.buck//Moment

Applejack took a few tentative steps away from the Chaos Gate, blinking a couple of times as the world loaded around her. Looking around, the town was busier than last night, with larger groups of ponies wandering around and chatting. One particularly dense group was blocking the archway that led to the rest of town, and she awkwardly squeezed through them.

“Pardon me... 'Scuse me... Sorry miss...”

A few broke away from conversation to look at her, but it was just the briefest of glances before they continued talking. Finally breaking through, she turned back and examined the group. She hadn't realised before, but they all looked similar, wearing the same outfit. All of them were mares, unicorns to be precise, and they all wore a familiar flowing robe coated in stars. All their coats were a similar lilac colour, with plain, straight dark blue manes and tails. In fact, they looked very similar to Twilight, or at least, real Twilight. Curiosity got the better of her, and she approached the nearest one.

“'Scuse me.” The unicorn in question stopped her conversation and turned to her with an air of contempt.

“What?”

“Oh, Ah'm sorry Ah was jus' wonderin'... Why d'y'all look the same?”

The unicorn's expression changed to one of shock and intrigue. “You don't know? Have you been living under a rock?”

Her companion spoke up “I think she's new.”

The first unicorn covered her mouth in a gasp. “Then you don't know?!”

Several of the group turned as well, joining her in their confusion. The second mare face-hoofed and turned to Applejack. “Sorry about them. We're a guild who're fans of a... certain character.”

“Certain character?!” a third figure yelled, stepping between them. “Why, we're dedicated to the one and only Dusk Glimmer, greatest unicorn mage in existence!”

Applejack stared blankly at her. The previously confident mare in front of her faltered, clearly expecting Applejack to not be this clueless. By this point, most of the group had turned to her, and the thirty-odd pairs of eyes were causing beads of sweat to run down her brow. As the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves, she slowly backed away.

“Uh, clearly Ah've interrupted somethin' so Ah'll jus' get outta yer manes...” picking up her pace, she backpedalled rapidly, leaving the group staring after her. A couple yelled something about 'educating her', but Applejack was long gone and almost running to the bridge.

When she got there, there were only two figures, standing side by side and leaning over the edge, staring at the canal below while they quietly chatted. The firey lamps barely illuminated their forms, but from what she saw she didn't recognize them. Both ponies were mares, however the closest was a unicorn while the other was a pegasus. While she approached, Applejack took the time to study their appearances.

The unicorn was simply dressed, wearing a plain brown tunic over her pearly white coat. Her mane was a pale blonde colour, shoulder length but pinned back to her neck, while her tail was short, tied like Applejack's but only half as long. Subtle glinting in the light drew her attention to the steel boots on her forehooves, elegant but thick and strong, making the blademaster gulp as she imagined being punched by one of those. As her hoofsteps met the unicorn's ears, her head turned, analyzing Applejack with calm, delicate lavender eyes. The pegasus leaned over too, stepping around her curiously.

Applejack couldn't help but gulp as she was examined by the pair. The pegasus was very different, her dark grey coat providing contrast for the piercing azure eye that watched her disdainfully. Her other eye was masked, hidden behind a raven black mane that curved around her face. Her body was covered with a long, black coat which blended with the shadows, giving her the appearance of a floating head, aside from the holes in the back for her wings.

The pegasus raised her head arrogantly, flicking her mane and giving Applejack a quick view at her hidden eye. A strip of blood red lay above and below it, a nasty scar that framed a piercing scarlet iris. The pony turned away and stared back out over the canal, jabbing her companion with a hoof, whispering in her ear. A voice rang out from the pegasus, familiar but somehow very different from anything she'd heard before.

“Move along newbie.”

Applejack suddenly realised she wasn't moving anymore, and had just been staring blankly at the two. Shaking her head, she apologised hesitantly and headed to side of the bridge opposite them, leaning over and gazing down at the water below. It was crystal clear, reflecting the sky above perfectly, the moon filling most of her view. Her reflection's head was silhouetted against it, staring back at her, and she sighed softly. It had been 10:05 when she'd logged on and no one seemed to be here.

Behind her, she heard clinking and rustling, along with hushed whispers that she couldn't make out. Hooffalls grew near, and Applejack glanced over her shoulder as the voices grew in volume, still not enough to hear clearly, but she could tell the two different voices; one the pegasus, sounding angry, while the other was unknown but sounded like it was far more calm, but with a hint of what almost sounded like pleading.

A hoof pressed firmly into her shoulder, but Applejack steeled herself, looking up into the owner's eyes. The pegasus glared down, her unicorn companion hidden behind her, pulling cautiously but firmly on her wing while she protested. Applejack glared back, not flinching.

“What bit about 'move along' didn't you get?”

Applejack looked unimpressed. “Ah'm meetin' some friends here.”

“Well tell them to meet you somewhere else. This is our spot.”

Quietly, in the background, she could hear the unicorn muttering to her companion. “Shadow, leave her be, she's not causing any harm,” but her voice fell on deaf ears. Instead, Applejack blinked twice, her expression remaining stoic.

“Ah don't see yer name anywhere.”

The pegasus moved faster than she expected, and Applejack found a blade pressing into her throat, not enough to pierce the skin but enough to be uncomfortable. The unicorn gasped and pulled more vigorously on her wing, punching ineffectively on her flank to get her attention.

“Watch your mouth, kid.”

The unicorn finally gave up on pulling at her friend's wing and just yelled at her.

“Shadowdancer! That is enough!”

Fierce blue and red eyes stared into Applejack's own for a few moments before breaking away, glaring instead at her companion, who cowered slightly under the look but swallowed her fear and returned it. The orange mare regarded their staring contest for a few moments before stepping between them.

“Now, Ah don't know who y'all are, but that sure ain't how Ah expect anypony to treat their friends.”

To her surprise, the pegasus actually paused before she said anything, instead clenching her teeth and walking away towards the Chaos Gate, grumbling as she went. Violently she barged her way through the congregation of unicorns who still hadn't moved, and as they all tumbled over, they left a gap as many panicked and fled through which she clearly saw her fade away into a cloud as she warped to another area. Blinking a few times, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and looked sideways at the unicorn, who was bashfully tracing the stones in the floor with her other hoof. She coughed lightly, then began speaking, slightly nervously.

“I uh... Thanks... Sorry about Shadow she... lets her anger take control a little sometimes.” She paused for a while. “Normally she's great but... well she had a bad day.”

Applejack nodded understandingly. “Ah can see that. Still, she should probably find some other outlet fer all that frustration than other ponies in town.”

The unicorn sighed, then looked up at her briefly before heading to the edge of the bridge, leaning over. Turning her head slightly, she beckoned for Applejack to join her, which she accepted. The two stood side by side, watching the water below.

“I'm Starlight, by the way.”

The blademaster looked at the unicorn, meeting her eyes, and smiled. “Ah'm Applejack.”

Starlight regarded her for a few moments, but before she could say anything, they heard the sound of clapping from above. The two gazed upwards, and both sighed simultaneously at the sight of the armoured pegasus hovering overhead. Blinking, they looked at each other, both with looks of confusion on their faces, as Ardent Sunrise landed before them.

“Applejack!” Ardent grinned, ruffling her hair and earning a pout mixed with a death glare. She turned to the unicorn and bowed graciously. “Starlight.”

“Ardent,” both mares spoke as one, blinking and glaring at each other. The newcomer laughed, pulling them both into a hug.

“Seems like you two have already made friends. That helps speed things up.”

The ponies looked at each other, before Starlight suddenly spoke in a hushed whisper. “Wait... You're actually Applejack?”

“Yup. I'm not supposed to use mah real name. Too late.” Applejack couldn't help but chuckle quietly to herself. “Yer lookin' at the one and only.” The orange mare examined the unicorn before nodding. “And Ah s'pose you're that uptight fashion mare, huh?”

Starlight gasped, daintily putting a hoof to her mouth and forming a comeback, when she saw Applejack's wide grin. It spread infectiously, and she couldn't help but laugh. “Yes, you caught me. Is it really that obvious?”

She shrugged. “Not really, no. But y'all do look quite similar to yer real self, if'n ya don't mind me sayin'.”

Starlight chuckled. “It's quite alright darling. I am, after all, perfect, so one can only expect something similar even in a fantasy. I have always wanted to be a bit more plain.” She stroked the top of her mane. “And I'd say this fits the bill quite well, don't you agree?”

“It does look pretty nice.” Both turned to Ardent, who Applejack had forgotten was still there, who looked away promptly, coughed, then turned to Applejack and stepped closer. “You know, Applejack... I'm not entirely sure whether you're really brave or really stupid.”

Tilting her head, she scratched her neck. “What d'ya mean?”

“Well, for one thing you just stood up to one of the most infamous players on the server. On your second day.”

Applejack shrugged, trying to move attention away from the furious blush forming on her cheeks.

“And this is after deciding to take on a monster that can kill you in one hit within an hour of putting on the headset for the first time.”

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Starlight's eyebrow raised in curiosity. Applejack averted her eyes and began tracing the stonework holding the bridge together.

“And after breaking the game and seeing a load of stuff that Twilight says isn't in game!”

Starlight spoke up, tentatively. “Wait, really?”

Ardent nodded rapidly. “Yeah, she plays like a pro, it wouldn't surprise me if the game's chosen her as some kind of champion or something.” She laughed heartily, wrapping a hoof around Applejack's neck and ruffling her hair again.

“Sorry I'm late!”

All three raised their heads to the Chaos Gate, watching the violet unicorn gallop towards them, nearly tripping over her own robe. She skidded past them momentarily, trying to kill her momentum, before joining the group and lying down on the floor, breathing heavily. Starlight placed a hoof on her head and stroked it gently.

“Hey Violet” Ardent piped up, striding over, pulling Applejack with her. The three looked down at the prone mare, who was just getting her breathing under control and rising to her hooves.

“Sorry... sorry I'm late...”

“Oh don't worry about it dear” Starlight gently prodded her side. “You aren't that late and, besides, we haven't even see Party yet.”

“Did somepony call my name?”

The four turned their heads and strode to the edge of the bridge, leaning over and staring into the canal. Except, blocking their view was Party Time, hanging off the underside of the bridge in violation of several laws of physics, at least as Applejack understood them. She grinned up at them, reaching up and nonchalantly walking up the side and joining the group. Applejack stared dumbfounded for a moment while the others just shook their heads.

“How d'ya do that?”

Party extended a hoof, flexing the claws built in. “Climbing boots!”

At Applejack's continued look of confusion, Violet stepped in. “Rare item. Pretty sure Party has one of the only copies in game.”

“I have loads of rare items! They're so much fun!” she bounced a few times, grinning, before they all devolved into laughing amongst themselves.

It was several minutes before Violet piped up, questioning the location of their last member.

“Ah.” Ardent started. “About that.”

Violet looked worried. “What... What happened?”

Starlight caught her look and reassuringly patted the mage's back. “It's nothing serious darling just... Uh... She might need to cool down for a bit.”

“Oh?”

Ardent continued. “Yeah... somepony aggravated her and she stormed off to her--” she stopped mid sentence, pausing. Then she grinned widely and turned to Applejack. “Oh this will be fun.”

Applejack looked at her with wide eyes. “What... What'd Ah do?”

“You'd better know how to use that sword, Applejack,” Ardent tapped her side gently, “because you've just been challenged to a duel.”

Starlight and Party Time gasped, while Violet stood there blankly for a few moments, before the unicorn whispered in her ear. Her eyes became pinpoints and she stared at Applejack, jaw dropped. “You did WHAT to WHO?!”

At this point she was looking around in a mild panic. “Ah dunno, what'd Ah do?!”

“Get your sword ready Applejack, we're going on an adventure." The party invite flashed up, and Applejack accepted it. Then three different messages popped up on her screen at once.

Player  Violet Blaze  wishes to exchange Member Addresses!

Player  Starlight  wishes to exchange Member Addresses!

Player  Party Time  wishes to exchange Member Addresses! <3

Hitting Accept on all three, she was bombarded by the noise of three new 'Player Now Online' messages, which deafened her momentarily. The other four waited for Applejack's hearing to return before inviting each other to a party and setting off towards the Chaos Gate. This time Ardent manipulated it, and Applejack had another dialogue box appear after a few moments.

Player  Ardent Sunrise  is teleporting to  Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground ! Join?

A few random scraps of information such as level, loot type and rarity (huh?) all appeared next to it, but she just hit the Accept option. Ardent wouldn't take her somewhere where she'd be in danger.

Actually, as the world fell away, that sounded exactly like something she would do.

*****

The area they landed in was vastly different from the previous. Where the last was an endless grassy plain, here the group were standing on a stone bridge which ended abruptly, and lead to a huge cathedral, the likes of which Applejack had never seen. This gave the Castle of the Two Sisters a run for its money in both its majesty and its creepiness. Large, stone blocks made up the structure, with stained glass windows showing the same figure placed at regular intervals. Spires ran across the top, giving the place a menacing feel, but nowhere near as badly as the gigantic oak doors, far too large for any pony Applejack could conceive of, which were cracked open and showed just a black abyss within.

Around them the terrain was intriguing. As Applejack leaned over the side to look down she threw herself backwards. It was a very, very long way down. In fact, if she'd fallen, she reckoned it would be a good 10 minutes before she hit the bottom. Shaking her head, she caught the varied looks of her companions. Violet and Starlight looked concerned, while Party and Ardent were desperately trying to not laugh. Glaring, Applejack picked herself up and looked over the edge, more carefully this time. Far away was a sheer cliff, level with the cathedral all the way down to the bottom. It was like they were sitting right over a huge crater, although why anyone would create a zone like this was beyond her.

Blinking, she heard her name being called, and ran after the rest of the group, who were stood just outside the door. They parted for her, letting Applejack go in first, but as she went to step inside, she was pulled back by Ardent briefly.

“Applejack,” she began, but stopped as a hoof was placed over her mouth.

“S'alright, sugarcube, Ah can handle it, Ah'm sure.”

Behind her, she heard Starlight mumbling. “Definitely stupid.”

“Ah heard that,” she called over her shoulder, before stepping across the threshold into the cathedral proper.

She got three steps in before she stopped in awe of the beauty around her. Apparently this building consisted of one giant room, wooden pews spread evenly either side of an aisle that Applejack was now standing in. A golden, shimmering light gave the place a warm, holy feel, but what really drew her attention was the statue at the far end.

Standing on an ancient plinth was a stone visage of Aura staring at the floor before her, a deep sadness in her eyes that shook Applejack to her core. Now she recognized the figure in the windows; they were all the same mare. What was this place?

“Hello.” A voice brought Applejack back to reality (or at least, game reality), and she turned to the source, the dark pegasus standing at the foot of the statue, facing away from her. Behind her she heard her friends filing in silently. “It's nice to see you, newbie.”

The figure turned, face devoid of emotion. She stared at Applejack, blue eye considering her for several tense moments before she raised a hoof in front of her face. A short blade extended out of it with a subtle -shing- that shattered the silence filling the cathedral. The pegasus examined the weapon, running a hoof along it as though she were wiping it clean, then looked up at the blademaster on the other end of the room, who was staring back.

“You stood up to me in town,” the rogue began, calmly, “no one stands up to me, especially in public.” She regarded Applejack with that drilling blue eye. “Even if they are low level, they must be made an example of.”

“Sorry miss, Ah have no idea who you are, but if Ah've offended ya in anyway, Ah'm truly sorry.”

Her face didn't react at all. “I am Shadowdancer. And I will teach you who I am.” She gestured to Applejack's weapon. “Draw.”

Applejack shook her head. “Ah don't wanna fight ya miss.”

A small smile formed on her opponent's face, as she stepped closer. “Please at least try to fight. Wouldn't want to make a fool of yourself, would you?”

A couple of protests rang out from the group, but were silenced by Shadow waving a hoof in their direction. “We will settle this. Draw.”

Applejack sighed, drawing her weapon and facing down the mare. The two glared at each other for several tense moments, time appearing to stop as all ponies present held their breath.

“Three”

She exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself.

“Two”

Closing her eyes, she focused.

“One”

Placing her hooves solidly against the ground, she prepared.

“Fight!”