S4E02: You've Got Mail, Pt. 2
Author's Note
The ponies receive a letter from Discord, and the message inside scares the ponies of what may happen.
S4E02: You've Got Mail, Pt. 2
Twilight stared at the envelope. The red seal with the letter D on it was bothering her already. Anything Discord could bring to them is bound to be bad news.
"How did he find us?" Scootaloo asked, shivering a bit.
Spitfire turned to Scootaloo. "It's Discord. He's probably the most powerful living thing in Equestria by now." She told her. She turned to Twilight as she spoke again. "No offense to you, Princess."
Twilight shook her head. "He's not all that powerful now." She said. She unsealed the envelope, pulling the letter out with her magic. She unfolded the paper and began to read what was contained.
"Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle..." She began. The ponies turned to listen to her. "I see that you have found my little Secret. Get it?! Because his name is Secret?!" Twilight growled softly. "Anyways, I see you and my hired assassins have failed to kill that giant bug. So, just like The Ring, or whatever you call them, and that pest, you are now dead to me." Spitfire's eyes widened. "You know, you weren't the only one that was sent after the fly..." Twilight dropped the letter and looked up. "Signed, your bestest friend in the world...Discord."
"I knew it." Spitfire said, stomping her hoof. "I knew he didn't just send two ponies after the queen. He's smarter than that."
Secret turned to face Twilight. "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't think of this." He said. "I...I should have thought this through. He's sending hunters after us. Assassins."
Rainbow stepped up. "You mean Discord has an entire army of assassins under his control?" She asked.
Spitfire turned to Rainbow. "They don't call him the God of Chaos for nothing." She told her. "He's going to send wave after wave of assassins at us."
Secret turned to the crowd. "Guys. We need to be more ready than expected." He told them, cocking his shotgun. "We've got mail. And a bounty on our heads."
Intro
The ponies were on edge. There was no telling how close these assassins were, or how many assassins there were. There was only one thing they did know. They knew that they have to find Discord quickly.
"We don't have much time." Spitfire told them. "I betcha they're already here." She checked her clips for ammo.
Twilight walked towards her. "What makes you say that?" She asked. As if on queue, a sniper shot rang out, with a bullet zooming past Twilight's head. Everypony turned towards the direction that the shot came from. Weapons were drawn, tension was high.
"Hey punk!" A mare shouted from behind them The ponies turned to see who it was. A blue-ish pony with a lightning yellow mane stepped out of the bushes. "This is my claim. Get your own!" She took out a revolver and aimed it at the ponies.
Rainbow and Spitfire stomped their hooves at the same time. "Lightning Dust?!" They growled simultaneously.
Lightning Dust smirked. "Ah. If it isn't the weakling and the one who threw me off the Wonderbolts!" She clenched her teeth. "Now I find a personal gain in this stupid bounty."
"Back off, dweeb!" Another mare shouted. Gilda landed on a branch in the trees, opposite of Lightning Dust. "I got here first! Scram!" Gilda aimed a sniper rifle at the ponies.
Rainbow was shocked to see Gilda here as well. "Gilda? Seriously?" She shouted. "What happened to best flier buddies?!"
Gilda narrowed her eyes. "You played me, dweeb. Now, I'm going to play with your life!" She shot at Rainbow, which Rainbow quickly blocked with her katana.
Lightning Dust turned her revolver and fired at Gilda. The bullet hit the bark of the tree. "Hey, griffon! Either you get out of here, or I'll put a bullet in your head too!" She shouted, waving her revolver around. More ponies could be heard approaching.
Spitfire held her handguns at ready, looking at Lightning Dust. "What do we do?" She whispered.
Secret, who was holding his shotgun towards Gilda, shrugged. "Not sure. Zeinwolfe, got any more tricks up your sleeve?"
Zeinwolfe smirked. "Keep your heads down." He whispered. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small strange orb. "Ready...run!" He threw down the orb, and smoke covered the area. The ponies turned and ran from the area, leaving Lightning Dust and Gilda coughing in the smoke.
Once the smoke cleared, the pony and the griffon looked at each other. "Friendly wager?" Lightning asked.
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Fine by me." She spat. "First one to kill the losers earns the keep."
Lightning nodded. "Deal." The two spread their wings and shot off to find the ponies.
The ponies ran until they couldn't run anymore. The group stopped to take a breath. "Lightning Dust. Gilda." Rainbow panted. "What are the odds?" She looked at Spitfire.
"You know, for once, I was hoping we were the last living ponies in Equestria." Spitfire said. "Because every other living pony is out to kill us."
Secret shook his head. "They're only doing it to survive." Secret told her. "Discord is protecting them. As long as they do what he says, that is." He growled. "Fluttershy trusted him..."
Twilight trotted over and patted Secret on the back. "We all trusted him." She told him. "We should have seen this betrayal coming. But we didn't. And we paid the price." Twilight turned to the other ponies. "But now, he pays his price." She told them.
Keynote spoke up. "Did you hear how many ponies were back there?" She asked.
Rainbow tapped the ground with her katana. "We still can win."
Zeinwolfe stepped up. "The changeling queen was right. This is suicide." He told her.
Twilight nodded. "I'm not saying that we will make it. I'm not saying that we're all going to survive this. But, I can tell you for a fact, that if at least one of us survives...that pony will take their gun and put a bullet into that traitor's skull."
The ponies all agreed. "For Celestia!" Coco cheered, throwing her hoof in the air. The other ponies joined in. Twilight smiled, raised her scythe into the air with her magic, and went along with the chant.
Once the cheering died down, the ponies waited for Twilight's orders. Twilight looked at them for a moment and nodded. "Alright. Let's go." She said.
Twilight took a step forward, and suddenly felt hazy. She collapsed onto the ground and passed out. The ponies gasped, and Secret quickly went to her side. "Princess! Are you alright?!" He asked. He blindly stared at the ground, waiting for her to respond. There was nothing. The ponies looked at each other in shock.
Twilight opened her eyes. She was in the endless white void. She looked back and forth, confused.
"We told thou that she would arrive." Luna echoed. Twilight turned around to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing side by side, looking back at the young princess.
"Celestia..." Twilight teared up. "Luna..." She blinked the tears away.
"You've grown since I last saw you...last year." Celestia said.
Twilight shook her head, trying to understand. She gave Celestia a funny look. "Last year?!" She asked.
Celestia nodded. "You know...you were in the Everfree for a whole year. Time in the Everfree is quite...strange." She told Twilight, sighing. "I thought you would never show up again."
Twilight looked at her own hooves in shock.
One whole year...
S4E01: You've Got Mail, Pt. 1
Author's Note
The ponies, after spending some time in the Castle of the Two Sisters, prepare to go on their quest to find Discord.
S4E01: You've Got Mail, Pt. 1
"You know, Twilight, I still can't get over the fact you let her go." Rainbow said as she followed Twilight through the hallway. "She killed Princess Luna!"
"Well, yes and no. It was that changeling that killed Princess Luna." Twilight said. She frowned. "And...you killed it...right?"
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah...I did." She said, clenching her teeth. Rainbow still wore Applejack's cowboy hat, which she had reclaimed from the changeling impostor after killing it.
Twilight nodded. "And now...I'm the last princess. I'm now in charge...of Equestria..." Twilight stopped. "That's...frightening..." She said slowly. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Never the matter. Either way, we still have to finish this."
"But...what about Chrysalis?" Rainbow asked, stepping in front of Twilight. "What if she does come back?"
Twilight sighed. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If she truly sees like we do, she'll help us. If not..." Twilight tapped her scythe on the floor. "We'll be waiting for her."
Rainbow smiled slightly. "I'll take your word for it." She said.
Secret approached the two. "Princess Twilight. Rainbow Dash." He greeted with a warm smile.
Twilight blinked. "Well...look who's being formal..." She said, staring at Secret with a slight disbelief. Rainbow let out a small chuckle.
Secret bowed slightly. "Well, last it mattered, I was the Captain of the Royal Guard." Secret told her. "And I figured, as such, it is my to my entire effort that I must protect the last princess of Equestria." He said this in the most serious yet warming tone he has ever had.
Rainbow looked at Twilight. "He has a point." Rainbow said.
Twilight smiled brightly. "Well, I'm honored." She said, giggling softly. Secret smiled once more in a warm way. Rainbow shook her head and laughed, a sort of bright laugh that she hadn't gotten to do in the longest time.
It was the little things.
Later that day, the survivors gathered around a fire that Keynote and Rainbow made. Keynote talked about how she has been living in the Everfree since the outbreak. How Zeinwolfe had saved her from the cocoon long before Twilight and her friends showed up.
Each of them told stories about their adventures before and after the outbreak. They even told jokes and scary stories. Scootaloo pretended to not be scared, but the ponies knew. In fact, Scootaloo got used to the scary stories after a while.
"Coco, right here, took down five zombies, five of them! In one shot!" Zeinwolfe said, patting Coco's back. Coco blushed in embarrassment. "He's telling the truth. But, Zeinwolfe, you did take out an entire town of crazed murderers." She said back.
Zeinwolfe nodded. "Ja, I did, but I am a trained assassin. I've done this for years." He shot back.
Coco narrowed her eyes. "I'm a trained guard. I've been sniping for years. I could probably shoot through ten zombies. I could probably shoot through 10 living ponies!" She said, lifting her chin in defense.
"Hey, you two!" Secret said, cutting them off. "Once you learn how to shoot a double barrel sawn-off shotgun while blind, then you earn my respect." Secret told them. Zeinwolfe and Coco simply looked at each other, and laughed.
Intro
The ponies were to take one last rest before leaving the castle. Everypony slept near the fire, using pillows they found around the castle, along with other things they recovered. Keynote had shared a sleeping bag with Scootaloo. The two young mares slept in the sleeping bag, back to back. Rainbow slept face-up, Applejack's hat covering her face. Her katana was by her side. Zeinwolfe was near her, sprawled out with one hoof on his stomach. Spitfire slept on her side, her hoofguns sheathed. Coco had cuddled up to her rifle as if it were a loved one. Zecora slept with her head between her hooves.
Secret was on guard duty. He sat near the fire as he waited for either something to happen, or his shift to end. He jumped a bit when he felt a hoof touch his shoulder. "You're still awake." Secret said as Twilight sat down next to him.
"I can't sleep well." Twilight told Secret, shaking her head.
Secret blinked. "Is something bothering you?" He asked, blindly staring at the fire.
Twilight shrugged. "I don't think so...I mean, other than the fact that Discord is behind this all. But that...that's not it..."
Secret turned his head a bit. "What do you mean?" He asked her.
"It's just...I have....It's about....I know I..." Twilight stuttered, trying to speak.
"Oh, I see." Secret said, nodding in understanding.
Twilight looked at him. "Really?"
"Yeah." Secret said. He took a stick and poked the fire with it. "You're having trouble being the last princess of Equestria. With Celestia and Luna gone, the entire power of Equestria rests in your hooves." Secret flicked his ear. "Given, I'm technically still Celestia's only living family. And you, the last princess. You're not alone. It is my duty to assist you in any way possible in containing the power of Equestria."
"N-no!" Twilight said, stopping Secret before he could continue. "That's not it either."
Secret rose his head and looked at her general direction. "Oh? Then what is it?"
Twilight took a deep sigh. "Do you think I make good choices, Secret?" She asked, looking at the fire.
Secret looked back towards the fire and thought for a moment. "For the most part." He answered, nodding.
Twilight was silently for a moment. "So you think going after Discord was the right choice to make?" She asked.
Secret thought for a couple seconds. "We don't know yet. It seems reasonable." He answered. "Where are you going with this, princess?"
The purple mare closed her eyes. "After this...if we defeat Discord...after we cure Equestria of the zombie outbreak..." She looked at him. "We've come a long way, Secret. And I don't want to lose it now." Secret was generally confused, looking at Twilight's direction. "Secret...I need more than just a guard." She said, blushing a bit.
"You're not saying..." Secret said slowly, tilting his head.
Twilight placed her hoof on Secret's hoof. "I remember when 'Applejack'..." She said Applejack with a sort of disgusted attitude. "...Used to tease me about how I acted like I was in love with you or something." Twilight laughed softly and awkwardly. "And...I didn't believe it at first. But...she was right. I actually do really like you." Twilight said.
Secret blinked and shook his head. "I'm sleeping." He mumbled.
Twilight giggled softly. "No, Secret. You're awake." She said. She leaned over and whispered something into his ear. She then nuzzled his cheek and stood up, trotting away quietly.
Secret tried his best to hide the blush on his face.
The next morning, when Spitfire was on guard duty, she went around and woke up the ponies one by one. When she came to Secret and Twilight, the two were next to each other. Spitfire smiled slightly. "Get up you two!" She called. "We have to leave soon!" She told them. Secret and Twilight opened their eyes. Twilight stared at Secret for a couple of seconds, then blushed a bit. She got up and helped Secret to his hooves.
The ponies were ready to go. They packed what the could. Bags slung over every individual's back. Even Scootaloo, who claimed to be old enough to handle duties.
Twilight stepped forward, Secret by her side. "Alright. We all know what we're going after, so we don't need to repeat anything." Twilight said to the ponies, looking around at them. "Just a small reminder. The pony next to you is family. The pony behind you is family. The pony in front of you is family. We are all family, from now till the end. You look out for your family, you carry your family, and you bury your family in the highest possible respects." Agreement rippled through the room. "Now, we're off...to find Discord."
Twilight turned and began to leave. They walked out of the castle and across the drawbridge. Twilight and Secret in the lead. Spitfire and Rainbow took the sides, protecting Keynote and Scootaloo. Zeinwolfe and Coco took the back.
As soon as Twilight had finished crossing the drawbridge, she stopped. The sound of something flying overhead could be heard. The ponies drew their weapons and looked up. Something shot overhead, too fast for them to see clearly. Something began to fall from the sky, something that the flying thing had dropped.
A letter floated to the ground at Twilight's hooves. Ponies began to gather as she picked up the letter.
"What is it?" Coco asked, limping up to them.
Twilight gulped. "It's him."
The ponies looked at the letter. It was sealed with a red, the letter D on the seal.
