't find her! Please help me!"

The guard nodded, a sorry expression on his face. "Let's take a look."

Flash shook his head, everything about this reminded him of his home. How many ponies were lost here? He asked himself, his anger slowly turning into a sense of melancholy -- his hoof mentally held in a violent first.

"Oh dear!" Pinkie said, with a defeated expression, as she looked at the shambles of her two story balloon themed house. Apparently, not just had someone torn it down to the ground, but they dug a hole under it... for some reason... All of her prized possessions had either been looted, or destroyed, and she was none too happy about it. "Why would someone do something so mean, and thoughtless?"

Things weren't much better for Rainbow Dash, who had run off at about the same time as Pinkie -- both leaving Flash Sentry in their dust. Her house had also been raised to the ground, as had the tiny kite shop she kept behind her house. "Oh dear..." Rainbow said, with dismay. "Without my kite shop, however shall I sell those kites now?" She asked, shaking her head. The memories from her non frilly life coming into her head. "Lady Rainbow! One of the fluttering ones has been discovered in this town!... Well, captain! You know what needs to be done then!" Oh... She just wanted to shake her head. Was this how those that she fought felt? Had she, really, been this big of a monster? Was it possible that that horrible pony, Discord, had done her a favor when he took her memory away of that wretched existence?

Minty raced past the Sweet Shop... Or rather what was left of it!

Not good! Not good at all! She thought to herself, shaking her head. Everything was wrecked, and broken! But why?

Wait! Maybe there was still hope! Maybe the Blommin' Blossoms Shop was open!... Nope... Gone...

Maybe the Twist and Style Petal Parlour! Minty bet that once Daffidazey fixed the monsters doos all of Ponyville would be completely out of doo doo... Hmm... Wait... Didn't Daffidazey say that at some point? Oh well! Her shop was most certainly... Razed... To the ground... Minty frowned. This was depressing. But don't worry, dear fans! She wasn't depressed for long!

Why? Because Minty was not deterred! And wouldn't be defeated this easily! Something was not broken! Ponyville had too many great places and cool shops! Something was fine! It had to be! The hat store? Nope... The Wonder Waves Surf Shop!... No... Super Sundaes Ice Cream Parlor... Was she kidding! She didn't even need to look.

She thought to herself with a frown! Counting the town's attractions, one at a time... She knew! The Celebration Selon! They already broke the Petal Parlour, and since the Salon was redundant then they must certainly... ... ... ... ... Destroyed it twice...

Ok... What about the Boutique? Nope...

Twinkle Twirl's dance studio? Nope IT WAS GONE TOO!!

She shouted to herself with a whine, on the verge of going ferril. They were gone!!! Everything was gone!!!!

Was anything sacred? Heck the cotton candy cafe had been torn down (Cotton Candy would be sooo depressed to see this, and the sign left buried half in the dirt.) "Dang you!" Minty shouted, herself finally going farril. "You maniacs!! You squished it up!!! Dang you!!! Dang you all to..." She paused for a second, where was she going with this? "Where should they be danged to again?" She asked herself, trying to remember the rest of the quote from the movie that they had watched like ten weeks ago. Dang you all to the Rainbow Wishes Amusement Park? Yeah! That had to be it! "You maniacs!!! You Squished it up!!! Dang you!!! Dang you all to the Rainbow Wishes Amusement Park!!!!" She shouted angrily... Speaking of which! Maybe it was still there? The green mare could hope! And with everyone gone, and everything squished... Well? Maybe she could get in for half fare!

**********

Flash sentry was finished, it was time to go! He just had to leave, lest he lose what was left of his sanity! This was why he joined the guard! He joined it so those monsters would never do to anypony else what they did to him and his town! He bowed his head in shame -- a lot of good he had done for this town... "I'm sorry mommy!" He said, with a frown -- on the verge of breaking down. "Am I really helping anypony?" He asked, wondering what use he had been. Since joining the EUP he had quickly risen in ranks -- always hoping to make more of a difference, to set things right -- eventually raising all the way to the rank of royal guard. He frowned, realizing that no sooner had his meteoric rise finished with him on top, then he had been immediately been reduced to Twilight's personal criar, a position he lothed (well he loved the princess, but he hated being the worthless guy who's only purpose was to shout that she was arriving -- he wasn't even allowed to defend her, that was somepony else's job.) Should he quit the guard? Was he just wasting his, and everypony else time? But what about the promise he made that day? What about the promise he made the day his cutie mark appeared? His promise to protect? His promise to be halfway across Equestria in a moment's notice? Was it a lie? Was everything a lie? Was his own cutie mark a lie?

"Darling?" Rainbow asked, having returned from the remains of her place -- her face filled with sorrow. "It looks like you are suffering as much as we are, darling." She said, standing on only her back legs, and putting one hoof on his withers. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, darling, you don't know us or our town, darling -- as much as I hate to admit it."

Flash shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it!" He said, with a frown. "You wouldn't understand." He said, lowering his head, and looking at the ground.

"Let me guess, darling, you feel loss as well, someone you know?" Rainbow retorted, trying to get him to open up.

"My town," he stated quietly, the dams beginning to break. "I lost my town and my family to these monsters."

"Did they turn them into horrible mindless drones?" Rainbow asked in horror -- thinking about the ponies shambling along as mindless zombie bug ponies.

"No!" Flash exclaimed, shaking his head. "They were gone, the only thing I ever found from the inhabitants of my village were my mother's wings." He said, remembering the bottle he put over his mantle, containing those wings to remind him of his promise.

"Wings like yours?" Rainbow asked, in horror.

"No!" Flash replied, shaking his head. "Her wings were very unique."

"You don't mean they looked like a moth's, or butterflies'?" Rainbow asked, in horror -- a thought occurring to her, the lady coming to mind.

Flash nodded. "I never saw wings like those on a pony before that day, or after it," he said, turning to walk away -- having knocked her arm off his wither.

Rainbow held her head, every fiber of her being wanting to turn against him. In the end though, her new identity was stronger than her old one. "I'm sorry to hear that, darling." Rainbow said, with a sigh. "It seems to be an ancient instinct left with our kind since our creation." Rainbow said, starting to walk away. "If we see a fluttering one, or a traitor, then we have to get rid of them and any that harbor them, and that meant your whole town."

Flash looked away, himself fighting his own instinct. "Let's get out of here," he said, wanting to walk away. "Everything is gone... And -- "

Pinkie galloped in, her voice filled with glee. "Don't worry!" She said, with a chuckle. "Everything else maybe gone, but I found one building still standing!" She said, motioning to a pretty nondescript pink house, with hearts everywhere. "It's Minty's house!!!"

"Oh that's excellent news, darling!" Rainbow said, her joviality returning. "That's excellent news, indeed, Pinkie darling! Now all we have to do is show Minty and -- " She said, as a butterfly landed on top of the house.

The house quickly crumbled right where it stood.

"Oh dear..." Rainbow said, her eyes wide like saucers, and her mouth hanging wide open.

"What are we going to do now?" Pinkie asked, her own mouth hanging wide open, and her own eyes as big as saucers.

"What's everyone going?" Minty asked -- having returned from the ruins of the amusement park --, galloping up herself. "Did you find all the slime and gunk that Flash was describing?" She asked, as Pinkie just started pointing at the ruins of Minty's house.

"What's over there?" Minty asked, looking all around. "Can I ask twenty questions?"

"Your house, darling!" Rainbow said, in utter horror -- stammering as the last remaining piece of her Ponyville stood in ruins on the ground.

"Yeah..." Minty said, tapping her muzzle with her hoof. "It's a dump..." She said, motioning with her hoof.

**********

Apple Bloom scuffed her hooves angrily. Why did Twilight have to add Cheerilee to Twilight time?! She asked herself, internally, her face going red. Things were going so well when it was just the three of them! Heck! Even little Rarity didn't throw things off that much (and she was kind a fun fourth crusader to add to the team), but Cheerilee... Did she even understand the first thing about magic? All she did was take up valuable Twilight time trying and failing, pitifully, to cast basic spells! And then she spent the rest of her time feeling sorry for herself.

Apple Bloom screamed to herself, silently, finding a small rock to kick around. Maybe that'd be a good way to deal with her frustrations! She thought, starting to kick the rock arround.

Yeah Twilight said, that she'd make it up to them by giving them an additional Twilight Time each week, so that she could give everypony more time (she promised that even though the time would be divided that everypony would have more time than before), but Apple Bloom wondered why it was even necessary in the first place. She meant, why couldn't Cheerilee get some somepony-else's time, and leave Twilight Time to the Crusaders, and Rarity. She asked herself, passing Fluttershy's cabin behind.

Oh well! If Twilight wouldn't give her any time today for her potions, having opted instead, to look at Scootaloo's wings, and Cheerilee's magic training (well technically all three unicorns magic training, but that wasn't how Apple Bloom saw it at the moment.) Then she'd go and see the old shaman, herself, she decided, giving the rock a good kick, and sending it hurtling against the exhaust pipe of a nearby cart. The rock bounced off the red hatched roof of the pretty non-descript cart, before knocking off the sign that hung off the front from a pole (that kind of looked like a magic wand, and a star scape.)

"Uh oh..." Apple Bloom said to herself, uncomfortably. "Ah guess the owner ain't gunna be to happy if'n I destroyed their sign." She said, trotting over to the foot of the cart to see how bad the damage was.

The sign definitely looked heavily damaged, and, to make matters worse, it looks like it might have hurt the base of the cart on the way down.

Apple Bloom gulped slightly. "Maybe ah cain fix it?" She asked herself, trying to grab the sign in her mouth -- only to have it snap in half. "Yeah... Ah ain't gunner be able ta fix it." She said, bowing her head in shame, maybe if she wasn't being so dang grumpy over having to share Twilight's time, then maybe she wouldn't have broken that poor pony's cart.

"What aim ah going ta do now?" She asked, desperately -- her methods proving futile.

"Well maybe Trix... I can help?" A voice said, from behind her.

"Ah suppose, but ya promise not ta tell the owner that ah went an' messed up their sign, right?" She asked, apologetically -- her bow sagging along with her ears and smile.

"Mum's the word. " The azure pony with the light blue mane said, making a zipping motion with their front hoof. "So what happened, little filly?"

"Ahh shucks..." Apple Bloom said, apologetically. "Ah was just so angry 'bout something..." She said, partially dodging the question. "That ah decided to kick this rock... 'Cept that ah didn't see this here cart here." She said, scuffing her hooves. "An' I kinda wrecked it..."

The unicorn smiled knowingly. "Sounds like jealousy." She said, with a smile, levitating the fragments of the sign up in her magenta colored magic. "A new pony came to town, and you're worried they're going to take your friends from you?" She asked, as her horn glowed a brighter and brighter red color, the sign beginning to fuse together.

Apple Bloom nodded. "It's Cheerilee... Not mah teacher, but this other Cheerilee! She's so slow! Why'd she have ta go and ruin Twilight Time..." She said, cupping her hoof over her mouth -- that was a lot more than she wished to reveal.

"Said too much." The unicorn said, with a wink, the sign finally restoring itself to it's original shape.

Apple Bloom nodded nervously. "Yer not gunna tell anypony right?" She asked, nervously, dropping to her knees, and holding her hooves against the azure unicorn's cloak.

The unicorn just smiled and nodded, and the sign was placed back in it's proper place, her magic aura returning to a magenta hue. "There much better!" The unicorn exclaimed, taking a second to make sure the sign looked it's best. "The great and ... I can't have this sign looking like a mess when I reach my destination, now can I?" She asked, wiping the sweat off her brow with a handkerchief she pulled from within the carriage.

"Wait?" Apple Bloom asked, uneasily. "This carriage belongs to you?" She asked, starting to back off, uncomfortably. "Ah'm sorry!! Ah really ahm!! Ah -- "

The unicorn simply held up her hoof. "There's no need for that! See!" She said, pointing up at the sign. "No harm, no fowl!" She said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Thanks, ah guess." Apple Bloom replied. "But why ya goin' through the Everfree anyways?"

The unicorn smiled. "How else was Trix... I... supposed to get from Dodge Junction to Vanhoover?" She asked, with a smile.

"The railroad?" She asked the unicorn, who simply shook her head, and pointed at the cart. Apple Bloom nodded, she might have a point. "But weren't ya worried 'bout all the scary monsters, and that no pony that has ever entered has left, alive?" She asked, giving into the hype given the forest for a second.

"Oh... The Great And Pow... I think that's not a problem!" She said, uprooting a tree in her magic, and putting it back into it's place -- upside down."Not for a top level mag... experienced traveller like the... myself, " she said, with a wink.

"Ah still feel bad 'bout the sign though." Apple Bloom said, hanging her head. "Is there any way ah can make it up ta ya?" She asked, scuffing her hoof.

"Well there is one way." The unicorn said, with a twinkle in her eye. "There might be one thing you can do for me?"

"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked, nervously.

"Well, " The unicorn said, tapping her hoof on her muzzle. "I have some tricks I want to try out for my show, and I was hoping somepony could give Trix... me an honest opinion of them?" She said, with a glimmer in her eyes. "Would you mind giving me an honest opinion of the tricks I'm planning for my show in Vanhoover?"

"Ya like a magician or somethin'?" Apple Bloom asked, curiously, her fear beginning to subside.

"Well... More like a show pony." She replied, pulling a deck of cards from the cart, as well as a funny necklace, with a plain golden symbol at the front.

"What's that fur?" Apple Bloom asked, pointing to the necklace.

"Well, you see, It's a... device that will allow Trix... me to find the perfect magic act!" She said, nonchalantly. "I bought it from a curio shop!" She said, pulling it near the earth pony filly, causing it to glow a pretty rainbow light. "Legend has it that when Trix... I find the perfect trick, then it will glow, and bathe the world with a beautiful glow."

"Well, that does sound like fun." Apple Bloom said, with a smile.

"Oh it will be..." The unicorn said, ominously. "It will be...."

"Say again?" Apple Bloom said, checking her ears. Did she just heard what she thought she did?"

"How about a trick? On me!" The unicorn said, her magic transforming from magenta, and back to red, as the aura wrapped itself around the cards.

**********

"Ok Woodburn?" Applejack said, a clipboard stuck to her hoof (as if, by magic), and a pencil in her mouth. A long list of names went down the clipboard like "Holly", and "Filbert", all with checks by their name.

"Fine." Stated the stallion of the family, with confidence, looking the tree up and down. A proud look on his face, as he started to move towards the next tree.

"Woowee!" The orange apple exclaimed, herself feeling very proud. "The trees look like they're in great shape this year!" She said, hopping slightly. "Ah think we're gunna have a heck of a harvest this year!" She exclaimed, enthusiastically. "Ah can just feel it!" She said, with glee, a spring in her steps. "So who's left ta check?" She asked herself flipping through the clipboard.

"Guess the eastern field, an' some of the trees in the northern field." Mac said, contemplatively.

"So at the current rate we should be finished in no time!" Said the orange pony, rearing with enthusiasm.

After a few seconds she turned back, a thought occurring to her. "So where'd ya think 'Bloom ran off ta?" She asked her brother, who simply shrugged his withers. "She was 'supposed ta come an' help us with the ins-pection. Ya don't 'suppose she was held late do ya?"

Her brother shrugged his withers again, and quietly shook his head, slightly. "Probably nothin' ta -- "

"Hey Applejack!" The young filly said, racing up to her sister. "Ah jus' say the most amazin' thing ~~on mah way to Zecora's~~ on mah way back from Twilight Time!" She said, bouncing up and down. "Ya jus' have ta see!" She said, trying to pull her big sister by the leg (holding the leg in her teeth.)

"Hold yer horses Apple Bloom!" Applejack said, with surprise. "What's all the hootin' and hollerin' about?" She asked, trying to figure out what all the hubbub was about.

"There's a magician in Ponyville, an' she's really, really good!" Apple Bloom said, with a level of enthusiasm that was normally reserved for Pinkie. "An' ah wanted ta go see her show, can ah? can ah? can ah?"

"Magician huh?" Applejack said, tapping her muzzle. "Ah don't know! We have alota things ta do! An' the inspection?"

Apple Bloom scuffed her feet. "But she's leavin' tonight! An we're gunna have all winter ta finish those inspections!" She said, with agitation.

"Sorry 'Bloom." Applejack said sternly. "But we have too much ta do, an' there's no way that yer gunna convince me ta go!" She said, putting her hoof down, and taking an immobile position.

"But Applejack!" Apple Bloom cried, giving her sister the whole nine yards including the water works, and the dreaded squee.

"No!" Applejack said, seemingly unimpressed. "Ain't gunna happen! Ain't no way ya gunna -- "

**********

Applejack sighed, how did her sister manage to drag her into this one? She asked herself as she found herself being dragged along by the smaller filly as she cantered her way towards the makeshift stage.

"Hey?" Applejack thought to herself. "Don't this look familiar?" She asked herself, as she strode up to the back of the crowd. "Ah cain't say ah've seen that before, cain ah?" She thought, to herself, squinting her eyes slightly to get a better look at it, and --

"Wow Trix... I was not expecting to put up a show today!" The magician exclaimed, in surprise, over the crowd. "Let alone to have so many ponies in attendance, and for that Trix... I am so very pleased!" She said, her hat glowing the same crimson red that her horn was. "Thank you!" She said, with a humble bow (Applejack smiled, always a good sign! She was definitely not going to be that blowhard show off that that magician from last year was... What was their name? The Great and Powerful Presto? Nah that wasn't it!) "Perhaps a small trick is in order!" She said, humbly, pulling a necklace out from behind the stage, and showing it to all the ponies in the front row, before slipping it back behind her. "I will be using this magical artifact to judge applause levels today! The brighter, the better!" She exclaimed, with a smile. "And if anypony thinks there's mind magic here then I would be more than happy to surrender it for testing." Everypony shook their heads, that was fine -- besides, maybe a little illusion might make this show better than the one last year... After a few seconds the magician smiled. "Could the great and pow... I request a volunteer please?" She shouted out, taking her time to survey the crowd. "You in the back!" She shouted, pointing at Time Turner. "Could you come forward please?"

The earth pony pointed at himself, an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Hey!" A voice shouted to Applejack from behind, a small amount of anger in their tone.

"Dash?" She asked, whipping around to see the pegasus floating behind her with an agitated expression, her front legs crossed, and a large scowl on her face. "What are ya doin' here?" She asked, expecting the pegasus to asleep, or working on the weather. "Ain't ya 'supposed ta workin' on teh weather?"

The pegasus groaned slightly. "I would, but that 'magician' -- " she said, raising her front hooves in air quotes when she said the word 'magician'. " -- here keeps moving the clouds over city hall, and it's setting our schedule pretty far off," she said, tightening the crossing of her front legs. "If she doesn't knock it off then I might actually have to work today!" She said, sticking her tongue out at the magician.

"A pegasus performin' magic?" The apple asked, doing a double take.

"No! A unicorn!" She shouted, shaking her hoof, with rage. "And --"

"Ah unicorn that cain perform weather magic?" Applejack asked, sceptically, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I know right?" Rainbow asked, nonchalantly. "Wouldn't believe it either it I wasn't having to put up with it!" She said, being interrupted by the pony on stage. "And I wish she'd stop! The weather is pegasus territory!... AND MORE IMPORTANTLY!!! BEING AWESOME IS MY TERRITORY!!!!" She shouted, hoping the magician would hear.

The magician, however, didn't seem to notice, or care, about her neigh-saying. "And now he shall return in triplicate!" The magician shouted, as three Time turners appeared from the puff of smoke.

"Great wickering stallions!" The first time turner shouted, turning to the other two.

"This is not physically possible!" Shouted the second, turning to the magician. "How could you have possibly done this!?" He said, turning to the magician, as the third Time Turner shrugged, looking baffled, himself.

"Why magic, little ponies. For you see The Great And Pow... It's a trick, and you know what they say about good magicians and their tricks." She said, holding a necklace up in front of her, which didn't glow in the slightest.

"Is it just me, or does somethin' seem familiar about this one?" Applejack asked, turning to Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah!" The pegasus admitted, turning to the apple. "Like I should be mad at her or something!" She said, her face flinching, in anger for a second. "Blue unicorn mare, loud announcing voice... You don't think it could be -- ?"

Applejack shook her head. "Couldn't be! If it was she'd be shouting up and down about how great she'd be by now!" She whispered to the pegasus.

"Please! May I choose three members of the audience to come forwards to see if they can figure Trix... My trick out!" She asked, looking over the crowd. A sea of hoofs flew up as all kinds of ponies from all throughout the crowd raised their hands to get in on the act.

"Hmm..." The magician said, with a delighted smile. "So many to choose from... Whom should Trix... I pick?" She said, her hoof coming detached from her body, and planting itself on her muzzle, in a thinking position.

"So who you think she's going to pick?" Asked Pinkie, loudly enough to be heard by the entire audience. "OOH! OOH! OOH! Pick me! Pick me!" She shouted to the magician, who seemed to be ignoring her.

"Great horny toads!" Applejack shouted, practically jumping out of her skin. "When did ya'll show up?" She asked of the pink pony.

"Oh silly!" Pinkie said, with a smile. "I've been here the whole time. "Wait... " She said, shushing the apple, and the cyan pegasus. "This is the best part! She's about to pick Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts!" She said, as the magician pointed her hooves at three ponies (her disembodied hoof temporarily splitting in half) one in the back, one in the middle, and on one of the sides -- bringing forth a light blue unicorn mare with a dark blue and light grey mane and an hourglass cutie mark, a light cream unicorn with a pink mane and a triple star cutie mark, and a yellow unicorn with a cerulean mane and a triple heart cutie mark.

"Ok!" The magician said, with a smile. "Please tell Trix... me, if you can figure out my trick!" She said, her disembodied hoof pointing at the trio of time turners, her other hoof holding her necklace aloft while all three of them passed by, the necklace glowing almost imperceptibly.

The magician gave a smile. "Any luck?" She asked the three unicorns with a mischievous smile.

The three of them shook their heads.

"Well worry not!" She said, with a wink. "It wouldn't be a very good trick if it was understood anyway!" She said, waving her disembodied hoof over the three Time Turners, causing two to vanish in a puff of smoke. "I guess I have no more use for them!" She said, as her hoof suddenly reappeared in its proper place.

"I suppose." Replied Lemon Hearts with a smile. "But I bet if Twilight were here then she could figure it out."

A strange expression came over the magician's face, as nopony could tell if it was a mischievous gleaming, or an expression of rage appeared in her eyes.

"Hmm..." Said the magician with a smile. "Then perhaps some of that skill has rubbed off on one of this Twilight's other friends." She said, pointing to the unicorn trio. "Is there any other friends of this Twilight Sparkle in the audience?"

"Twilight Sparkle?" Mouthed Applejack to Rainbow Dash. "How'd she know her name?"

"Probably 'cause she's a princess or something!" Exclaimed, Rainbow, unimpressed. "Doesn't matter." Rainbow Dash said, using her wings to prop herself up, her arms crossed. "'Cause there's no way you're going to catch me up there!" She said, with agitation.

"Then ah'm going ta go up!" The smallest apple said, rushing to the stage -- eliciting a look of pure shock from the older apple.

"Wait!" She shouted galloping as far as she could, before she was blocked by the crowd. "'Bloom come back here! Ya hear!"

"Why greetings again." The magician said, with a smile to the young apple. "What brings you back Apple Bloom?"

"Well ah was hopin' ta show your show ta my sister and friends." She said with a smile. "But..." She said, her smile dropping. "Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle don't seem to be here right now." She said, with a frown, her ears drooping.

"Well worry not!" The magician said, with enthusiasm. "For the great and power... I shall show you another trick." She said, her hat glowing an even brighter color. "For behold! From the mists, The Great and ... I shall summon Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo!" She shouted, as Rainbow's prissy unicorn materialized right above Rainbow Dash, landing, hoof first on the startled pegasus, and the other two Crusaders materialized next to Apple Bloom on stage.

"How did I get here?" Asked Scootaloo asked, in bewilderment, the scooter she was riding, suddenly nowhere to be found.

"Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!" The apple said, with enthusiasm. "Ah'm so glad ya could make it! Ah was worried ya wouldn't be able ta show!" She said, bouncing up and down, slightly -- her smile completely restored.

"Actually..." Sweetie said, looking around anxiously. "I'm kind of glad." She said, her ears dropping. "Rarity wanted me to test another outfit of hers..." She said, quietly, her cheeks blushing slightly -- causing knowing grunts from the other two crusaders.

"Well worry not as Trix... I shall perform another Trix... trick!" She announced, pulling back out a deck of cards, that she kept in the cart (the same deck Apple Bloom had seen earlier.) "Behold as..." She announced one of the nearby buildings shifted position, carried along by her magic. "I... move that building!" She announced to thunderous applause, her necklace glowing faintly as she held it next to the crusaders.

"Oh dear?" Rarity asked herself, looking discombobulated, having suddenly, and without knowledge, left her shop (and her new outfit, that she was working on, nowhere to be found.) "Wherever am I?" She asked, as a groaning could be heard from somewhere. "And why do I feel like I have fallen on something?"

"Mmmmmet mmmmm mmouuta here!" Somepony groaned from somewhere, causing Rarity to look around in all directions.

"Say again?" The prissy unicorn asked, with a puzzled expression. "Could you please speak louder dearie?" She asked, hoping the pony would speak up.

"Mmmmmet mmmmm mmouuta here!" The voice reiterated, louder this time.

"I can't understand you dearie?" Rarity asked, looking around. Was he just hearing things? Could somepony be playing a trick on her? "You know it's not nice to play childish pranks on some pony!" She announced, looking completely unamused.

"Get me outta here!" The pegasus shouted, throwing Rarity off with a fair amount of force.

Rarity grunted, sounding disgraced and disrespected. "You could have asked dear." She said calmly. "And I most certainly would have complied," she said, waving her mane gracefully, from side to side.

Rainbow Dash simply gave a grunt, her eyes rolling in frustration.

"So I have a question." Rarity asked, looking uncomfortable. "Why are our sisters, and Scootaloo up there with that braggart Trixie?" Rarity asked, alternating between bewilderment and dismay. "Should we go up there and -- "

"Trixie?" Asked Rainbow Dash, and Applejack to each other, their faces growing pale.

"Maybe ah should go an' check on 'em." Applejack said, cantering towards the front -- pushing against the crowd, attempting to separate them, so she could pass through.

Trixie gave a smile, seeing the older apple come forward. "And behold the cards reappear from beyond." She said, as the deck of cards that she caused to vanish earlier, suddenly reappeared -- on fire, and smelling of brimstone.

The crowd broke into applause as everypony motioned to join the magician yet again.

The magician shook her head. "Trix... I am sorry, but I couldn't possibly -- " She started saying, being unable, at the end to speak over the crowd.

"ONE MORE TRICK!!! ONE MORE TRICK!!!" The crowd started chanting, their sound level rising as the magician began to leave stage.

"I can't possibly." The magician said, with a smile. "I have held the weather team long enough." She said, with a smirk as Applejack cantered into view. "And besides, I run low on magic... So I must bid you ado!" She said, taking a bow, and removing her hat. "For how can I possibly put a show worthy of all of you ponies like this?" She said, her magic turning from red, and back to pink.

"ONE MORE TRICK!! ONE MORE -- " The crowd announced more loudly, unwilling to take no for an answer!

"Hold it right there, ya sidewinder!" Applejack shouted,, in a huff. "What'cha up ta!" She shouted, looking at the unicorn cross eyed. "Ya ain't tryin' nothin' are ya?" She asked, looking up and down the unicorn for signs of treachery (and keeping one of her eyes on her rope, in case the unicorn got ideas again!)

"Why heavens no..." The magician replied. "Trixie simply wishes to regale her audience with her vast magical acumen." She said, sounding like herself again.

"Uh huh..." The apple said, half in a mind to show her a thing or three (and probably forgetting about the last time she tried to outshine the show pony.) "An' ya ain't gunna wrap anypony up with their own rope, and stuff an' apple in their mouths are ya?"

Trixie shook her head. "Why heavens no!" She replied, nonchalantly. "And Trixie won't be trying that ursa story again, thank you!" She said, continuing to walk off. "It's spent!"

"Uh huh..." She said, noticing the necklace that the unicorn was holding up towards her with her pink magic. "An' what's the jewelry for?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Why it's an applause-o-meter." The unicorn replied, with a shrug. "But Trixie seems incapable of activating it." She said, turning her back on the earth pony.

"Maybe it's 'cause yer a fraud!" The apple replied angrily. "An the thingy knows it too!" She said, walking in front of the unicorn. "Ah'm sure that ah cain act-ivate that there -- "

"And maybe you or your two friends think you can activate what Trixie could not!?" Trixie asked again, tooting her own horn as loudly as she could.

Applejack growled silently. Cog sarn it! That unicorn was practically asking for it! Well.. Maybe she could try her trick again? Maybe this time Trixie wouldn't interfere. "Maybe ah cain!" Applejack shouted, leaping to the stage, rope in hoof -- ready to show her trick. "Assumin' ya don't sab-eo-tage meh again!" She shouted, glaring right in the unicorn's eyes.

Trixie gave a hurt expression. "Trixie promises that she shall do nothing of the sort." She said, holding her necklace near Applejack. "Now show Trixie what you can do!" She said, with a smile. "And if you can activate the applause-o-meter, then Trixie shall apologize to this whole crowd, and quit magic in shame." She said, making one last verbal jab.

"Okeh!" The apple replied. "But keep yer eyes an this one, 'cause it's gunner be quick!" She said, trying one end of a large lasso to her tail, and rotating it, first around her legs, and then lifting it over her head.

The unicorn gave a bemused chuckle.

Before snapping the large loop to a perpendicular angle to herself, and jumping through it a couple of times as it shrank, before finally throwing it up into the shy, and grabbing an apple from a nearby tree.

The unicorn chuckled, she'd seen this before -- apparently the earth pony had no new tricks in her trictionary, and was straight old school --, but nevertheless, the crowd still ate it up. The necklace glowed slightly, but not as much as she thought it might -- maybe she was on the right track?

"Top that missy!" Applejack said, with confidence, her head lifted, her eyes closed, and her legs crossed.

"No need!" She said, with a bashful smile. "My job is to entertain the crowd, and you've done an excellent job of doing so." She said, starting to walk off again. "Not to mention showing your skill. There is no way that Trix... I can compete with your skills." She said with a humble smile.

"Say what?" The apple said, baffled -- didn't something come next? "That's it? Yer just gunna walk off?" Why did this victory over the boastful unicorn feel so hollow?

"Yup." The unicorn said, nonchalantly. "Trix... My work here is done, and the neck... applause-o-meter doesn't glow.." She said, bringing her necklace back. "So... Unless a unicorn wants to try their hand at something, then Trix.. I shall be off." She said, using her magic to begin to pack up her stage, bathing it in a bright red aura. "It's too bad there are no unicorns with style in this crowd." She said, throwing her voice next to Rarity, who wasn't about to bite. "Maybe somepony with real style and sophistication could make it light up..." She said, with a sigh, laying it on more thickly. "But all the ponies here appear to be hicks and bumpkins." She said, whispering right in Rarity's ear, causing the prissy unicorn to nash her teeth slightly -- bristling at the named she felt were being levied on her.

Rarity grunted, angrily -- unsure she liked where the blue unicorn was going with this. "Oh no." She said, calmly, shaking her head. "I shall not fall for that one again!" She said, herself walking away, slowly. "There is no way you shall convince me to make a fool of myself before all these fine ponies again," she said, motioning over the crowd.

"I suppose." Trixie said, herself walking off again. "Besides, with Suri out of town, there's no real fashion types here anyway."

"Suri?" Rarity said, halting suddenly, her face showing a poorly hidden agitation. "As in Suri, Suri?" She asked, making sure her ears, and head, were clear.

"Yup" Trixie replied calmly. "Whom else would Trixie speak of, but the lion of Manehattan! Suri -- " She started saying, but was unable to finish as Rarity interrupted her.

"As in the one who tried to steal my line and pass it off as her own?" Rarity asked, sweat breaking on her forehead as she struggled to keep her cool, her lips puckered together in a very odd expression.

Trixie shrugged -- maybe.

"Well..." Rarity said, trotting quickly backwards, in an almost cartoonish fashion. "Maybe I can show you one thing." She said, her magic pulling the curtain off its pole. Wait? Did this seem familiar to her at all?

A whirlwind of cloth covered the unicorn, obscuring the fashion metamorphosis that was occurring.

"Oh well! A unicorn needs to have style!" Trixie said, with a smirk, as Rarity emerged from whirlwind of fabric she wrapped herself in -- a new outfit on her body, and fine new style for her mane.

Rarity looked cross eyed. "... A unicorn's not a unicorn without grace and... beauty...?" She said, wondering if she should start cowering. Was this the part where she ended up having to shave her mane off again?

"And isn't she beautiful crowd?" Trixie asked, the necklace hovering over the unicorn -- glowing about the same level as it did for Applejack. "Please give her a round of applause." -- still not it!

"Why... Thank you?" Rarity asked slowly, in confusion, as she stumbling off. Wasn't this the part where something bad happened? And why did it feel like a let down? Wasn't she supposed to be happy about silencing the brute?

"Ya ok Rarity?" Applejack asked, quietly -- some concern showing on her face.

"I think so." Rarity replied, quietly. "But is it me or is Trixie not feeling like herself today?" She said eliciting a shrug from the apple.

"Ah don't know." The apple said, cautiously. "Ya don't 'spose she's up ta something do ya?" She asked, wondering if she should be fighting or running.

"I have no idea." Rarity replied, cautiously. "Though I think I shall keep this look for my date with lord Azorica tonight." She said, thinking about the noble stallion from house Ivy that she had managed to convince to take her on a second date that night, at the fanciest place in Canterlot (ok she was supposed to stay in Ponyville... But this was lord Azorica Ab Ivy -- was, probably, the most fashionable stallion in Equestria! Well... at least the most eligible and fashionable stallion, in Equestria, anyway!)

"Does anypony else want to show off a skill?" Trixie asked, standing up on the small portion of the stage that remained. A sea of hooves raised, but the one she really wanted to raise seemed to be leaving instead. Her face grew a grinchy smile, and her eyes twinkled. "Maybe you!" She said, pointing, with her hoof, at a white unicorn mare with a rather large horn, and a purple and light purple two color mane, and a heart and swirl cutie mark.

"Me?" The unicorn asked, her green eyes glowing with a slight enthusiasm. "But I don't know what to do?" She said, with trepidation.

"Worry not!" Trixie replied, confidently. "I'm sure that any trick you do would greatly please this audience!"

The unicorn thought for a second, and spoke again, her voice chirping in enthusiasm. "Do you mind if I show you how to bake?" She asked to the magician, who nodded in consent. Was it just Applejack, or did Trixie keep looking over at Rainbow Dash?

"Yes! Please show Trix... us your skill with baking!" Trixie said, turning to the unicorn. "Impress us all with your confectionary talents!"

"Bake?" Groaned Rainbow Dash, in dismay, suddenly stopping halfway out of the crowd. "SHE'S GOING TO BAKE!?!?" She asked, at the top of her lungs, freezing in place.

An angry call went up from the crowd. "Shhhhh!!!"

"But won't we need some spices and other baking things?" Asked the unicorn innocently, noticing she had none on hoof.

"Worry not!" Trixie said, as a bunch of stuff fell from the sky, including a foal's mini oven, a spoon, a few bowls, some spices, some sugar, and a bunch of flower.

"Why thank you!" The unicorn replied, greatfully. "This should be everything I need!" She said, gratefully, a fair amount of enthusiasm in her voice.

Rainbow Dash grunted angrily, her face contorting into a deep frown. "She's going to show us how to bake? That's her trick!?"

Applejack shrugged. "Ah guess so!" She said, nonchalantly. "Course not everypony can show the kind of tricks that you do," she said, reminding her friend of the realities of things (though she worried that would reactivate the pegasus bluster, and Applejack really... really... really! Didn't want to get an earful of how awesome Rainbow was for five or six straight days!)

"So first we're going to dump in the flower and the spices." The white unicorn said, dumping the dry team into the bowl -- feeling entirely in her element now.

"Oh wow!" Trixie said, with a smile. "Fashinating!"

"Oh I know!" The unicorn replied, feeling so alive. "Then we're going to add the wet stuff." She said, eagerly, pouring the wetworks in. "Then..." She said, pulling out a spoon (as Rainbow's mouth dropped.) "We're going to stir." She remarked stirring the mixture -- Rainbow Dash's head rotating along with the motion of the spoon, her expression getting more and more agitated.

"Is this over yet?" Rainbow asked, covering her eyes with her front legs.

"Then we're going to let it cool for a minute." The white unicorn responded, contemplating on the minutia of her recipe (she did, after all, give her friends a lecture on how it important it was to follow a recipe!) "Well... if I had a refriger-- "

POOF -- a refrigerator materialized out of seemingly nowhere.

"Thank you!" The white unicorn said, to the blue one. "That's exactly what I need."

"Was there ever any doubt?" The blue one said, with a smirk.

Rainbow groaned, starting to play with her eye lids. "This is SOOOO BOOORRRRINGG!!!" She groaned to herself, even louder. This might even be worse than the times Rarity made her help out with fashion!!! Why was she even still here? She could have left like five times already!

"Ok!" The white unicorn said. "Now we stick it in the oven... Umm... If I can find enough space, that is..." She remarked, as her tray of cookies bumped against the oven door revealing itself as being 10 sizes too big to fit. Her face blushed as she just now noticed that the oven was a little too small.

"Worry not!" Trixie said, gesturing with her hoof -- her face turned to Rainbow Dash. "Trix... I shall fix this for you!" She remarked, as the oven glowed a red aura, and began to grow twenty or thirty times it's normal size.

"Thanks!" The unicorn said, gently. "Now I'll be able to fit all my cookies in the oven!"

Trixie smiled, herself looking exuberant (or was she? Somepony might have sworn they could see a sneer creeping up her face.) "Ok now! This is fascination! Please show Trix... the crowd what happens next!" She said, dancing in anticipation.

"Ok!" The unicorn replied. "Now we bake for twenty or thirty minutes, or until golden brown and -- "

"Enough!!!" Shouted Rainbow Dash -- having finally had enough boredom --, flying up onto stage, at top speeds, and giving a flying wrestling kick to the oven -- sending it into the stratosphere (her black belt showing.) "This is the most boring! Most ridiculous trick, that I've ever had the general misfortune of watching!!!" Rainbow shouted, angrily. "And you should be ashamed of yourself!" She said, chastising Trixie. "After an awesome show like the one you just had, how could you do something to us like this?" She shouted, snorting slightly.

"Very well." Replied Trixie, lifting her necklace. "Then please show the crowd a trick." She said, as the necklace began to glow a vibrant color.

At that moment Rainbow forgot that she promised herself that she wouldn't show that blowhard any tricks! "Ok!" Replied Rainbow Dash, with confidence. "But you asked for it!" She shouted, starting her trick by taking off at a full speed, and flying straight into the blades or a windmill -- rotating along with the blades for quite a few cycles, as they rotated at hundreds of times their normal rotation rate. Before allowing the motion of the blades to cause her to be flung upwards, and through multiple clouds.

As her momentum began to wear off, she posed in front of the sun for a second, for effect, before flinging herself back towards the earth, going straight downwards, and back through the clouds, causing her to be chased by a sea of tiny water droplets. she finally hit the blades of the windmill again, and once again rotated with the motion of the blades for several cycles, before being flung straight back towards to the stage -- coming to an abrupt stop, right next to Trixy -- the tiny droplets finally catching up enough to make contact, and forming into an impressive Rainbow.

"Wow!" Trixie said, taking a close look at the necklace. "And that must be why they don't call you 'Rainbow' and 'Dash' for nothing!" She exclaimed, with a smile, breaking the pegasus' cocky expression.

"Hey!" She shouted. "That's what I was going to say," she exclaimed, angry that Trixie was stealing her thunder, again! That'll show that blowhard!!!

"And Trix... I apologize." The magician said, apologetically bowing her head. "But you simply must tell Trix... the crowd your secret!" She said, enthusiastically, getting good and close to the pegasus (the necklace was definitely glowing, no doubt.) "How are you so awesome today! It's like you are even more awesome then usual... if that's even possible!" She said, calmly to the pegasus, facing the crowd, and motioning her hoof over the pegasus.

The pegasus scoffed. "No more than usual!" She said, crossing both sets of her legs in pride.

"Have you been doing anything new to make yourself more awesome?" She asked the pegasus, undeterred.

The pegasus shook her head. "Nope! Just being me!" She said, waving her hoof in a straight line. "No sweat!"

"Well... " Trixie asked, inquisitively. "Have you had problems with all that awesomeness getting to your head, and giving you a thick head?" Trixie asked, prying deeper into the pegasus psyche, a determined look growing on Trixie's face.

"Nope!" The pegasus said, shaking her head. "And I never, ever let anything get to my head!" The pegasus replied, puffing out her chest. "I am, after all, just that awesome!"

"Are you feeling more treacherous than usual?" Trixie asked, with a confused expression -- was she wrong with her theories? But if so then why was it glowing so vibrently?

"Nope! Couldn't be more loyal!" Dash replied, boastfully. "In fact maybe, when I'm done, I'll perform more acts of heroism!"

Applejack gave her a sour grapes expression. "An' then Mare-do-well will show up again!" She cautioned.

"Oh... Right!" Rainbow said, sheepishly -- reminding herself not to do that again.

"Feeling larcenous?" Trixie asked, starting to sound anxious, sweat forming on her forehead.

"What are you getting at?" Rainbow asked, suspiciously. "You trying to say something, Trixie?" She asked, starting to feel insulted.

"litigious?" Trixie asked, starting to sound desperate.

"I don't even know what that means?" Rainbow said, quirking an eyebrow -- Trixie trying one of those Twilight egg head things on her?

"Licentious?" Trixie asked, in utter desperation.

"What are you implying!!!" Rainbow asked. Ok! Trixie was definitely trying to say something, and Rainbow didn't understand, or like whatever it was!

"You unusually interested in the stallions?" Trixie asked, in utter desperation, her theories melting before her head -- the word she wanted to use probably too big for the pegasus' vocabulary.

"Hey! That's none of your business!" Rainbow scoffed, having half a mind to either buck the unicorn, or fly off in rage. How dare that fraud insinuating something about her and Lord West Wind! They were only dating! Nothing more! (Well at least until the 'I do's and then... well... She couldn't say...)

"Rainbow Dash is shy around stallions!" Trixie said, with a straight face, having come to a stark realization about the, normally boastful pegasus, -- alas, not the realization she was hoping to find.

"Shut up!" Shouted the mare, her face growing a bright red -- opting to fly off at high speeds, instead of breaking the unicorn's muzzle. Muttering something about how she wasn't fine, and that she had found Lord West Wind ok!

"Hmm..." Trixie remarked to herself, with a smirk. "Maybe Trixie knows where to continue her search for the next bearer?" She said, to herself, looking at the necklace, which had just now stopped glowing from the pegasus' presence.

**********

Belladonna sighed. This would be a whole lot easier if she waited for Phytolacca to return from his senseless alicorn hunt. She sighted to herself in exasperation. "Just like a stallion!" She thought to herself, stamping her foot with disdain -- what made the stallion even think that there was even a sixth princess to be found? Let alone in a humdrum place like that tiny apple town -- what was it's name again? Lemonaloosa? Appleville? Oh! It didn't matter! He was wasting his time and the hive's resources on the pointless witch hunt!

Oh well! In the end, this was all the better for her! Because, if she found the next bearer before he did, then she might increase her standing in the hive, even becoming the second (or even first) among the hive's elite assassin's, and this was a very good thing indeed!

The problem? The artifact responded to an element of harmony, and a pegasus no less! And it was going to be hard to spy on her, especially when she lived in a cloud house hovering right over the middle of town! (good thing changelings had wings, otherwise she might have trouble getting up there!)

And following her around for the next three days wasn't revealing much, except that that fool Phytolacca was completely right about his Princess theory, and completely wrong about his level of strength -- a mistake Belladonna vowed not to repeat! Yes! This called for one thing, and one thing only! A cutie-remarking! But that would have to come later. For now, she had to get into Rainbow Dash's Cloudominium, but how would she best get in there?

She could try to convince that rube Twilight to cast a spell on her to make her invisible? Nah... There was no way in Queen Rosedust's name that she was going to talk to that phony princess! Maybe should have Trixie cast an invisibility spell on her and... No! And let that fraud share her glory! No! Of course, she could get one of the pretorian guard to help... Heck, she was sure that her beauty would convince them to assist her in her cause -- she thought to herself, posing in her true changeling glory in front of a mirror, which promptly shattered into tiny crinkly bits...

Ok fine! Maybe she needed to find another way...

Hmm... she thought sitting around. How could she possibly convince the pegasus to let her in. She could change form to somepony the vain pegasus loved, like Lord West Wind... No! Then she might start asking questions... Maybe a close friend like Fluttershy? No! She was not going to take on that ridiculous form! Somepony from the weather team? Thunderlane maybe? No! She wouldn't let a stallion into her house, it would make her look bad, and besides -- once again, she might ask questions! Spitfire? Close... But she had a better idea, she thought to herself, tilting her head in a thinking position.

**********

"Come on Cheerilee, you can do it!" Cheered Twilight, with a smile, as the purple unicorn struggled to lift the small metal ball, sweat dripping down her brow.

"I don't know Twilight! This ball feels like it's made of lead!" She shouted, a blue aura forming around the ball, which progressively grew brighter and brighter as the unicorn used more and more of her magic.

"Relax Cheerilee." Twilight cautioned. "You'll never succeed in this spell if you get worked up like that! Remember: resolve, concentration, and determination!"

Cheerilee grunted, the magic beginning to warp and distort the ball, before the ball finally lifted off the ground, and went flying through the ceiling of the room, and the ceiling of the upstairs, finally flying out of the tree and landing in the town's bowling alley, knocking down all ten pins.

Twilight gave a false smile. "Good start!" She said, the smile holding steady. "See! You're getting better." She said, with confidence, not wanting to upset the unicorn mare, who was probably having trouble today because she spent all of the night before studying time travel magic. "Shall we take a break, and then I want to see how you're doing Rarity!" She said, with a smile to the pink alicorn who started bouncing around eagerly.

"But I want to see Cheerilee try again!" She said, eagerly. "Because that was unicorn fun!" She exclaimed, standing under the hole.

Twilight gave a smile, this gave her an idea to get the unicorn to concentrate again. "I think she needs a break right now." She said, sternly. "But how I can give her another try if you concentrate on today's lesson, in teleportation ok?" She said, eliciting an upset nod from the exuberant alicorn.

"And -- " Twilight said, hearing a knock on the door of the Golden Oaks. "I wonder who that could be?" She asked, slowly opening the door to reveal a pegasus mare with a hot pink coat, a yellow mane, blue eyes, and a trio of candles for a cutie mark.

Twilight frowned, apologetically. "May I help you?" She asked the pegasus, with a frown. "I don't mean to trouble you if you are here to learn, but I'm currently in the middle of a lesson right now, could you come back later?"

"I'm terribly sorry." The pegasus said, with a frown. "But my name is Best Wishes, and I really need to pick up a specific book on the wonderbolts, and I couldn't find the book I was looking for in the Cloudsdale library!" She said, her voice trailing off. "And without it, I'll never be able to have the perfect party for my niece without it!"

"A party?" Asked Twilight in surprise. "What's it about?"

"Well, if you must know." Said Best Wishes calmly. "It's a wonderbolts of old themed party, " She said, with an eager smile. "You see, we were all going to go out and wear the original wonderbolts' uniforms, and my husband was going to dress as Colonel Purple Dart, and I was going to dress as General Firefly, and then after the party we were going to -- "

"Ok!" Grunted Twilight, face hoofing -- too much information!... Much too much information! "I might have the book you are looking for, but the last user might have left it... A little bit bright..." She said, with a sigh, she was still trying to magically remove all the highlighting that Rainbow left in that book on the wonderbolts.

"Hmm..." The pegasus said, skimming the book, a disappointed expression slowly forming. "Could I get something with less caricatures of you?" She asked, holding up one of the pages that Rainbow had painted a caricature of Princess Twilight in.

"I suppose." Said Twilight, with a grunt -- the wheels in her head turning. No! She was not going to be defeated by a library request! "I suppose there is one more book that we have that you could look at -- and it's the only other one we have that Cloudsdale doesn't," she said, tapping her muzzle with her hoof. "But it's kind of old, " she said, with a frown.

"Could I see it?" Best Wishes asked, politely. "Maybe this is the book I'm looking for?"

"Well... I suppose..." Twilight said, reluctantly. The writing on the book was a little bit dated, considering that it was written shortly before Twilight was born. "But..." Twilight said, with a sigh. "If you insist."

"Yes please." Best Wishes responded, taking a begging position. "My husband would be so happy if I got everything perfect!" The mare begged to Twilight. "You know how frisky the wonderbolts make him and -- "

"I suppose..." Reiterated Twilight, reluctantly (intentionally cutting the pegasus mare off mid sentence.) "But..." She said, sneezing slightly. "It's kind of dusty."

"Can I see?" The pegasus asked, grabbing the book from Twilight. "This might be the one!" She said, blowing on the book, and causing a thick layer of dust to go flying into the room.

"Was that... *ACHOO*... Really necessary?" Twilight asked, sternly -- this pegasus didn't have any respect for books!"

"Sorry..." The pegasus said, blushing slightly. "But...." She said, skimming towards the end of the book, a twinkle blooming in her eye. "I think this might be just the book I need." She said, bowing formally to the princess.

"Well great!" Twilight said, with a forced smile. "Do drop in again, but please do so when we are open." She said, politely.

"Sure." The pegasus said, bowing. "Sorry about that, but you are such a life saver, Princess Twilight!" She said, walking out the door, a smirk growing on her face.

"Ok, Rarity, let's try that teleportation spell." Twilight said, with a smile. "Then we'll let Cheerilee take another try, ok?" She asked, hoping to get the mini alicorn to pay attention to this very important lesson.

**********

Rainbow Dash stood in her Cloudominium, steaming quietly. How dare that Trixie insult her like that! She meant: first she goes and insults her, then she starts insinuating that she did something untowards with a stallion. How dare that two bit hack make accusations like that!

But, of course, it was always like that! For some reason being a strong mare meant that Dash was either some kind of filly-fooler, or some kind of predator just looking for stallions to... Oh It just made her want to scream!

She needed to cool down for a minute, lest her temper get the better of her! She thought to herself, putting down the necklace with G's feather that she had been wearing all day, on her dresser, as she needed to take a shower to wash off all the shame she had just been subjected to! And she'd make sure to play a doozie of a prank on that horrible pony, at the first possible opportunity.

A knocking could be heard at her front door. That had better be important! She thought, a cartoon frown showing on her face, as it scrunched like a raisin (kind of like that time that Tank had to hibernate through the winter...)

"I'm coming!" She shouted, as she cantered, quickly, towards the door.

After a couple of seconds the pony knocked louder.

"I'm coming already!" The pegasus groaned, sounding more agitated. "Hold your horses!"

Grasping a hold of the doorknob in her magnetic hoof grip, she slowly pulled the door open. "What do you want!" She shouted at the pegasus behind the door... "... GENERAL HIGH FLYER!!!" She said, in shock, performing a hasty, and sloppy, salute. "But I thought you had retired four years ago, something about the onset of dementia!"

"Well as you can see." The stallion said, in a squeaky, almost alien voice. "I am most certainly fine."

"Well what brings you here tonight, General?" Rainbow Dash asked, shrieking silently, her exuberance at seeing a real Wonderbolts general standing at her door.

"Do you mind if I come in, Rainbow Dash?" He asked, holding a strange necklace up, which glowed brightly, but not as much so as before. "That's interesting...." The general said, to himself, under his breath.

"What's the necklace for, general?" Rainbow asked, wondering why the renowned 'super stallion' of the wonderbolts was holding up the most girly necklace that she had ever seen.

The general's eyes became wide as saucers before he started looked around, obviously looking for ponies listening in. "It's got a magic detection spell, Dash. Being a pony like me, you can never be too careful! Because spies and enemies of Equestria are everywhere!" He exclaimed in his squeaky voice. "We can't be too careful!"

"OH MY GOSH!!!" Rainbow said, scrunching her face with her hooves. "YOU MUST BE HERE TO TELL ME SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT!!!"

The general held his hoof up to shush her. "Please be quiet, mrs. Dash, I'm here to tell you something top secret, and I can't have ponies finding out." He said, motioning at the door. "Could you let me in?"

"Sure thing!" Rainbow said, with enthusiasm, opening the door wider. "Please come in general."

"Thank you Dash!" The general said in his raspy, squeaky voice. "Do you mind if I sweep your house to make sure there is no eavesdropping magic around?"

"OH MY GOSH!!!" Rainbow said, with unbridled enthusiasm. "HE WANTS TO SWEEP MY HOUSE!!!" She exclaimed, with stars in her eyes, as the general went around, sweeping the different rooms -- carefully looking for 'eavesdropping spells'.

"Do you see that tank?" Rainbow said, practically prancing. "There's a wonderbolts sweeping my house for magic!" She exclaimed, feeling high and mighty. "Most likely so he can tell me about a secret mission!" She beamed, as the general headed upstairs to the living areas. "I can't wait to tell Lord West Wind!!!"

Meanwhile upstairs.

The 'general' started sweeping up and down the floor. "She didn't resonate at the same level when I came to the door, and that means that she must have been wearing something from somepony who would." The 'general' thought to themselves, contemplating if they needed to start turning stuff upside down.

They shook their head -- there was no way that they could do that without Dash noticing. No! Instead, they needed to hurry! They had to find it before Dash became wise!

After a few minutes of sweeping up and down the floor the 'general' was on the verge of giving up. Where could Dash have hidden it? Could they have been wrong about Dash resonating with the object?

Dash slowly rose the stairs. "So general?" Dash asked, with a slight squeal. "Did you find any eavesdropping magic?"

"Not yet!" The general stated plainly. "But I swear I detected one when I was watching you at that magician's show earlier today.

"You were in the crowd general?" Rainbow asked in surprise, and shame. "I wish I'd noticed you!" She said, bowing her head, with a look of disappointment.

"I apologize, Dash." The general said, in his squeaky voice. "But I couldn't make contact while you were possibly under the effects of an eavesdropping spell!"

Dash nodded, with a sad expression. "I'm sorry to hear that." Why would somepony be snooping on her, and why? Did they not want her to be a wonderbolt?

"So, let me ask again." The general said, plainly, their voice sounding more natural. "Were you wearing anything at that demonstration?"

Dash nodded, pulling the necklace with G's feather, that she had put on her dresser right before the general showed up. "Only thing I can think of is this necklace, with G's feather."

The general gave a smile. "Let me take a look at it then," he said, holding his magic detection charm up to the feather, causing the charm to glow violently, becoming hot to the touch.

"Ouch!" The general shrieked, a female voice coming out, as the charm dropped to the ground.

"You ok general?" Rainbow asked, in dismay. What the hay just happened? And was it her or did the general just exclaim with a mare's voice?

"Don't worry, Dash!" The general said, motioning with his hoof, and picking back up his charm. "I'm ok! But I'm going to need to take that necklace back to HQ for analysis!" The general said, his face became stern. "I also need you to tell me about this 'G', and if she'd have any reason to be snooping on us!"

Rainbow shook her head, her expression looking deeply hurt. "That's from my ex-friend Gilda." Rainbow said, stamping her hoof. "Curse you G Why would you do this to me! Why would you be spying on me!" Rainbow thought to herself, in disgust.

The general frowned. "I'm terribly sorry Dash to reveal this to you, but I really need you to do this! I can sense how eager you are to join the Wonderbolts, and sometimes for the Wonderbolts, we need to take hard stands."

Rainbow frown widened, as she was crying on the inside. "It was my ex-friend Gilda, she's a griffon, who couldn't accept my new friends, and betrayed me."

"Betrayed huh..." The general said, in a female voice, tapping his chin with his hoof. "Tell me Dash, do you know where she is now?"

Rainbow shook her head, still weeping on the inside. "No I don't, general! But if I did then I'd -- "

The general stopped her, putting a hoof in front of her. "That's no way to talk, Dash! She used to be your friend, just remember the good times!"

"I suppose!" Said Dash, wondering why G was suddenly ruining her chance at being a wonderbolt, and how she managed to get an eavesdropping spell on one of her old feathers.

"Don't worry!" The general said, picking up Gilda's feather. "I'll do a full investigation into this 'Gilda', and we'll find out why she's been eavesdropping on you! And then in two weeks I shall return to give you your mission!"

Rainbow nodded sadly, as the general walked back out the front door. Maybe she would make that shower extra long.

She sighed, closing her door, only stopping for a minute, as a strange sound filled the air. Was it just her, or did she hear cackling coming from somewhere?

**********

"Maybe we should think about a good run, brother?" Flim asked, turning to his brother. "I'm pretty sure I don't -- "

"Want to be a changeling." Flam responded, finishing his brother's sentence. "And I'm pretty sure the good ponies of Equestria won't be buying a whole lot of cider from us if we look like that." He said, pointing ostentatiously at a peeved commander Raphanus.

"Will you two please shut up?" The commander bellowed.

"Oh touchy!" The brothers exclaimed in unison.

"Well look." Flim responded, with a sly grin. "If you want to be a -- "

"Grump about it." Flam said, continuing his brother's sentence. "Then we'll be --

"On our -- " Flim started saying.

"Would you both please shut up!" The commander bellowed, starting to hyperventilate. "Nopony is going to feed on anything today! And we won't be making any drones!" He shouted in the brother's faces. "The prince simply wants to discuss business!"

"Why didn't you -- " Flam replied, with a greedy smirk.

"Say so -- " Flim replied, making a ribbing motion with his knee.

"Earlier!!!" Both brothers shouted in unison, pushing the commander towards the well lighten chamber at the end of the hall.

The commander groaned noisily, wondering if maybe he should have stayed a private.

Ahead stood the prince's chambers, which were well lighten from the light of a stone that had been placed over his elaborate throne (probably to emulate the ancient sunstone that the royal family still owned.)

"Wow!" Flim brother said, ribbing his brother Flam.

"And they say we oversell things!" Flam replied to his bother, with a bemused smile.

Before them stood the changeling prince, his blond mane blowing against an invisible wind.

"Greetings little ponies." Vladímir said, with a smirk. "And welcome to the hive, " he said, motioning all around him. "My hive!"

"Well it's very nice -- " Flim said, backing away.

"To see your hive, but we simply must be -- " Flam said, his face flush, as his back turned to the changeling prince.

"Going." The brothers said, starting to hightail it out of there, and.

"I'm sorry, but this won't be permitted!" The prince said, stamping his hoof -- causing the large double doors to slam shut, right in front of the brother's faces, causing them to smash their faces against the giant, oversized door.

"So what do you need us for?" The brothers asked, in unison, both of their faces screaming for mercy.

"Why it's simple!" The prince replied, with a smile. "I'm here to talk about a business arrangement."

"Well I do like business." Replied Flam to his brother, with a smirk. "What kind of business arrangement?" He said, coming up with an exit plan.

"I need you to perform a very basic task for me!" The prince replied, nonchalantly, waving his hoof around. "Nothing the two of you can't handle, " he replied, with faux trust, and confidence.

"But if it involves us becoming icky changelings like you!" Flim said, pointing at the two changelings that the prince was using as his foot stools. "Then I'm sorry, but we are out."

"Oh no!" The prince said, with a chuckle. "Why would I want to pollute the hive with your tainted blood?" The prince said, causing the brothers to look at each other with confusion. Was he planning on removing their heads or something?

"Then what do you need us for?" Both brothers said, in unison.

"I simply need one of you to put this jewelry on." The prince said, bringing forth a necklace with a large red apple emblazoned upon it.

Flim looked at Flam, as both brothers started to swallow chuckles at first, and then to laugh out loud. "That's a good one!" Flim said, his face turning red with all of his laughter.

"Ok... Why do you really -- ?" Flam started asking, looking arround, the tears from his riotous laughter still streaming down his face.

"Need us here!" Both brothers asked, looking around for signs of deceit. Were they on one of those reels where they play pranks on stupid ponies?

Vladímir scoffed, looking very perturbed. "HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT I!!! THE RIGHTFUL -- " He started shouting, causing both brothers to snap to attention. He took a breath to calm down, before dropping back to his normal charismatic voice. "I mean... There's no trick here!" He said, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as possible. "I just want you to try this on for me!" He said, having the drone bring the necklace closer. "Doesn't even matter which brother puts it on."

"I don't know..." Flim said, with a false reluctance. "It looks pretty girly! And we are, after all, stallions' stallions."

Flam nodded in agreement. "It is pretty girly!"

The prince gave him a scowl back. "Then, maybe, would this change your mind?" He asked, having another changeling bring forth a fortune in both bits, and rare jewels.

If one didn't know better, one could swear they saw both brother's eyes turn into bits for a second.

"Well maybe we've been too hasty." Flam said, with a generous smile. "It wouldn't be so bad to put that girly thing on!" He said, facing his brother. "It might even look good on us!"

"Well it would look quite fetching with your mustache!" Flim replied, trying to hide his enthusiasm.

"Yes, and if you simply put it on then you can collect your payment, and you be on your way." The prince replied, his patience just about exhausted.

"Yes, I guess we shouldn't keep the gentlecolt waiting any longer." Flam replied, putting on the necklace, with a gulp as multiple changelings started to surround the brothers (you know, in case they got cold feet...)

What followed next could not be described in words except by the phrases pain, and screaming.

"Excellent." Vladímir replied, with a smile, putting the tips of his hooves together. "The artifact reacts to them! Phytolacca did an excellent job." The prince replied, causing an angry expression to appear on Solanaceae's face -- as he felt he wasn't getting the validation he was expecting.

"Feel disappointed?" The prince asked to the top of his two remaining assassin's. "Then get me the last three bearers, before I lose my patience!" He shouted, using his magic to toss his assassin out of his room with magic.

The brothers slowly raised back to their hooves, their expressions distant, and their eyes glowing a weird color.

"Ahh brothers!" The prince said, as the two forms slowly rose, smelling of smoke and covered in charred fur. "How do you feel?"

"Never felt better!" Lied Flim.

"Like a million bucks!" Lied Flam.

"Excellent!" the prince said, beckoning the some of his drones. "See to it that the brothers are treated like royalty in their new chambers, and please leave the brother's pay in the same room, please!" He commanded of the drone, who nodded dutifully. "They shall make excellent assets, along with that former drone Trixie, and that Sunset... whatever-her-name-was." He said, with a smirk.

Three down, three to go!