(Warning, this story may suck beyond all! This is after all my first time writing something like this!)
The sky was grey as the train screeched to a stop at the Ponyville train depot. There was no pony to welcome the six mares as they exited the last cart of the relatively short train. They had all been raised here, and grew to be friends with few other ponies before being recruited by Princess Celestia. They had planed to return to visit, but as fate would have it, it would have been a lost cause.
Not a friendly face in sight as they made their way through the town, and flew to "Sweet Apple Acres". Where they were met by three grim ponies, each looked like all the happiness that once surrounded them was swept away by what waited inside their barn.
One of the Pegici pulled open the large doors, to reveal why they had come.
Six stone ponies. Each that had, at one time, saved Equistria with the Elements of Harmony. Smiles on their ice cold faces, as though they were celebrating something. Their frozen smiles were all that remained of happiness, as they were transported by the six pegici to Canterlot.
***
The same six pegici mares were now back in Canterlot, in the same room they had shared sense they first arrived about three years ago. One of them was an orange furred with a purple and bright blue mane, her cutie mark was a flame in two purple clouds. "Of all the things to go wrong! This is the worst!" she leaned back onto her bed crossing her hooves; "First, Princess Celstia gets turned to stone! Then the only ponies that can save her are turned to stone! Then Princess Luna gets blamed for the whole thing!"
"Well you have to think, it does make sense why everyone thinks it's her Sunset Burst." a yellow pony, sketch pad in front of her, layed on her bed just across from Sunset's, "Argh!" she through her sketch pad to the ground, "How about adding 'lack of artistic creativity' to your list of what's gone wrong so far?"
Sunset Burst stared at her for a moment, Why? was all that came to mind. The group sat in silence for a minute or two, they had all been relatively close to those ponies at one time or another.
There was a knock on the door, and Princess Luna entered. The six mares jumped to their hooves, facing her. "I need you six to go back to Ponyville." Sunset was shocked, not by the task, but by the fact that pegici belonging to this alliance as it was called, tended to be sent out alone. "I need you to find out what has happened to these ponies, under any means necessary." with a sigh she added, "What ever caused this; my magic can not fix it. So we need to find out why this happened in the first place." she made her way back toward the door, opening it she added to the group, "I wish you the best of luck, for I fear Equistria may depend on it."
As the door closed, the ponies turned to each other again, "Well... Looks like we will get to see Ponyville after all... Heheh?" the angry glares of her friends were paused by a loud gong like bang from outside.
The ponies were submerged into a trance it would seem, as they filled out the door in such single file that any pony would think impossible. They continued along at an organized trot, there were several other groups of pegici in sight; they all seemed so syrconized with each other that they might as well have shared the same heart beat.
Ahead the gong grew louder as they all approached a large metal building with four sets of double doors for each side. That was where the synchronization ended, and the battles to be first in began. Sunset Burst, knowing that most ponies would forget they can fly, lifted herself into the air above their heads, and rocketed inside. The walls were lined with tables, some for one, some for large groups. In the center, were square buffet lines one on top of the other, over flowing with chefs and food. More ponies had come in, some flying like Sunset had, most walking or more like racing to the center. Not trying to get caught up in the excitement, the light orange pegicis flew up to the top. With out stoping, she grasped a plate, and continued to the top. Pausing at last, to grab some cake and pie. "Why not eat something else first?" the cook questioned, somewhat offended.
She just laughed, "What? And wait for all of this to be gone? No thank you!" without waiting to be caught in a mob of more pegici, Sunset landed, and balanced her hard earned food on her back. She serviced the area, spotting her friends at one of the larger booth tables waiting for her. Weaving her way through the crowd now gathering on the ground, she set her pace at a gallop and made her way to the table.
"Really? Pie and cake? I thought you were trying to stay fit."
"I am Stitch Work, that’s why I flew all the way up there." she laughed at her friend, realizing that none of them had plates, "Where in the name of Celestia is your food anyway?"
Rain Sketch turned to her, "We're waiting for the crowd to die down first so we could get to the food easier." she explained. Sunset rolled her eyes lazy!
"Well all of the good food will be gone by the time you get there so I win!" Sunset boasted as the others set of for the buffet, "Ha!" she turned back to her deserts, eyes wide as she felt their delicious already like goasts floating in her mouth. "Your mine!" the creamy and fluffy cake was of no comparison to the crunchy and soft apple pie. Still not as good as the Apple family's though. It's been agreed by every pony that the family of Sweet Apple Acres had the best apple, well everything! She allowed her mind to drift off as she thought about all of the good times every pony used to have on that little farm. It's kind of sad that that's where they were found I guess...
"Please! The fate of the universe depends on it!" Sunset Burst, Rain Sketch, Stitch Work, and the others were back at the barn the next day, though they had run into some issues with a pony hiding out inside. "Please!" he was a tan stalion with a brown mane, and they had so far been arguing with him for a good five minutes.
"Sir this is a crime scene, you have to leave." Sunset tempted, when he still refused to move, she turned to a blue mare with an oragne mane, then nodded to the stalion.The mare sighed shaking her head, and walked over to the stalion, who now seemed slightly fearful. When right infront of him, she turned and kicked him squarly in the chest with her two back hooves. He was sent flying out of the barn. Sunset watched as a grey pegicis came down, grabed the stalion, and flew off. "Oh-kay... Nice job by the way Zest." she commented to the blue member of the group.
Zest held her head high and troted to the center of the barn, "Learned it when Applejack and Big Mac asked me to help out with apple buck season last time we were here." she sighed again, then looked around as everypony seemed to be staring at her, "Don't you have something to do?!" she screamed.
Rain Sketch agreed, "Come on guys, the faster we handle this, the faster we get to split up." every pony nodded their heads, then went to work serching the barn for anything at all.
It was hilarious how many times they ran into each other accidently, That's what we get for always working solo! Sunset hissed silently as she rubbed her head from mistancenly hitting the roof. "Come on Stitch Work! You have to!" looking down she saw Stitch Work arguing with Rain near a pile of hay.
Stitch Work looked at the yellow mare in discust, "I will never step hoof in that un-organized pile of dried grass!" Sunset, in the love of causing trouble, glided down behind the complaining green mained pegicis gently, "I don't even know why Rairity would come anywhere near this!" getting on her back hooves, the light orange mare shooved her into the pile of hay. "AAAAAA!!!!! IT'S ALL OVER ME!! GET IT OFF!!! GET IT OFF!!!" Before anypony knew it, the entire barn, and everything in it; was coated in yellow, dry, and itchy hay. Not to mentchen the fumbling form of Stitch Work, as she kicked her hooves in every known direction.
Although it did make it a bit harder to work, being that everything blended in with everything else. All but the windows, that clearly showed the moon and stars. After calming down from laughing to hard at the cautic mass of hay and hooves, Suset looked through it for any sign of daylight, "Anypony know what time it is?"
"About noon, why?" Rain promted.
"Hasn't Luna raised the sun yet?" Zest came over to the window and looked out herself, the other ponies came over as well, except for Stitch Work that is.
"Well she can't."
"But Princess Celestia was able to when Luna was banished."
"That was different!"
"Oh well this day will be fun! How are people going to trust us if they think that we're working for Princess Luna?"
"I wouldn't trust us!"
"We should have a party!"
"Really Berry Shake? Is that going to be your answer for everything?!"
"Maybe the animals could help us?"
"Neive, you're the only one that can talk to them!"
Soon the five ponies were thrown into an argument, and none of them cared to pay attention to Stitch Work. "Ahh!" there was a hollow thud, followed by a crash that errupted in everyponies ears. "Guys, I found something! More like somepony." she called. The five of them exchanged glances, then rushed to her aid. As long as it isn't another statue. Sunset burst shuddered before following the others.
Somehow, Stitch Work had fallen into the Apple family's celler, in the center of which was a purple and green baby dragon. "What are you doing here?!" Zest snapped at him.
Sunset came to her side, "Yeah! What'da think you're doing in a crime scene?!"
"I uh-" suddenly the dragon speued green flames at the bright blue pegicis ruining her mane, after which a scroll was in his claw, "Sorry... Princess Luna's been sending these all morning!" before he had finished, green flames burst at Sunset, giving her and Zest matching manes. "Whoops!" Spike chuckled fearfuly, then unrolled the scroll clearing his throat, "
The team that investigated Celestia's chambers found nothing of intrest. I went through it myself and found no readible traces of unknown magic other then where she stood. I am currently investigating it myself, and hope that you will notify me of anything you find out.
~Princess Luna
P.S. I am having difficultly finding away to raise the sun as you may have noticed, so if you could look for a spell that could atleast make it lighter, I would be very apreiative.
"
Zest shook her head, returning it to it's normal, straight self, then turned around to the group behind her, "Neive, you go to Fluttershy's cottage, see what you can find out from the animals there about what she was doing before this happened. Berry Shake, you head to Sugar Cube Coner and do the same for Pinkie Pie-"
"With the animals?"
"No with the ponies!" sighing she continued, "Stitch Work, go to Carisel Boutic and check to see what Rairity was working on. Rain Sketch, check the libary, see what you can find out-"
"And check for spells to help the princess, on it!"
"I'll go with you!" Spike suggested, "I spent the whole morning with Twilight!"
Rain smiled, "Perfect, I'll take you back, you'll help me, and then I'll guard you to insure you don't speak to anypony else!" she gave a bright smile as she lifted him onto her back, ignoring his protests, and trotted away out of the entrance.
"In the mean time, me and Sunset will do some investigating around here." Zest finaly finished, "We'll meet back at the library in five hours." each pony nodded, then dashed off to complete their jobs.
