Heart and Mind

Chapters

Past One - All in Good Fun
Past Two - Unexpected Opportunity
Present Two - Background
Past Three - An Expert's Analysis
Past Four - Missteps and Memories
Past Five - Mission Implausible
Present Three - Shadows
Past Six - Canterlot Institute of Development
Past Seven - Hidden in Plain Sight
Past Eight- Lucky Break
Past Nine - The Moment of Truth
Past Ten - The Crusaders
Past Eleven - Love and Tolerance
Past Twelve - Partners in Crime
Present Four - Hostile
Past Thirteen - The Last Friendly Faces
Past Fourteen - Memories of a Desert Wanderer
Past Fifteen - Something More
Past Sixteen - Machinations of the Madmare
Present Five - Broken
Present Six - The Other Side of the Wall
Present Seven - Collision of Powers
Present Eight - Burning Bright
Present Nine - Our New Beginning
Present One - Confinement

Past One - All in Good Fun

Ponyville
October 6th, Year 22 under the Four Princesses

The autumn air was a welcome feeling as it gently flowed through the trees surrounding the town square. With the slight chill it brought, most ponies were staying indoors for now with only a few out and about on business. A trio of such ponies were heading into the square now, one heading for a meeting with the mayor while the other two had stayed alongside for company on the way. On the left was Apple Bloom herself, in far better shape than her present self, her coat and mane brighter, her step full of vigour and her flank emblazoned with a saw cutie mark. A representation of her practicality and skill at woodworking.

To her right was another earth pony that was pink all over, enthusiastic to the point of bouncing rather than walking and with a trio of balloons for a cutie mark. It was none other than Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter and the soul of any gathering. On the other side of Pinkie was an orange pegasus with lavender mane and a cutie mark of a purple aviator helmet. This was Scootaloo, the best ground based stuntpony in Equestria and one of Apple Bloom's closest friends. She was the one who was having a meeting, the other two had tagged along to keep her spirits up, or at least take her mind off the frustration she'd been dealing with over the last few days.

"I guess if I was honest," Scootaloo mused, thinking over the latest question posed to her. "The kind of stallion I'd like to date would be athletic, easy-going, not too bad looking..."

"Like Soarin in his prime?" Pinkie interrupted, prompting a humoured laugh from Scootaloo.

"Something like that, maybe not quite as goofy though."

"Come on, you stuck around with the Crusaders all these years, you have to like goofy." Apple Bloom teased. Scootaloo merely grinned and waved a hoof in fake dismissal as they reached town hall.

"Well, thanks for that you two, I should get going now. I'll see you later." Scootaloo waved a farewell and headed off for the entrance, leaving Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie to head off and open up their shops for the day. Pinkie thought for a minute before looking over at her old friend.

"So, Apple Bloom, what do you look for in a partner?"

"Well, funny you should ask...I was thinking about it the other day and I realised the kind of pony I'd like to be with would be funny, good natured, outgoing but knowing their limits. Heck if I didn't know better, I'd say the ideal pony I'd like to date was you."

The idea sounded even more ridiculous out loud. Pinkie Pie couldn't help but laugh at the idea, Apple Bloom chuckled with her and looked away slightly. Truth be told, now that she'd said it out loud it came across as different to how she'd intended it. Beforehoof, it was just a funny little fantasy, even if coming up with it had taken up most of the evening. Now though, next to the closest equivalent of said fantasy right next to her, focused on the mare with the kind of personality that she'd just said was ideal, the whole situation felt different and...Was, was she blushing slightly?

"Yeah, silly I know." Apple Bloom shook her head slightly, trying to push the thought out of mind for now. She trotted a little quicker to catch up with Pinkie.

"No, not at all. Everypony should have the chance to have the most super-riffic pony to stick around with. It's not like there's only one me in Equestria either, there's probably another Cheese Sandwich out there just right for you."

"S-sure, and even if not, it's just for fun, right?" Apple Bloom commented, though that wasn't what she had meant at all. It wasn't enough to just understand how to make a pony laugh, her ideal partner would know when to rein it in, how to find a way to work through any emotion and bring out the positives. Pinkie Pie had matured a lot over the last few years and knew just how to do that. She could do a lot of things now, considering she was basically running Sugarcube corner and watching over the Cake twins at the same time.

It wasn't just that though. Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom had been friends since the latter was just a filly, Pinkie had always been willing to help out with setting up any Crusader activities, making sure each of them got a heck of a party when they'd earned their marks, but she'd always seemed to make time for Apple Bloom in day to day things as well. They'd bonded together and Pinkie had probably been her most significant figure outside of family and the CMC, but there wasn't anything more to it than that, right?

The topic didn't come up again as they headed through town, Pinkie seemed to have picked up that it was a complicated area and kept the talk on lighter things before they reached Sugarcube corner.

"Thanks for walking with me, Apple Bloom. I'll make sure you get an extra special order next time you're in. How about a good friends get-together party?"

"I'll settle for a muffin," Apple Bloom chuckled. "But I'll be sure to follow that up later. Good to see you, Pinkie." She waved a farewell and set off again, heading for the northern end of town. Based out there was the livelihood she'd built for herself: Apple Bloom's Carpentry and Woodwork. She'd spent six years building business up and now had regular work producing and supplying furniture across Ponyville and to the outlying farms, possibly towns further out if Applejack or Big Mac were able to help with transport.

The walk gave her more time to think about Pinkie. Part of her wondered if this was just a weird coincidence, another part that she might have always felt like this in some way. There had to be some way to figure this out, something quick and simple. Apple Bloom stepped to the side of the street and relaxed herself, this was a long shot of an idea but it would only take a few seconds.

She closed her eyes, down to normal, and thought of Pinkie Pie. Her bouncy step, her eager smile, her sleek body that seemed to have a metabolism faster than Rainbow Dash. She was...Apple Bloom stopped, feeling something inside her. It was similar to how she felt around her family but, not quite the same. Close friend feeling? No, this wasn't the same happy vibe she had with any of the CMC either. It was subtle but definitely something new, something surprisingly welcome.

It would have to wait for now though, Apple Bloom set off again, letting the feeling subside for now. Work was always a welcome distraction from her other issues, getting into the zone and making what she considered art that doubled as durable furniture. It was a straightforward walk now, one she used to see other ponies as they were coming out for the day. She waved at a few as they passed by, recognising a lot of those out and about. That was the nice thing about a community like Ponyville, everypony recognised each other no matter how long they'd been there.

Five minutes of walking brought Apple Bloom to the store, not exactly large but enough for her to get things done. She opened up and stepped inside, flicking the lights on and going through the morning routine of setting the displays up. She always took a small measure of pride in seeing her work displayed like that. That done, she checked the desk over and noticed a letter had been delivered before she had arrived, hopefully an item order. She looked it over and smiled, an order indeed, with details and payment enclosed.

"For Lyra, eh? Good." She said to herself, when...No, if, she decided these feelings about Pinkie were for real, Lyra Heartstrings was probably the best pony in town to ask for advice about it. Her and Bon Bon were something of an icon among same sex couples in Equestria and they were always willing to give advice to others who came out. Apple Bloom chuckled slightly as she double checked the order and saw it was for a closet, there was a pun in there somewhere.

She shook her head slightly, personal life later, work time now. She headed through to her workstation in the back room, checking the wood blocks she kept set up for new projects. There was a lot you could do when you started with just a block, Apple Bloom knew first hoof what she could do after the cutie pox incident had her temporarily sculpting like a pro. She took a pencil in her mouth, pinned the order details to a large block and started sketching an outline.

Already she was focused, putting all the what ifs of earlier aside for what she really loved right now.

Past Two - Unexpected Opportunity

October 8th

"That was easy enough." Apple Bloom said to herself as she stepped back and wiped some sweat off her brow. Two days of work and she had transformed a large but average block of wood into the rough model of an stylish closet. She hadn't even done any of the details yet and this was a work she was extra proud of. The doors were off and placed to one side, ready to be screwed into place at the end once the rest was perfect. She picked up a wood shaver and stepped inside the closet, getting to work on the rougher parts.

"Apple Bloom? You in?" A voice called from the front of the shop, Apple Bloom recognised it easily enough.

"Work room, Scootaloo." She called back, looking over to the door as Scootaloo stepped through, wearing the same kind of look she used to have when they'd been dealing with Diamond Tiara during their fillyhood, exasperated and really wanting a cold drink.

"Thanks, hey that's looking good so far, even with my eye for lack of detail," Scootaloo chuckled slightly and leaned against the wall, flexing her wing out before looking at her friend. "Apple Bloom, I need the perspective of somepony who understands me and, well, is okay with breaking the rule."

Apple Bloom paused and looked over at Scootaloo. The 'rule' was a unspoken agreement the former crusaders had to never bring up Scootaloo's incapability to fly. Sweetie Belle had stuck to it so hard that she didn't even mention wings when she was with them, Apple Bloom was a bit more lax about it and while she wouldn't break it on her own, she knew Scootaloo was being serious if she was giving a green light to do so.

"Okay, so it's about your flying, what's happened? Are you onto something?"

"Maybe, when I got home after meeting with Mayor Tiara there was a note from somepony claiming they could help with that. Me and Trixie went to check it out today and it was from some stallion called Quick Fix."

"Rings a bell, red coat, blond mane, was in the new class after we left school?" Apple Bloom clarified as she resumed the wood shaving, focused but keeping an ear on Scootaloo.

"Yeah, sounds like him. Was a repairpony from the looks of him, hammer cutie mark and all."

"Okay, so what's the problem, was he just using it to ask for an autograph face to face?"

"The problem," Scootaloo pushed herself off the wall and started pacing. "Is that he was serious, claimed that he'd been learning about wings from Twilight. Okay he knew some things but I ended up letting him talk me into a follow up at the athletics circuit tomorrow morning, see if he could spot something all those doctors couldn't. A repairpony, claiming he can understand what's wrong with my wings in one day and probably fix it too. I mean, do you have any idea how ridiculous it all sounded?"

Apple Bloom paused for a moment, thinking it over. Scootaloo's tone had made it clear she was stressed from the mix of hope and frustration boiling up at the possibility this was for real. As for this Quick Fix, she didn't know enough to make a reasonable call yet. She resumed shaving as she came to a decision, grunting slightly at a resistant patch.

"Ok, I'll admit it sounds off, but maybe he does have an idea. You'd be surprised how some ponies' cutie marks look way different to their talents. I mean, look at miss Cheerilee."

"I guess, so you think I should go through with it?"

"I'll tell you what," Apple Bloom put the wood shaver down and stepped out of the closet, glancing over her work and nodding before looking back at Scootaloo. "I can hang around as well if you like, been meaning to get a good run in recently."

"Thanks, Apple Bloom. With you and Trixie there, this is either going to be a fantastic breakthrough, a day of status quo, or a hilariously one sided scuffle. Whichever way it ends up, I'm almost looking forward to seeing how this goes."

Apple Bloom grinned and put a hoof out, Scootaloo grinned in return and eagerly hoofbumped her. It felt good for the two of them to be planning things together again, taking on the world, just like the old days. Both of them silently wished that Sweetie Belle was still here, rather than in Manehatten.

"Thanks again, glad I can always count on you having my back. I'll let you get back to work. The meet is at ten so I'll see you there." Scootaloo said as she moved to leave. Apple Bloom followed her to the entrance and waved, smiling happily and stepping back once she was out of sight. A break would be nice after two days of non-stop working and she had just the thing in mind. At least she did until another pony entered the store. Ok, business first, plan after.

Sugarcube Corner was a hive of activity, just as it always had been. Quite a few ponies had wondered if the bakery would be able to survive after Cup Cake and Carrot Cake had retired four years ago, but those ponies had reckoned without the sheer determination of their successors. Pound Cake, Pumpkin Cake and, of course, Pinkie Pie. Together the trio had managed to build up a reputation of their own and ensure that business was as good as ever.

Pinkie was manning the counter when Apple Bloom entered the store, looking a little flustered but still cheery. Even as she pushed the door shut behind her she was trying to figure out how she was going to go about the idea running through her mind.

"Hi Bloomie! What'll it be?" Pinkie said happily, waving eagerly. Apple Bloom chuckled at the new nickname and stepped up to the counter, already feeling more relaxed in the pleasant atmosphere that constantly seemed to permeate the building.

"Hey, Pinkie. Surprise me." Apple Bloom replied, sighing slightly. Pinkie watched her with a little concern as she started packing muffins into a paper bag.

"What's with the frowny face? Is your shop okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, things are fine over there. I was just...I mean, Pinkie Pie, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Apple Bloom was mentally kicking herself as the pink pony eyed her up. It had seemed like a good idea to ask Pinkie Pie to come along for company tomorrow at the time, then all of a sudden she had been standing outside Sugarcube Corner for ten minutes straight trying to work up the nerve to go inside and ask.

What was the big deal here? It was just her friend, her friend that brought up that same weird feeling every time she looked at her. Apple Bloom took a quick breath and focused herself, managing to make the feeling subside for now. Thankfully, Pinkie didn't pursue the matter further either and simply gave one of her usual happy grins.

"Okey-dokey-lokey! Find yourself a seat," Apple Bloom gave a small sigh of relief at hearing those words and got some bits out to pay for the bag of muffins while Pinkie put her head through the door to the kitchen. "Pound, can you watch the counter for a few minutes?"

"No problem!" A voice called back, leaving Pinkie free to bounce over to the table where Apple Bloom was sitting down and trying one of the muffins. She sat down opposite and relaxed, waiting for something to be said.

"Hmm..." Apple Bloom took a bite of the muffin, trying to think of how she was going to start with her request. After a few seconds she came up with what she was going to say. "Are these strawberry muffins?"

"Surprised? I mean I hope you are, ponies have been saying strawberry worked so I'm trying it in as many things as I can right now."

"It's, definitely a surprise," Apple Bloom waited as Pinkie clapped her hooves together and giggled in glee. She'd never appreciated just how...There had to be a better word for Pinkie's laugh than cute. Focus was needed right now, the last thing Apple Bloom needed was a loss of nerve. "So, about what I wanted to talk about before."

"Oh yeah, what's shaking?"

Me, Apple Bloom thought as she took a quick breath and focused. She was calm on the outside but if she looked like she did on the inside, she'd be shaking hard enough to fall out her chair.

"Well I was wondering...I mean, firstly. Pinkie Pie, are you busy tomorrow?"

"Let me check my schedule," Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a notepad and diary. After a few seconds of scanning the pages and talking to herself, she looked up and smiled. "Nothing big, unless you want to plan a party, then I'll have something super ginormous."

"Not quite, but hopefully something almost as good." Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her head and hoped this wouldn't be too akward, it was time to see if this was for real.

"I'm all ears. Well not really, because then I wouldn't be able to do anything but sit here and listen all day and then I wouldn't get to go and do whatever you've got in mind."

"Good to know, because there's a lot of nicer parts of you than just the ears...I-I mean, I was, wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow morning."

"The time and place?" Pinkie asked, pulling a pencil from under the table and putting it in her mouth while she checked her diary.

"Ten o'clock, Ponyville Athletics Circuit." Apple Bloom sat back and watched as Pinkie Pie studied her diary for several before moving over to the notepad and starting to sketch what she could only describe as a circle with a line bisecting it vertically and two more branching off halfway down, moving diagonally downward to the four-thirty and seven-thirty positions.

"Yeap, I can be there." Pinkie said once she put the pencil down, looking up to see Apple Bloom with a look of confusion on her face. To be fair, it was also the most relaxed she'd looked since entering the store.

"Cool...Why did you draw that symbol before answering?"

"Pinkie sense, I just thought of it and then my shoulder went shivery, which means something really important is on my mind. I thought it might be to do with that so I drew it before I forgot."

"Okay then. So, you'll be there?" Apple Bloom gave a small squee in anticipation before seeing Pinkie nod again. "Great! Thanks Pinkie."

"No problem, I'm sure we can come up with something super fun. See you there!" Pinkie replied, moving to get up. Apple Bloom let her go for now, knowing that she needed to get back to work before one of the Cakes decided to try another crazy recipe idea.

She sighed happily and sat back. In truth, she hadn't thought that would work as well as it had. That familiar feeling was creeping back in as she watched Pinkie take over counter duty from Pound Cake again. There was no need for it though, Apple Bloom told herself, it's not like she was asking Pinkie out on a date, right? No, they were just friends hanging out, right? She put her head on a hoof and sighed, confused by how she felt. Right now, she had a distraction at least, picking the muffin up and finishing it off.

As for her feelings, she was going to need some more help on this one.

Author's Note

So yeah, this took a few rewrites but it definitely marks the point I got back into the flow of writing. Hopefully you're all still enjoying!

Present Two - Background

Apple Bloom sighed slightly as she finally stopped talking for now. She had no idea how long they had been going for but it was dark outside and her throat was tensing up from so much reminiscing. Peace Walker was sitting back against the wall, resting her chin on a hoof in thought, looking a lot more focused than before. Apple Bloom looked over to the water trough and reluctantly went to get a drink, hoping that whoever put them here didn't put something in the water.

"You're an interesting pony, Apple Bloom," Peace said eventually, little energy in her voice, her eyes showing tiredness. "With a name like that, anypony would think you'd be working an orchard somewhere. Or was that too obvious a choice?" She grinned slightly, showing she was just trying to keep the mood light.

Apple Bloom finished her drink and looked back at Peace Walker, feeling a strange sense of Déjà vu all of a sudden, as if something she'd been remembering was linked to the pony. Her mind was still a complete mess though, unable to search for a reason without the pain and flashes returning. Even as she rubbed her forehead to shake the feeling, she remembered something, unconnected but definitely from the life she had before this room.

"A pony once taught me that a cutie mark is, just an extension of who you really are...At least, I think that's what it was. The point was that what my mark was didn't matter as much as if I was happy with what I was. I sure was, from the sounds of it."

"Seems like a wise pony." Peace commented, unable to keep herself from yawning. Apple Bloom understood, she was tired out too, hoping for a half decent night's sleep considering there wasn't even any straw in here.

"Come on, I warmed this spot up and you need the best conditions we can get." Peace said as she got up and moved over to another spot.

"You're sure?" Apple Bloom asked, Peace nodding as she moved over to the spot. "You're too kind." Normally she'd at least try to convince Peace Walker to stay there but exhaustion was starting to set in and she didn't feel up to debating the offer. She settled down and curled up, drifting into a silent sleep as soon as her eyes closed.

Peace watched her for a few minutes, silently hoping that she was going to last long enough for them to get anywhere. She'd seen several ponies come in here as regular ponies and go out with their old minds, all trances of their lives, simply erased. Even with the all the training and discipline of a guard, the thought of that happening to her, terrified her right to the core. As she settled down on the colder floor, she could only pray that tomorrow would go a lot better, and that tonight's sleep would have less nightmares.

Apple Bloom twitched as she slowly started to wake up. While her sleep had been uninterrupted, it was hardly relaxing, her dreams made up of witnessing two versions of herself battling in a thunderstorm. One bearing her old saw cutie mark, the other the equal sign she had now. Though neither of them had been able to gain any advantage over the other, she understood that the equal one was stronger and the warning it carried.

If the old mark had lost, she was going down with it.

Apple Bloom shook her head slowly, trying to shake the idea from her mind, she was going to come through this in one piece with Peace Walker's help. Speaking of, where was she? She opened her eyes and glanced round, letting everything sink in again at the sight of the same room.

"Good morning, Apple Bloom." Peace Walker said, Apple Bloom looked over her shoulder and saw the blue pony by one of the windows, resting a hoof on the edge and watching the clear sky. She looked depressed, as if this small opening was the only way she'd ever seen the sun and ever would again. It struck Apple Bloom that for all her guidance and determination, Peace Walker was just another pony, one who needed the same help as she was giving.

"Morning, are you ok?" Apple Bloom asked as she got up.

"Me, yeah. What about you? Any dreams?"

"Yes, I was watching two of me duelling." Peace Walker raised an eyebrow and looked over at Apple Bloom, she'd heard several dreams mentioned before and that was a new one.

"I see...Which won?"

"Neither, when I woke up they were still going. I think the one with our marks was just ahead though."

"Okay, really wish Princess Luna was here to explain it. It's asking a lot, but the sooner you can remember more, the more chance you've got. Think you're up to continuing?"

"Actually," Apple Bloom said as she thought about how she was going to put this. "I was wondering if we could talk about something else for a little bit."

"What kind of something else?"

"Well, I'd kinda like to know a little more about you. I'm curious about the pony pushing herself to help me and, well. If I can help you keep going as well, I want to push myself like you were."

Peace looked away for a minute, thinking it over. Apple Bloom waited, looking down at the hay bucket and eating some in the meantime. It was probably worse than grass, but she suspected that was the point. Peace Walker eventually looked back to her, wearing a soft smile for the first time since the two had met.

"Truth be told, I was hoping you would ask. I kept clinging to memories of my life for this moment, hoping somepony, anypony here would want to know about me, just in case...Thank you for having faith in me, Apple Bloom."

"We have to help each other through this." Apple Bloom replied, watching as Peace Walker sat down before dropping into a sit next to her, indicating that she could start when ready.

"Okay, about me...Come on, you can still remember this," Peace muttered to herself, tapping her forehead with a hoof for a few moments before looking up again. "That's it, the one that wasn't here. I was born in Baltimare, about thirty one years ago, I think. My parents were regular earth ponies, the names escape me though...Dammit. My motivations are-" Peace stopped and clutched her head slightly, fighting the false memories for a minute before relaxing as Apple Bloom placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Your motivations?"

"I'm sorry, I thought too hard then, don't do that if you can help it. All I remember is that I wanted to serve Equestria, the princesses. I found my chance when the Equestrian Defence Force was founded. At the time, I was eager, fit, ready to go, aside from the fact I was fifteen years old."

"That, sounds like I should know what that is." Apple Bloom commented, prompting Peace walker to look over at her for a few seconds before remembering that something like that would obviously have been supressed.

"You would if it wasn't for this mind messing. Long story short, Princess Celestia realised that having Equestria's response to major threats be either hope the problem fixed itself or send the Elements of Harmony at it, wasn't that smart. Aside from the risk involved, it put a lot of stress on the elements, especially Princess Twilight after she failed to talk one such threat down."

"Oh, wow...Poor Twilight. What happened?"

"I..." Peace thought for a minute before tapping the floor in irritation. "I can't remember that either, god dammit." Apple Bloom looked over at her, wearing a look of confusion.

"What's a god?"

"A figure from minotaur religion," Peace Walker said, surprisingly calm about it. "I studied it for a while in school and found their beliefs surprisingly accommodating. They've included a number of figures from other races in their deities, even some of ours."

"Okay, that's pretty cool."

"So anyway, back on topic. Under the watchful eye of Princess Luna, several hundred ponies came together to make up the original defence force. Trained to take on any regular threat that might be capable of throwing Equestria off it's path."

"And you wanted to be part of that?"

"Well, yes. I applied when I was nineteen and...Let's just say enthusiasm is not much use when you actually need to fight. I was fast and good at rapid judgement but when it came to fighting, everypony wiped the floor with me. I was on the verge of quitting when my training officer let me know that I could be transferred to something a little more my speed."

Apple Bloom nodded, remembering back to their first meeting yesterday. Peace Walker had mentioned she was in a scout division, it sounded perfect for a pony like her, eager to serve her homeland but without having to be overly aggressive in the process.

"Okay, your life sounds good. What about family? Remember any of them?" She asked, waiting as Peace Walker sat back and looked up in thought. She seemed to be mumbling to herself, running it all through her mind before looking back down and answering.

"I was a single child, can't remember much about my parents, just that they were very supportive of me. There's also my husband, he...he..." Peace Walker faltered for several seconds before clutching her head in her hooves again, clearly pushing herself too hard to try and remember. Apple Bloom reached over and shook her slightly.

"Come on Peace, focus! You'll remember for good when we're out of here, right now I need your mind, I need your help." She didn't mean to have it come out so harsh but she was just as worried about the implications. Fortunately, Peace Walker calmed down after a few deep breaths, sitting back and looking over at Apple Bloom.

"Okay...Okay, thanks. I-I think that's enough on me for now. My mind is a mess. You still feeling alright, Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom nodded, understanding what she had to do. Odds were the clock was against them and the more she could remember, the more...Well she wasn't sure what the more was, but given the circumstances it couldn't be anything worse. She sat back and relaxed, trying to find a clear memory that was close to the ones from yesterday.

"I can continue, try and keep us both calm this time. October ninth is..." She winced slightly at a rush of memories, tensing as she thought she saw something new mixed in. It wasn't the same though, even at just a flash the mental imagine gave her a feeling of dread, but she didn't have time to understand or show it right now.

"...Is, just a haze. I-I think I've got something clear just after that though."

Past Three - An Expert's Analysis

October 10th

Evening was settling over Ponyville, the growing dusk marking the brief time between ponies returning home from work or school and them coming back out again for the night. As a result, the streets were relatively clear, which was exactly how Apple Bloom wanted them. It was a lot easier to manoeuvre her delivery cart that way, especially with the closest she'd spent the last three and a half days working on fitted to it. This was one of her bigger orders this year but it was done, a job well done and a welcome distraction from her conflicting feelings about Pinkie.

This delivery had an added bonus, namely, it's recipients. Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon, two long-time residents of Ponyville who had become well known for how...Open they were about their feelings for each other. They were always willing to help anypony who might be struggling to understand their sexuality though, which was exactly what Apple Bloom needed right now. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her feelings hadn't gone away at all and she had to consider that she was, well, like that.

Not that it was a bad thing. Same sex relationships in Equestria were, while uncommon, not really considered taboo. There would always be some judgemental ponies out there, but for the most part a live and let live attitude prevailed across the land. Even so, Apple Bloom felt rather awkward as she headed into the west residential area, her feelings flaring up at so much as a thought about Pinkie when she didn't have anything to distract her. Her cheeky, light up the room smile, that happy bouncing walk, her cute mane, lovely eyes and...

And she realised she was blushing again.

Apple Bloom sighed slightly and shook her head, trying to chase those thoughts off again. It didn't mean anything right now, she had a job to do and the light was fading fast. She picked up the pace slightly, nodding a greeting to anypony she passed. There weren't any more distractions about at this time and before long she had reached Lyra and Bon Bon's place. Getting the cart through the gate was a bit of a challenge, but she quickly managed to get through without scratching the paint too much and knocked on the door. A few moments later it was opened by a mint green unicorn with very light green and white mane and lyre cutie mark.

"Apple Bloom, great to see you." Lyra said cheerfully, hoofbumping her and stepping out to get a closer look as Apple Bloom worked on undoing the restraints on the cart.

"Good to see you too, Lyra," Apple Bloom replied. "How's things with you?"

"Pretty good, got some fun ideas for what to get Bon Bon for Heath's Warming. Oh, let me help you with that." Lyra's horn glowed orange and enveloped the closet, lifting some of the weight off Apple Bloom as she shifted it onto her back to carry inside.

"Phew, thanks. Where would you like it?"

"There's a space cleared in the living room, just on the right. Don't worry about trying to keep the shelves in, I got it."

"They're screwed in place, I am a professional you know." Apple Bloom grinned, prompting a small chuckle from Lyra as they moved through to the front room. Apple Bloom carefully moved into place and lowered herself before slipping the closet off her back, standing up to check the top end was settled into position.

Lyra stepped back to give her space, picking up the delivery papers she'd brought in and going to sign for them. Apple Bloom looked up as she finished checking the closet was settled properly. With the hard part over, her mind was starting to wander a little again, back to where she wasn't sure it should yet. This was still something she wasn't sure she could handle herself and now was as good a time as any to seek some advice on the matter.

"Lyra, are you busy right now?"

"Not immediately, why? Did you forget a form?"

"Actually, I kinda needed some advice on-" Apple Bloom couldn't even finished before she noticed that Lyra was focusing on her with a fair degree of intent and anticipation.

"You are? I mean, you might be?"

"I think it's a possibility, I was hoping you two might help me make sense of what I'm dealing with."

"That's what we're here for, take a seat," Lyra said, bouncing slightly in excitement before heading out of the room and calling upstairs. "Sweetie! We have advice to give." Apple Bloom could only watch, ears folded back in surprise. She hadn't expected such sheer enthusiasm to a request like that, but she did as asked and sat down on a nearby chair.

A few moments later, a light yellow earth pony with blue and pink mane came down the stairs and into the room, giving Lyra a quick nuzzle as she did so. Bon Bon had always been the more serious of the two but there was still a glint of excitement in her eyes as she saw who they'd be talking to tonight.

"Good evening, Apple Bloom. The closet looks amazing, worth every bit." She said happily, sitting down opposite Apple Bloom, Lyra sat next to her in that strange, lying back position she was so fond of before pulling a few notes over and glancing through them.

"Okay, Apple Bloom. Firstly, I want to stress that you're in control here. Anything you want to ask or hear, it won't go further than this room," Bon Bon said professionally, lying down and blushing softly as Lyra stroked her mane a little. "If I'm ok to ask, who's the lucky mare you have feelings for?"

Apple Bloom paused, the situation running through her mind again. Her feelings for Pinkie Pie were, well she couldn't really deny that they were feelings. At the same time though, she didn't know how far it went. Was this some weird schoolfilly crush phase that she would be over by this time next week? Something serious that she wanted to pursue? Or something in the middle? For now, she decided to err on the side of caution and see what the two mares thought of it.

"I'd, rather not say right now, just in case nothing comes of it."

"Fair enough." Bon Bon replied, shifting in place as Lyra leaned forward.

"But you do feel something when you think about her?" Lyra asked, waiting as Apple Bloom slowly nodded in response. "Okay, what do you feel? Use as much or little detail as you like."

"Okay, I'll try," Apple Bloom took a breath to compose herself and gather her thoughts. "Well, I think about her, from the whole picture to just some of the little details and...Well, I feel warm. Not the usual kind, a warmth in my chest that spreads quickly across the rest of my body. It makes me feel good, like I can't help but smile when I think of her."

She waited as Lyra and Bon Bon discussed it among themselves. It was strange, but admitting it out loud had taken some of the tension off her shoulders.

"It's a simple enough situation. Would you like the detailed version or the short?" Bon Bon eventually asked, waiting as Apple Bloom indicated that she'd prefer the shorthoof version. "From our own experiences and that of others. It sounds like you're experiencing genuine attraction toward this pony."

Apple Bloom blinked and sat back on her chair, mind trying to process the result. She'd wanted to avoid using the serious terms for what she thought she might be, hearing it from them, how this might be the real deal. All those years of never seeing a stallion that took her fancy, was it because she had been a lesbian all along? Apple Bloom slowly looked up, wearing a look of confusion. The minimal but supportive reaction it got from Lyra and Bon Bon suggested that this was every bit as common.

"A...I mean...I know it's what you do but, just saying I may have been looking at the wrong type all this time. Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure for the detail you gave us," Lyra commented. "Emotional attraction is very important and judging by your description, you have some of that."

"It's not just that though, is it?" Bon Bon added. Apple Bloom hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"That's fine, physical attraction makes sense as well. Even I see some ponies that interest me when I look at their body as well as their personality," Lyra added, prompting a glare from Bon Bon which we responded to with a cheeky grin. "I just observe, nothing more."

Apple Bloom nodded, thinking it over. The more she thought, the more she realised that she had experienced both kinds of attraction. It was almost embarrassing but it really sounded like they were onto something with all these observations and points. At the same time though, there was still a part of her mind that couldn't help but think maybe all this was just a weird phase. She took a breath and nodded, trying to focus again.

"Alright, that all sounds like what I've experienced. Anything else I should have been looking out for?"

"Does the warmth concentrate between your legs?" Lyra remarked, prompting a shocked gasp from Apple Bloom and an irritated nudge from Bon Bon. "What? Physical attraction is easily followed by sexual attraction."

"Yes but you don't need to get so crude in front of a guest." Bon Bon retorted, sitting up quickly.

"I thought you of all ponies would understand it better than anypony, considering what you try on me upsta-" Bon Bon punched Lyra's shoulder and looked away with a scowl. "You like it really."

"...You're lucky you're cute." Bon Bon said eventually.

"I love you too." Lyra replied, putting a hoof round Bon Bon's shoulders and pulling her close enough for a kiss on the cheek. After a moment, Bon Bon simply relaxed into her lover's hold.

Apple Bloom watched silently, something dawning on her. She'd been waiting through that whole personal venture off topic and no matter what, Bon Bon had still been smiling ever so slightly, her voice softer than expected for somepony put in that spot. These two ponies understood how to work off each other at the deepest level there was, each other's hearts, minds and souls. Considering how many ponies came to them for advice on this sort of thing and short of being Princess Cadance herself...

Yeah, they knew what they were talking about. Apple Bloom soon thought of something else and cleared her throat to bring their focus back to her.

"Sorry, but just to finish up. What would you recommend I do?" She waited as the two ponies composed themselves and thought it over. It was Bon Bon who spoke up first.

"How do you think the mare would react if she was told how you felt about her and knew it was serious?"

"Well, she's pretty easy going, very understanding, quite good at seeing the bright side but also knows to be serious when she needs to."

"Then, truth be told. You should probably tell her how you feel." Bon Bon sounded a little cautious, a reminder that this wasn't an easy step.

"When the time feels right," Lyra added, taking the situation seriously again. "Though from what you've said, even if she isn't interested, she'll appreciate the feeling."

Apple Bloom nodded, thinking it over. Even though the mare in question was Pinkie, she didn't feel ready to admit to anything just yet. Even if she was falling for the pink party pony, she needed to be completely sure rather than risk looking like a jerk when her feels tailed off.

"Alright, well, I think I have all I need for now. Thank you both, I've got a lot to think about over this." Apple Bloom said as she got up, shaking hooves with Lyra and Bon Bon before making to leave, just about avoiding overhearing another quiet comment from Lyra that prompted irritated muttering from Bon Bon.

As she headed back outside and checked her cart over. Apple Bloom took a moment to consider what she should do. The idea of her sexuality being different hadn't been a serious one before, but based on what she'd been told back there, it made sense and seemed...Okay. Yeah, if she was a lesbian, that would still take some getting used to.

What other ponies might think though...Even in a land of relative tolerance, her mind was auto piloting toward imagining the worse scenarios that could come of it and she didn't like that one bit. She decided that for now, this was to be kept to herself until she could come up with an answer on what was going to happen with Pinkie. With that, she took the cart and set off into the night. For now, she was heading time, tomorrow, she would come up with a new way to hang out with Pinkie Pie. Just thinking her name brought that warm feeling up again.

If this was what being attracted to a mare really felt like...Even if that wasn't her thing, she could just as easily live with feeling like this.

Past Four - Missteps and Memories

October 22nd

The last days of autumn were upon Ponyville before the planned early winter swept in. Unfortunately, the schedule for the build-up meant that the town was covered in thick fog, much to the chagrin of many ponies who had hoped to see just a little more sun. Apple Bloom wouldn't mind as much if she could see more than five feet in front of her. Coming to the marketplace to get some lunch had been a bit of a mistake, considering she could hardly even find the stalls, let alone anypony that might be trying to do the same.

After fifteen minutes of careful wandering, she finally managed to get some bagged oranges. Most ponies would probably assume that choice was blasphemy coming from an Apple but, food was food, right? They were quick and easy to work with, not to mention rather tasty. She smiled to herself at the thought of tucking into a few back at the shop before doing some cleaning up. All in all, she had a pretty simple afternoon in mind, the thought lifting her spirits some as she made her way to leave the marketplace.

Right up until her hoof connected with somepony else's leg.

Apple Bloom staggered as her body tried to put weight on a hoof that hadn't hit the ground and fell onto her side, knocking the air out of her on impact. She lay there for several moments, gasping for breath before looking back at who she'd tripped over. Her ears folded down and she cringed in embarrassment as she realised that none other than Pinkie Pie was looking back at her, her back leg out enough to be the responsible item.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Bloomie! I wasn't looking and my pinkie sense can't keep up in this fog." Pinkie gushed, quickly helping Apple Bloom back to her hooves. Apple Bloom didn't reply initially, mostly because she was still winded but partly because she didn't know what to do. All this hope she'd had in mind about what she might feel about Pinkie and now she'd made herself look like a jackass in front of the mare in question. That wasn't going to help at all.

"I...Yeah, I think so." Apple Bloom replied eventually, looking herself over and becoming aware of a dampness on her chest. She looked down quickly, half expecting to see something bleeding down there, instead only seeing a damp patch of fur on her chest and what was left of her oranges on the ground. Of course, that just had to happen to round off the bad luck of the last minute. Pinkie looked down at the squashed remains and couldn't manage to stifle a giggle.

"An Apple with oranges, there's gotta be a classic joke in there," Pinkie managed to say before focusing again. "But I went and ruined them and the joke. Come on, Apple Bloom, let's fix this!" With those words, she wrapped her hoof round Apple Bloom's and darted off for who knows where. All Apple Bloom could think to do was cling on for dear life, wondering how long it would be before they hit something, then she remembered that Pinkie could get just about anywhere in a flash when she wanted to.

After a few seconds she worked up the nerve to try opening her eyes and realised they weren't even outside anymore. Pinkie already had her in somepony's bathroom...Actually, judging by the fact it was twice the size of a regular bathroom and half of that was taken up by a big pool, she was certain it was the bathroom in Sugarcube Corner.

"Okay, you clean yourself up, I'll get you some replacements." Pinkie Pie said, back up to her normal cheery self. Apple Bloom got herself back to her hooves and just like that, Pinkie was gone again, leaving Apple Bloom to her own devices. After a few moments of taking the room in, curiosity took over and she went to look at the pool. It didn't look too deep and almost inviting for a quick swim, if not for the detail that confirmed that this was Pinkie's place, namely the bulky, ten foot long alligator that had just swam through from some kind of underwater passage linked to the next room.

Apple Bloom smiled to herself at the sight, realising it had been a while since she'd been here with how big Gummy was now. The feeling was replaced by a pang of sadness as her thoughts went to the other pets she had known while growing up, knowing Gummy was the only one left. Tank, Opalescence, Owlowiscious, Angel. She missed them all...She really, really missed Winona right now though. She looked down at her rippled reflection and realised tears were welling up in her eyes at the memory. She wasn't sure why, she'd said her goodbyes sixteen years ago now.

Yet, it didn't make remembering any easier.

She slowly forced herself over to the sink and got the water running, pushing her chest over enough to start washing the orange juice out. Try as she might, her mind kept wandering back to all the old memories of the family pet that she'd grown up with. Those fillyhood days they'd race each other through the orchards. Time on the job, herding critters together, bonding as a team. That evening in front of the fire, an early teen Apple Bloom sitting and stroking the aged dog for what she suspected might be the last time...The next day when she came home and learned she'd been right.

A hoof slipped against the edge of the sink and Apple Bloom finally felt years of restrained emotion slip free, dropping her head to rest against the sink and letting the tears fall freely. She looked as bad as she felt, dripping water from the clean-up, her mane and coat still dishevelled from the journey here, her face wracked with the emotions of pain. She didn't know what to do right now, why it had to be happening now, her mind overwhelmed as she stood in place and let those tears out, ultimately just trying to ride out the moment before-

"Apple Bloom?"

-before Pinkie Pie got back.

Apple Bloom froze up, trying to figure out if the world was playing some cruel prank on her today. Everything she'd done just seemed to be making her look silly in front of Pinkie and she still didn't know what to do. All she could think to do was hide her face in the sink and hope the moment ended sooner rather than later. After what felt like forever, she felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder and looked up again, seeing a pink hoof come in and gently wipe her tears away.

"What's wrong? This isn't like you." Pinkie asked, helping Apple Bloom back up to a standing position and waiting as her friend composed herself.

"S-sorry you had to see that. I just saw Gummy and it reminded me of the old days, with Winona." Apple Bloom admitted, looking away and sighing slightly. Pinkie nodded slowly, knowing from experience how hard unexpected triggers could hit.

"It's okay Bloomie, we all struggle with the worst parts of the past." Pinkie said reassuringly, pulling Apple Bloom into a supportive hug. She slowly returned the hug and buried her muzzle in Pinkie's shoulder, grateful just for the support. It was a bit of a silly response but she couldn't think of anything better right now. She could pick up the faint smell of baked goods imbued in Pinkie's fur, the gentle caress of a hoof on her neck, the pure care put into making her feel better.

That familiar feeling stirred inside her again, though the more it built, the more she realised this was different. The usual warm feeling was a minor thing next to the sense of calm that washed over her, a sensation that everything was alright now. In all her years, nopony had ever quite made her feel as special and peaceful as this, her mind flashed back to what Lyra and Bon Bon had said and she considered if this was an extension of all that. If she really was...

"Feeling any better?"

Reality just had to interrupt, didn't it? Apple Bloom blinked herself back into focus and reluctantly pulled herself away from the warm shoulder. Pinkie stepped back, waiting with a hopeful smile on her face.

"I'm...Better, thanks to you," Apple Bloom replied, managing to smile softly in return. "Sorry for making you worry though. You must think I looked ridiculous."

"Not at all, just a pony in need of a good boost of cheer."

"Well, you never fail on providing that, thank you." Pinkie grinned at those words, making Apple Bloom that much happier that she already was.

"Awww, that's just what I'd do for any of my friends." Pinkie beamed, not catching that Apple Bloom's smile became ever so slightly more forced than before. Then again, even Apple Bloom herself didn't realise she'd done it either.

"Of course, you'd do that for anypony."

"Well yeah," Pinkie gave a small tut as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But you deserved some extra effort." That little addition brought the spark back into Apple Bloom's eyes and she smiled warmly before finally getting round to drying herself off from before.

"Thanks...I didn't realise how much I needed to hear that."

"No problem, you know you can come to me anytime you need some help dealing with the frowns."

"Just like always." Apple Bloom gave her eyes one last wipe and, satisfied she was back to normal, made to leave. Pinkie put a hoof out, motioning for her to wait a moment, and reached into her mane before pulling out a fresh bag of oranges. Apple Bloom grinned and took it eagerly, an extra spring in her step.

"Try to let those sad thoughts go carefully, like a balloon that slipped from your grip. And have a better rest of the day."

"You too." Apple Bloom nodded and headed for the exit, smiling to herself. She couldn't explain it but how she'd felt back there was definitely something more than her former feelings, trying to compare the two was like trying to compare a crush to actual love. She still wasn't sure just what she felt but she couldn't really deny it. When it came to Pinkie Pie, there was definitely something there.

"I don't get it," She mused to herself. "Why does the heart have to be so darn complicated?...I guess I just need to give it time and see if I can hang out with Pinkie some more."

Author's Note

Yeah, I'll be the first to admit this wasn't the strongest chapter. I had a better ending in mind but I had to cut it since Apple Bloom wasn't there to see it, sorry about that.

Past Five - Mission Implausible

November 3rd

Winter had come to Ponyville, early but light for now as a thin layer of snow covered the ground. Most ponies were taking advantage of the time to finish any major work they still had before the harsher weather set in. In one house though, such work was already done and it's occupant was simply enjoying some warmth. That was none other than Apple Bloom, nestled down by the fire with a book she'd borrowed from Pinkie Pie a few days before. It felt good to have a day to herself, no woodwork jobs or deliveries, no meetings with the new Cutie Mark Crusaders, just her and a book.

"This writer really needs to try putting more of his thoughts down, push the length of the chapters up a bit," She said to herself, glancing at the name on the cover and making a mental note to send them a letter sometime. "For that matter, why would Pinkie have a story like this in the first place? It reads like a bad history document."

She put the book down and simply watched the fire for a while, thoughts drifting back to Pinkie Pie. She was glad that they hadn't seen each other in the last few days, needing the time to get her thoughts straight again. It had taken a lot of soul searching, trying to compare her feelings to Lyra and Bon Bon's advice and that one night when she'd had a bottle of cider and tried to imagine what Pinkie looked like in a...No, that night didn't count. At least now she had a clear idea of her feelings. The question now was how willing she was to put them out in the open.

Her train of thought slowed at the sound of somepony outside, then promptly derailed off a bridge as they started knocking on the door rapidly. Apple Bloom sighed to herself and got up, heading to the door and opening up. To her surprise, none other than Pinkie Pie was the one hammering on the door.

Not noticing the door was already open.

Apple Bloom pulled her head back to avoid being accidently punched in the face. With her muzzle still intact, she looked forward again at the sight on the doorstep. Pinkie was only just getting her rapid knocking under control, looking rather frantic and her frizz most definitely freaked.

"Pinkie? What's going o-"

"Cake!" Pinkie screamed, before taking off at a run. Apple Bloom stayed rooted in spot for several seconds, trying to comprehend what had just happened in front of her. A few moments later Pinkie darted back up to the doorstep, looking like she couldn't believe Apple Bloom was still standing there. Her hoof gripped round Apple Bloom's and took off at a run again.

"O-okay, what about cake?" Apple Bloom managed to ask, even as she was being dragged down the pathway and into town.

"More than cake! Fate of all the cake in Equestria!!" Pinkie shouted back at her with a rather frantic look in her eye, enough to show that she this was serious business even if it was just about cake. Apple Bloom decided that it would probably be better to get answers after they'd stopped running, all she could do for now was try to keep up.

Eventually they reached Sugarcube Corner and Pinkie set Apple Bloom down in the corner booth, dashing off again before coming back with a newspaper and a muffin. Apple Bloom had no idea what this was about, except the muffin, that was probably an apology for the rushed trip. She looked up as Pinkie Pie saw down next to her and took a few breaths to calm herself before flicking through the newspaper.

"Okay. So, what exactly is this about and where does cake come into it?"

"Cake?" Pinkie blinked a few times before her face lit up in recognition. "Oh, right! Sorry, I was panicking back there and kinda lost focus...Apple Bloom, I want to find a missing pony and get your help for it."

"A..Wha?" Apple Bloom could only stare in confusion at her crush, yes she was saying crush, her mind had too much running through it to correct itself right now. There were some remarkable leaps in logic between 'Shouting about the fate of cake' and 'Recruitment for search and rescue', they probably made sense in Pinkie's mind but Apple Bloom was going to need a little, no, all the context before she understood a link. Pinkie seemed to have realised the same thing as she settled her mane back into place.

"So, here's the scoop, or page, as it were." Pinkie said, placing the newspaper down in front of Apple Bloom and letting her read it. The top half of the page was what drew her attention, a missing pony alert for a farmer out to the far northwest. Her ears folded against her head as she kept reading, disheartened by the report.

"Another missing pony...How many is that? Why aren't the guard doing something to stop this?"

"At least thirty over the last year. Whoever's doing it is clever though, enough of them have been false alarms to-"

"Wait...You think these are related? Your Pinkie sense can't be THAT finely tuned." Apple Bloom sat back and took a bite from the muffin, trying to figure that one out. The look in Pinkie's eye though, showed she was glad the question had been asked.

"I know so, I thought the same as anypony before until I saw one of the missing ponies was Wheat Germ, one of the farmers I buy supplies from for Sugarcube. I looked a little closer and found a connection, every pony that didn't turn up safely has some connection to food growth and production."

Apple Bloom sat up as Pinkie's look grew even more focused as she passed over a number of similar reports. Each one had been edited down, presumably by Pinkie herself, showing each pony's name, photo, occupation and status. She leaned in and glanced through the list.

Orange Patch, Orchard worker [MISSING SINCE 26/5]

Tempest, Weather Pony [FOUND 16/5]

Fruit Loop, Farmer [MISSING SINCE 3/2]

High Taste, Chef [MISSING SINCE 11/4]

Coco Pommel, Dressmaker [FOUND 7/7]

Fresh, Produce quality control [MISSING SINCE 21/6]

The list went on like this and the further she read, the more Apple Bloom realised two things. Firstly, the thirty Pinkie Pie had mentioned only applied to the still missing, there had to be at least double that number that had been found. Second, the connection was definitely there, the only ones still missing worked with food in some way.

"Okay...So all of these are organized or premeditated?"

"Right," Pinkie answered, looking even more serious than before. "This last part's only a hunch, but whoever's doing this is targeting the elements of harmony at the same time."

"Wh...How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Because of the names," Pinkie stared at Apple Bloom for a moment, as if trying to figure out if she had caught up yet, before pointing to two of the missing. "This mare imports from Applejack, this one was the first farmer I bought my supplies from, I've shown you the second."

Apple Bloom's mind was racing. Pinkie was sounding like she'd stumbled onto some kind of conspiracy, that or a pony serial killer. She still couldn't figure out why she was being involved now instead of, say, the town guard, the defence force or even the princesses. The questions just kept piling up in her mind until she just leant forward onto the table and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Why me?" She asked, managing to catch Pinkie out enough to pull her gaze away from all the reports and look back at her in surprise.

"Bloomie?"

"I just, think that there at least dozens of ponies more qualified than I am for this. Any of the guard posted in town would know what to look for, or what about Twilight? I'm sure she'd relish the chance to go dish out some friendship to whoever's responsible."

Pinkie looked away in thought, a flash of doubt visible before she rested her chin on her hoof. Apple Bloom looked away herself, worried she'd said something wrong. Her focus came to the muffin she still had a hoof wrapped around, a good a distraction as anything from this flood of information. What Pinkie had said, it sounded crazy at a first pass, but she knew that coincidences didn't happen often in Equestria and this was way too big to count as one.

Her thoughts were interrupted by something climbing on her free hoof. She jumped slightly and focused again, realising that the something was actually Pinkie's hoof resting on hers. Normally this would have made Apple Bloom's feelings flare up so hard she'd probably be blushing all over, the look on Pinkie's face was so off from what she'd anticipated that it overrode everything else. She looked like she was...Pleading?

"Because...I know what you can do, I trust you with this more than anypony else." Pinkie answered eventually, throwing Apple Bloom off even more. She expected some long rambling explanation that ultimately singled her out, not a reason as simple as that. At the same time though, those words made her heart soar, she'd been hoping for a chance to be around Pinkie for longer but hadn't worked up the nerve to try it herself. This was going to be for Celestia knows how long, how could she turn down the chance?

"Well, you seem to have enough of an idea to make that conclusion...Okay, I'm in." Apple Bloom replied, looking back up at Pinkie and catching sight of what looked like a quick smirk before Pinkie grinned again.

"Great, I already have a plan set up." Pinkie pulled a map of Equestria out from under the table and laid it out. Apple Bloom leaned in and looked it over, taking in the dozens of markings on the map, likely for where each missing pony had gone from.

"So, I'm guessing the newest report is what we're going to be working from."

"No, even as fast as I am, that was out in Appleloosa and we wouldn't get there before the investigation teams got their hooves on it. We're going to be heading for Canterlot."

"Okay...You're gonna need to explain that one to me."

"I have a friend working at the Canterlot Institute of Development at the moment and she told me they get the reports quickly to try and use some super technical tracking thingy to try and find the missing ponies. We're going to ask them for the next lead and find out what's going on ourselves."

"Isn't that, you know, illegal?" Apple Bloom almost immediately regretted asking as Pinkie gave her an extra serious look, bordering on cold.

"This is about the safety, security and lives of ponies, sometimes you need to work faster than the legal channels." Pinkie answered in a hissed whisper. Apple Bloom hesitated before realising just why she'd be taking this so seriously. Friends were everything to a pony like Pinkie Pie, it made sense that she would be friends with those that gave her the supplies for her baking, now they were being taken from her without explanation and she wasn't about to take that lying down.

"Okay, sorry. Just tell me what we have to do."

"Just be ready, I'll come get you when we move in a few days," Pinkie finally broke back into a grin as she put the map away. "For now, have a superriffic snow day and don't forget your muffin."

Apple Bloom smiled and got up, picking up the muffin and making her way out. This was quite an undertaking she'd signed up for and she made a mental note to clear up her work orders and let the crusaders know before she left...Though knowing Pinkie, she'd made a start on those already. There was just one little detail still bothering her as she made her way back into the snowy town. Pinkie had sounded like she was willing to bend the law a bit to find the truth and it was unlikely she'd let Apple Bloom back out in this state of mind.

Just what had she put herself up for, and how rough was this going to get?

Author's Note

Alright, now I'm finally getting into the meat of things. If you're still reading, I really appreciate every single one of you viewers, even the downvoter (I mean, you took the time to do so.)

Random trivia of the day: This was the first chapter written in 2016. Here's hoping to the first of many.

Present Three - Shadows

The room went quiet again as Apple Bloom finished her latest round of memories, broken only by the sound of hoofsteps. Peace Walker was pacing round, starting to look agitated, her focus on the enchanted door to the outside. They didn't need words for the meaning to be clear enough; she was struggling with her own mind and it wasn't clear just how effective hearing somepony else's recollections was. If it was any consolation, Apple Bloom still felt like herself, aside from the infernal throbbing still running through her head like a filly on a sugar high.

"I'm okay, I'm okay..." Peace repeated to herself, eventually running a hoof down her muzzle and straightening up again. Apple Bloom could see that she needed something else to focus on beyond the room and what was happening in it though.

"Peace, you think that maybe you should take a turn? Sit down and find yourself again?"

Peace stopped at those words and looked back at Apple Bloom, almost as if she'd only just noticed she was there. Her eyes still held some of the same supportive look but behind that almost made Apple Bloom recoil in shock. Her pupils were constricted far beyond a normal level and quivering slightly, as if trying to hide just how bad things were behind them.

"Are you sure? I mean I can try but..." Peace Walker answered quietly, trailing off as she rubbed her head. Apple Bloom could hear the worry in her voice, the tension of believing that both their fates rested on her shoulders and how hard it was weighing her down. Kind as it was, Apple Bloom couldn't let her try to handle this alone and simply extended her hoof out, an invitation to let some of the pressure off and share the burden.

After a few seconds of hesitant thought, Peace slowly sat down next to Apple Bloom and closed her eyes, reaching a hoof out and gripping the extended one. A more spiritual pony might assume they had some kind of bond linking them in their time of need, in reality they were both simply trying to keep calm long enough to get anywhere. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Peace Walker opened her eyes again and looked back at Apple Bloom, looking a little more focused than before.

"Okay, I remember being further out in the desert," Peace started. "I was, investigating something, this place? I don't recall...I just remember setting up camp for the night and being approached by a unicorn, didn't see her coming since it was getting dark and her coat matched the sand. We talked, then I don't know, one minute everything was calm, the next I was out cold. When I woke up I was in a room like this."

Apple Bloom looked down, only half listening as the throbbing in her mind increased. There was an odd sense of familiarity in Peace Walker's words, as if they'd both been through something similar. She tried to shake the thought but the more her focus went off it, the worse the feeling got. After a few seconds it became full on blinding pain, threatening to overwhelm her senses, building to a zenith before reality seemed to blink out around her, giving way to a new memory, vivid as reality.

Apple Bloom inhaled sharply as she awoke, a sensation of numbness washing over her body only to fade away like a chill in the morning sun. That metaphor only felt more apt as a gentle warmness took it's place, tingling slightly all over her body. She glanced round but couldn't see much of anything, or even move her head round. Only then did it strike her that the tingle probably wasn't a good thing, possibly magic. She tried to move again, only to be met with the same resistance.

"Sorry, I know it's not exactly comfortable." A mare's voice said from behind her. Apple Bloom didn't recognise it, but from the mild Canterlot accent she could tell it was likely a unicorn, probably the one holding her like this. Hoofsteps echoed behind her, meaning it was likely a stone room, before somepony stepped through the shadows to her left. It took this for Apple Bloom to realise that she was being suspended off the ground, unable to move anything except her eyes. She tried to shake the thought for now and get a look at the unicorn.

Whoever they were, they weren't letting themselves be seen too clearly. It seemed to be night time and most of the room was cloaked in shadow, enough for the mystery mare to stay out of sight even as she stepped into Apple Bloom's view. It couldn't hide the cyan light emanating from her horn though, it's glow revealing hints of her identity, an amber horn and coat and what looked like a styled red mane. Everything else was obscured by the dark, which seemed odd, most unicorns using this much magic would be giving off enough light to show off their face. For that matter, how many unicorns were capable of levitating and restraining another pony for this long at once?

"I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances. Sometimes though, you have to be a little firm for the betterment of Equestria," She said, glancing back at Apple Bloom, her expression unreadable in the darkness. "What would you think if I said that Celestia needed help running this land?" A brief pause. "Oh, right." Her horn dimmed slightly and Apple Bloom felt the tingle dissapate from around her mouth and she gave her lower jaw a few test movements before replying.

"I'd say that she has Twilight, Luna and Cadance for that...Why am I even playing along? Who in Tartarus are you?!"

"Understandable answer, but wrong," The figure sighed and turned away, acting as if the latter half of the reply hadn't been heard. "You don't know Celestia like I do, how she works. Simply put, Equestria isn't going to survive if things stay as they are, everypony simply shunting their problems aside and hoping that it'll be fixed by her, or the defence force, or the Elements of Harmony."

"It's not as simple as th-"

"How would you know?" The figure swung round slightly, a brief flash of cyan eyes visible before they turned away again. "I spent nineteen years in the heart of the capital, right next to the princesses. Equestria needs to change into a land that it's ponies can control the future of for themselves."

"And, what, you think you should be in charge for that change?" Apple Bloom wasn't sure why she was playing along now, but she was likely learning more about whoever this was than if she'd kept asking directly.

"No...But I can be in a position to make it happen. I just need to get back into Celestia's good graces and this town will let it happen. You're gonna help me do some BIG things." The stranger grinned as she stepped back behind Apple Bloom, leaving her even more confused than when she woke up, if that was even possible.

"So, why are you telling me this? Where am I? Who even are you? Could you please talk some sense?"

"The only question I can answer right now, is the where. This town doesn't really have a name, but it will be known worldwide as holding the Spirit of Equestria once we've made our move. I wish you could have seen more than this room earlier but we've had so many ponies coming in that we had to wait a few weeks."

"A..A few weeks?" Apple Bloom tensed up, wondering just how long she'd been trapped here, wherever here was.

"Three and a half, to be proper. You're still the same as the day I met you thanks to an advanced stasis spell, magic induced hibernation if you will. I'm genuinely sorry I had to do that to you. As for the rest of your questions...I could tell you, but I'm afraid you wouldn't remember. Thank you for listening though."

Apple Bloom had approximately half a second to have those words sink in before a shot of magic hit her in the back of the neck, overwhelming her with the numbness again before her world blacked out once more.

"Whoa, whoa! I got you."

Peace Walker's voice seemed unnaturally loud as Apple Bloom snapped back to reality. She looked round wildly for several seconds before realising that she was back in the old room, still looking sparse but calm with Celestia's light streaming in the small windows. As her breathing slowly returned to normal, she looked back and realised she was on her back, being kept from hitting the floor by Peace Walker holding her up. For a moment, she wondered just how intense that memory must have been for her to be physically reacting, before working herself back onto her hooves.

"I...Don't know, what just happened to me?"

"I was still talking, then I noticed you were acting weird, sitting back and mumbling to yourself. You just kept leaning backwards with every word, to the point where you would have thrown yourself back into a wall if I hadn't caught you."

"I did? Oh...Sorry, something about your memories trigged one of mine. I couldn't see much of anything but what little I could, it seemed like I met the same unicorn as you."

Peace Walker nodded and stepped back, looking Apple Bloom over. She seemed more focused than before, her eyes back to their usual state, olive gold and determined. It was a little thing but one that Apple Bloom caught, one that made her realise something. Peace was putting a lot more effort into helping her than helping herself, as if she'd given up on making it out herself so her focus was now on Apple Bloom. While not ideal, she'd just have to keep going long enough for them to come up with a plan.

"Okay, you're okay, good...What now?"

"We keep helping each other out, time's starting to run down and I already know neither of us is willing to leave without the other now. You just have to stay focused on me, on how this helps me, while looking for ideas to slip out of here. We're gonna do this, I promise."

Apple Bloom extended her hoof again, this time as more than a simple invitation to keep going together. This was an offer of loyalty, that she was sticking this one out to the end. Peace Walker took it much more readily this time, sitting back against the wall and waiting in anticipation. Apple Bloom smiled, boosted by the sight of her feeling better, ready to give this another go.

"Just relax, I'm going to keep talking and we're going to figure something out along the way."

Past Six - Canterlot Institute of Development

Approach to Canterlot
November 5th

Even without the blanket of snow steadily spreading across Equestria, Canterlot was like a shining beacon of goodwill standing proud as it watched over the land. Even with all the times she had been there before, Apple Bloom couldn't help but watch in awe as the train ride brought it into view, the morning sun hovering just over the tallest spires as if a part of the castle itself. The whole thing was majestic, inspiring, completely...

"Do you ever look at that and wonder if it'd be possible to make a mini cake version?" Pinkie asked from the next seat over, looking out at the same view. Apple Bloom couldn't help but chuckle at how out of nowhere that had come from her own thoughts. It made for some welcome relief after the last few hours, being woken up at the crack of dawn and having to rush for the next train to Canterlot at Pinkie's urging, though she made up for it by getting them breakfast on the train at least.

"Now I'm awake enough to understand, you mind telling me why we had to go immediately? You just said that we could meet your friend today." Apple Bloom asked, managing to rub the last of the sleep from her eyes.

"Sorry, all those thoughts were having a big race in my head to be thought first and getting there won," Pinkie replied, looking like she hadn't slept all night. So as energetic as ever. "Anypony working at the Institute seems to be on a tight schedule though. It took me forever to find the opening for this meet up."

"It hasn't even been two days yet."

"When you have to try and fit ideas in the small suitcase that's your mind, it feels like forever." Pinkie's logic didn't make much, if any, sense, to anypony but herself. Apple Bloom knew better than to question it though, the point was there. These were ponies with important work to do and they were their guests for today.

"Alright, so how long have we got before we get there?" Apple Bloom sat back as Pinkie opened the window and stuck the tip of her mane out, watching the wind flowing on it closely.

"Well our meeting is in an hour and the train gets in at..." Pinkie hesitated before taking an alarm clock from her mane and looking at the time on it before nodding to herself. "We'll have about twenty minutes to spare. Think that's enough time for a coffee?" She pulled her mane back in and put the clock away before relaxing and looking back at Apple Bloom, grinning at the sceptical look she was wearing.

"Really? You think you and coffee is a good mix? And I know you weren't referring to decaf."

"Come on, they came up with the stuff, they'd probably appreciate us bringing some," The two stared each other down for a moment before breaking out laughing. "Okay, we'll see about it afterwards...You know, I'm really glad you agreed to come along for this."

"No problem, Scootaloo says that the Cutie Mark Crusaders should always try to help other ponies out. She does a lot of charity work, Sweetie Belle keeps Rarity's Manehatten branch running and now I've got this going with you. I'm more than happy to help."

Granted, Apple Bloom had more than one motive to be out here but she was happy that both of them were good ones as her attention went back to the view. If this contact was willing to give them a lead, they could be helping a lot of ponies here. If things went really well, she might have a chance to try and set the record straight with Pinkie Pie as well, see where things stood between them. First things first though, they had somewhere special to go.

Afterall, it wasn't everyday that some regular pony like her got to visit the most advanced facility in Equestria.

From the outside, the Canterlot Institute of Development looked a match for anything else in the city's central area, an imposing and elegant group of five massive white buildings interconnected with gold stone walkways. Set up twelve years ago as part of Princess Twilight's Equestrian advancement effort, the institute was devoted to finding new ways to improve the lives of all ponykind through social, technological and cultural means. Thanks it's connections and proximity to the Royal Equestrian Hospital and Celestia's School of Magic, there hadn't really been any shortage of ideas and inventions coming from the complex.

Apple Bloom had been trying to prepare herself for this moment, but she had still been caught out by seeing the Institute with her own eyes and how...Simple it looked. It hardly stood out either, managing to look just like anywhere else in the city. For a pony like her that tended to stay in a more rural town like Ponyville, both ideas were impressive to her.

"You okay over there?" Pinkie Pie asked as she came over, shaking Apple Bloom from her overawed stare.

"Yeah, I was just...It's quite a sight, isn't it?"

"Yeah, almost like it was made of white chocolate and glitter. The guards have cleared us to go in though, so I guess we'll have to think about that later."

"When this whole thing is over, I'll make sure to buy you some." Apple Bloom chuckled as she turned for the entrance, blushing slightly at Pinkie's happy little squee. That was something new she'd noticed in the time since their last meeting, those little things about Pinkie now made her happy as much as anything. She had to keep those thoughts off to the side for now though, she wanted to focus on this.

The two of them headed for the entrance, past the pair of unicorn guards, and headed through the double doors. The entrance lobby had a different look to the outside, gleaming white and giving off the feeling of a doctor's waiting room. There was a certain other feeling to it all though, the room, and Apple Bloom suspected the same for most of the facility, had the air of a home that the owner wanted to be in pristine shape but never quite had the time to keep it there. Somehow it made her feel...More like she was actually welcome, as opposed to somepony that wasn't meant to ever come here.

"Look at all this," Pinkie commented as she headed for the reception desk, head craned back to read the signs pointing out to other areas, presumably in other buildings as well. "Understanding foreign religion, Portable magic, Disability studies, Advanced bionics. Twilight really started something big." She stopped and whipped her head back down, shaking it slightly to make sure it was working fine.

"Yeah...You're not planning on trying some of it out, right?"

"Eh, I probably couldn't carry all those ideas and I gave my camera to the guard," Pinkie grinned and went up to the desk, waiting for Apple Bloom to catch up as the pony behind the desk, a green stallion, came over to her. "Hi, we're booked to meet with Consultant Minuette. Right there." She pointed into the appointment book at their names, bouncing in anticipation. The receptionist simply stood there for several seconds, looking sceptical, before a door to one of the walkways opened and a pair of ponies stepped through.

"It's alright, they're here to see us." The one on the left said, a light yellow-grey unicorn mare with an amaranth coloured mane and tail with purple highlights in a style reminiscent of Twilight's, dark purple eyes behind a pair of thin, stylish glasses and a lab coat covering her body. To her right was another unicorn mare, this one light blue with a two tone blue and silver mane and tail, sapphire eyes, matching lab coat and an eager grin as soon as she saw Pinkie.

"Understood, chief." The receptionist replied respectfully, stepping back as Pinkie and Minuette rushed up and high hooved each other. Apple Bloom stayed back, trying to keep her jaw from dropping as she recognised who they were meeting. The chief in question was none other than the head of the entire Institute of development and a pony she had been told about in the past: Moondancer. One of Twilight's friends before she was an Element of Harmony, Moondancer had built herself up after, in her own words, going off the rails a bit and been working here since the facility was founded. She'd been chief for seven years now and had developed a reputation for a brilliant mind and willingness to get her hooves involved in any project.

"Pleasure to meet you, Apple Bloom. Pinkie told me about you and looks like she made a good choice in letting you come. Pinkie...Thanks again." Moondancer said happily, smiling at the sight before motioning for them to follow her. Pinkie and Minuette followed, eagerly chatting away with each other, Apple Bloom trotted forward and walked with Moondancer as they headed for the next building.

"Thank you kindly, miss Moondancer. If you don't mind my asking though, I thought we were just meeting with Minuette."

"Officially, I need to make sure that this is a secure meeting and that we're not leaking details of the Tracer Project to anypony unauthorized. Which is why we'll also be discussing this in my office."

"Officially?" Apple Bloom hesitated, wondering if she should have said that. As they left the walkway and entered the next building, Moondancer nodded and leaned in closer.

"Personally, I get what Pinkie wants to do and I'll take any chance I can get to bring down the mare of Sombra responsible." Moondancer's language was a bit of a surprise but she clearly felt strongly about this as well. Apple Bloom let the matter rest as they passed a set of doors marked 'Armour - Magic resistance' and glanced inside, catching sight of what could only be described as a full body piece of flexible armour being subjected to serious offensive magic and hardly receiving more than a dent.

"Yeah...Good." Apple Bloom commented half heartedly as she moved to catch up, getting a raised eyebrow from Moondancer as she looked back. After a moments hesitation, she simply smiled.

"Yeah, ponies sometimes get caught out by the sight of more...Militant projects, we work closely with the Equestrian Defence Force to develop new ways to keep them, and regular ponies, safe. I could go on about it for hours but I'm contracted to keep it as confidential as that."

Apple Bloom simply nodded and kept walking, following Moondancer up a stairway and through a doorway to what she could only guess was the chief's office. Then again, it looked more a one room engineering lab, filled with various gizmos and research papers, yet still maintaining some semblance of order. Moondancer stepped behind her desk as Pinkie and Minuette arrived, glancing over a stack of papers that had been left for her and breaking into a chuckle.

"Theoretical instabilities in celestial bodies and anomalies in stellar patterns through continuous subjection to Alicorn magic? Tech owes me five bits," Seeing Apple Bloom's confused look, Moondancer readjusted her glasses with her magic and smiled. "A colleague of mine sent this to Princess Twilight for appraisal and we made a little wager that she wouldn't be able to understand it after the princess went full science mode on it."

"It's all in good fun." Minuette added, sitting on a nearby chair. Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom took a pair of chairs in front of the desk while Moondancer looked through some more papers.

"Okay, this is the latest report and our best bet to work on, came in earlier this morning." Moondancer commented, taking it out and passing it over. Pinkie took it and her face darkened, eye twitching slightly. Apple Bloom glanced over and saw the missing pony report was for another farmer, an earth pony stallion called Figleaf.

"...Let me guess, this is the th-"

"Third time!" Pinkie shouted, everypony else recoiling in shock. "This is the third time they've gone after my supplier! When I get my hooves on the pony responsible for this, I'm gonna make them regret the day they ever decided to go after me and my friends like that!!"

The room was silent for several seconds. Moondancer stayed rooted in place, motionless except for her magic readjusting her glasses again. Minuette was fixed on Pinkie, clearly upset from seeing her friend so worked up. Pinkie was staring straight down at the paper, so furious it looked as if she was trying to set those responsible for this on fire with her mind. Apple Bloom slowly put a hoof out and held Pinkie's shoulder gently, feeling like she had to do something to try and bring her down.

"Pinkie, please calm down...This is our chance to fix this, we can do this if we keep our heads." She waited for several moments, silently hoping her words had an effect. Finally, Pinkie let out a sigh and nodded.

"You're right...Yeah, gotta keep our heads screwed on the right way round. We're gonna do this," She put on a look of determination and looked through the report again. "Ok, I know where this is; Lightleaf Farmstead, just south of White Tail Woods. How fresh is this information?"

"Just...A few hours, those news relays do good work," Minuette answered, smiling nervously as she tried to recover her own composure. "The guards might have received it by now, but you girls can go there first, you're with us after all."

"I understand this is personal for you, Pinkie Pie, but I need to ask for something in return," Moondancer added. "If you find any evidence of what happened, anything that points to who might be responsible, please bring it back to us. You can go after them if you wish, but if we could use that information in our work...There's so much potential for a breakthrough in the Tracer Project here."

"No problem!" Pinkie seemed back to her usual self, going ahead and swapping notes with Moondancer. Apple Bloom sat back in her seat, struggling for what to make of all this, eventually settling on saying something to Minuette.

"So err...Sorry that your meeting got kind of hijacked."

"Don't worry about it," Minuette grinned, also getting back to speed. "We tend to work at the same level as the chief and, well..." She indicated Moondancer, who was positively beaming at all the information Pinkie was giving her.

Apple Bloom simply nodded and sat back, thinking about what was coming. Given how focused Pinkie was, they'd be heading for the farm within a few days, possibly breaking a few laws about crime scenes in the process. She wasn't willing to back out though, she wanted to stay close, help these ponies and maybe, if she was lucky, find out how the two of them really felt in the process.

Author's Note

Is it bad that I consider this one of my better pieces? Also, apologies to any Minuette fans, I originally planned for her to be much more prominent, but then Moondancer happened.

Past Seven - Hidden in Plain Sight

Lightleaf Farmstead, Southwest Equestria
November 9th

"Ok, I get you don't want to disturb the scene, but did we really have to walk the last five miles off the road?" Apple Bloom asked as she stumbled over another tree root. After their meeting at the Canterlot Institute of Development, Pinkie Pie had practically vanished on some private mission of her own. Apple Bloom had returned to Ponyville and had a few days trying to get back to normal before Pinkie had shown up again and told her they were clear to investigate the farm. Now here they were, trekking through the hilly south edge of White Tail Wood, about to try and find out just what had happened to Figleaf.

"There was snowfall over here last night, everything is covered. Even the snow can't be disturbed until we're able to start looking, it keeps all the clues covered." Pinkie replied, bouncing her way through the rough terrain just ahead. Even with how hard going it was, Apple Bloom couldn't help but giggle at how Pinkie was treating it like it was nothing. She was just about keeping up as they reached the next hilltop, the view on the other side easier to see as the woods gave way to snow covered farmland, buildings visible not too far away.

"Looks so peaceful, like nothing ever happened..." Apple Bloom mused, taking the sight in. There were no crops at this time of year and the area was silent aside from the gentle whistling of the wind.

"Okay, go through the fields and see if anything stands out, be thorough but try not to get caught up following your hoofprints." Pinkie instructed, bounding down the hill but still managing to barely leave a mark in the snow. Apple Bloom stared in wonder for a moment before following her down, knowing better than to chalk it up to more than just Pinkie being Pinkie. The two soon cleared the trees and made their way into the fields, splitting up to cover more ground. Apple Bloom kept to the perimeter, moving slowly and methodically, while Pinkie Pie darted through the snow where the fields were, taking photos of everything.

"So, I've been meaning to ask..." Apple Bloom looked over at Pinkie, wondering why she was doing this now. There wasn't anypony else around to hear them, that had to be it, now all she had to do was get it out. Get those weird feelings out in the open and see what Pinkie thought of them, that was all she had to do. This was it, time to basically sound like she had a crush on Pinkie Pie. "...How do you manage to walk on any surface without leaving deep hoofmarks?"

...Dammit.

"You know, I never thought about it before...How DO I do that?" Pinkie mused as she looked back at her tracks, the hoofmarks light enough to look like they were made by mice. A few moments later, she perked and looked round, hearing movement from the buildings. A few moments later, a unicorn stallion stepped outside, light brown coat, long yellow mane and a dice cutie mark.

"Errm...Hello, please state why you're here before I report you for trespassing." The stallion called to them. Pinkie grinned and darted over, bouncing slightly in anticipation at a chance to get somewhere.

"Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie and my friend over there is Apple Bloom. See, we came out because Figleaf, the farm owner, went missing about a week ago. We're trying to investigate what went and happened to him, if you need verification we have the authority of the CID." Pinkie finally took a breath as Apple Bloom finally managed to catch up. The stallion took a moment to register the rapid explanation before smiling slightly.

"They sent an Element of Harmony for this? Glad to hear those in charge are taking it seriously. My name is Lucky Roll, lodger and part time helper here. Anything I can do to help, I will."

"Great," Apple Bloom panted, still getting her breath back from trudging through the snow without any winter clothes. "Because we could really use a little background on the last few days here."

"Okay, I last saw Figleaf about eight days ago now, on the first. He told me to have some downtime while he met a possible new worker, so I decided to make the most of it and take a nap. That was in the afternoon, when I woke up it was early evening and there was no sign of Figleaf or the pony he was meeting. I didn't think anything of it at first but when he didn't show up in the night I started to worry, it's not like him to wander for any reason. Nopony saw him the next day either, I ended up heading for the nearest guard post at the end of the day and filing the missing pony report."

"I see," Apple Bloom thought for a moment before looking over at the house. "Long shot but, would we be able to investigate inside?"

"Oh, err, of course. I tried to keep it close to how it was in case he came back." Lucky replied, leading them into the farmhouse. It was a relatively simple setup but Apple Bloom felt right at home immediately. Pinkie went straight back to taking photographs of everything while Lucky sat down at a table. Figuring they could spend less time intruding if she joined in, Apple Bloom headed upstairs, the description of events earlier running through her mind. No matter how many times she went over it, something about the story felt off.

The thing was, Lucky Roll had said that Figleaf disappeared on the first of November and the missing pony report had been filed and sent on the second. According to Moondancer, the report had arrived on the fifth. Somehow she doubted that the delivery service would have given such an important piece anything less than its most rapid delivery. While she believed that Lucky had filed the report, she also believed he was missing the explanation for a day or two. She couldn't do anything about it without evidence though, so it was time to try and find some.

The upstairs was even simpler, just a restroom and two bedrooms. A quick look round indicated that they belonged to Figleaf and Lucky, hopefully perfect for finding some more details. She decided to go for Figleaf's room first, thinking that if it had been left as it was, it would have more clues left in place. Apple Bloom stepped through the doorway and glanced round, trying not to think about the privacy invasion she was committing in the process. Unfortunately, it started to feel like it was for nothing, the longer she looked the longer there didn't seem to be anything that so much as suggested what had happened.

She was about to call it quits when she stopped, realising something else was bugging her. The bed. To the normal eye, it looked just like any other single pony bed, she'd made enough to see it with a carpenter's eye though. Several inches of the side frame were coloured ever so slightly lighter than the rest, enough to warrant further investigation. She eyed it up closely, running a hoof over it, even up close it looked like another solid part of the frame. Good thing she'd had orders involving hidden compartments in the past. Some carefully applied pressure and a hidden panel flicked down.

"Hah! Score one for 'menial' professions." Apple Bloom grinned, probably feeling prouder of herself for noticing that than she should have been. The panel was more of a small container on a closer look, holding a book. Any former trepidation vanished in the face of a chance at progress, she took the book and looked it over, grinning more as she realised it was Figleaf's diary. Without hesitation she opened it up and looked through the last few entries.

October 24th

Lucky Roll came back from his break today, from the photos he took it looked like some resort town on the edge of the San Palomino desert. Said he met a mare who took an interest in the farm though, Star Shine or something like that, I'd welcome the extra help either way. It's good to have the whole team back together for now, maybe we can finally finish up the barn renovations without Tarragon diverting us with his goofing off again.

October 26th

Had to give Lucky Roll a disciplinary talk today, lacking awareness in the work zone. He almost dropped a wood stack on Corn Wrangler after zoning out for unknown reasons. That's not like him though, he's normally so diligent...Met with some of the others after wrapping up for the day and they all agreed to keep an eye on Lucky, just in case.

October 30th
Between you and me, diary, I'm worried. Everypony seems to have reported Lucky Roll for some instance of absentmindedness while working, even if there weren't any today. I'm starting to think that something he encountered during his break may have captured his attention a little more than I'd like. Really wishing I'd paid more attention to the name of that mare he talked about, seems like she's cast a bit of a spell on him.

November 3rd
Ok, this is pushing my patience now. Lucky Roll just announced out of nowhere this morning that the mare he'd met was coming here to discuss a job, today! I don't care how good she is, he can't just go and arrange something like that with no warning. I can't figure him out at the moment but there's something more going on here, I'm going to keep him out of the way for the meeting and then try and get the truth when it's done, maybe convince him to see a doctor afterward.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Apple Bloom grinned even more as she read. Now she had some solid evidence that Lucky Roll was withholding information from them, what had happened in the two day difference between Figleaf's disappearance. All she had to do now was head back downstairs and confront the seemingly up to no good, possibly mentally unstable magic user that she had left down there...with an oblivious...Pinkie Pie. She looked back toward the door nervously, half expecting somepony to have been watching her. After a few moments of silence, she jumped at a familiar feminine scream from downstairs.

"Pinkie!" Apple Bloom cried as the scream was suddenly cut off. Without thinking she dropped the book and rushed downstairs at full pelt. As her hooves hit the ground floor she barely had time to look round before a beam of olive gold magic hit her left shoulder, knocking her off her feet and wracking her body in pain. As Apple Bloom managed to look back over at where the attack came from, her blood froze up at the sight.

Lucky Roll had Pinkie Pie pinned against the wall, using his body weight to keep her in place despite her struggling, his leg pressed against her throat in a tight chokehold. His gaze was fixed on Apple Bloom now though, his green eyes somehow both staring and unfocused at the same time, a slowly growing grin on his face that only made the look even more unsettling, like a demented alley-pony that was five seconds from drawing a knife. All she could think though the pain was that she'd be seeing the scenario again in her nightmares, even as he opened his mouth.

"You know what they say about the inquisitive...?"

Past Eight- Lucky Break

"...They tend to die before their time."

Her body may have been stinging badly all over, but that was about all the beam had done to her. Apple Bloom forced herself back to her hooves as other emotions began to push to the surface. Right now, she couldn't care less about what Lucky Roll might have done before today, the investigation could wait for ten minutes, all that mattered was what had happened right in front of her. He, was hurting, Pinkie Pie...Her mind clouded with red mist and she snarled as she charged forward, lowering her head and body slamming Lucky with all the force she could muster, just in the right place to headbutt his throat. The impact left the unicorn stumbling back, his hold released as Pinkie dropped to the floor, gasping for air.

"Pinkie! You still here?"

"Ya." Pinkie gasped, clutching her throat and huddling up on the floor. She was clearly suffering from the chokehold and wasn't going to be able to move immediately, there was only one option for now. Apple Bloom braced herself in place and her face darkened as Lucky managed to steady himself and looked back up at her with that same unfocused stare. He slowly started to advance, firing another beam as he did so, Apple Bloom managing to duck out it's way this time. Another shot, another easy dodge, it was as if he wasn't even trying anymore.

As Lucky Roll let a third shot loose, Apple Bloom realised it was going under her, if she dodged this one it would hit Pinkie for sure. Without thinking she dropped her front end down and took the hit square on the chest, grunting in fresh pain as she stumbled backward, only staying upright thanks to the wall right behind the two of them. She growled in frustration and smacked herself in the chest a few times, trying to keep the pain down as anger and adrenaline started to kick in again.

"What is your problem?" Lucky asked flatly as he stepped closer. Apple Bloom growled at the sheer failure of logic presented to her and pushed herself forward again, figuring that she'd have an easier time defending Pinkie if she wasn't in the line of fire.

"MY problem?...Are you...Really?!" She snapped, rushing forward as his horn glowed in anticipation of another attack. The gap was closed in a bound and she swung a hoof into the base of his horn, feeling it make contact and knocking him back again, disrupting the magic in the process. Lucky took a few steps back and braced himself, keeping out of punching range this time as his horn glowed again, the murky golden aura surrounding a nearby wall mounted picture. With little effort, he plucked it off the wall and threw it straight at Apple Bloom's face.

Apple Bloom threw her hooves up, feeling the wood frame smack against her legs and drop away. She quickly moved round to make sure any stray shots didn't go near Pinkie, only to be forced to bat away a freshly thrown vase. Her mind racing with ideas on how she was going to bring this to an end, a rattling of something being picked up from the adjacent room made her swing round and instinctively block again. Only once this move was done did she realise, a little too late, that the room in question was the kitchen and a rather sharp looking knife had been magically thrown at her.

Seeing it was one thing, doing something was another, she didn't react in time and the knife gashed her front right ankle. Apple Bloom yelled in pain and dropped back on her rear, clutching her injury, silently thankful to see that it wasn't bleeding enough to be a deep cut. Lucky advanced again, his grin now a borderline slasher smile. Panting hard and panicking slightly for what to do, Apple Bloom bit her lip and let the pain dictate her action, bringing her good hoof up and swiping at Lucky. While she struck nothing but thin air, the stallion still recoiled to avoid the slight spray of blood. Apple Bloom used the momentum to swing herself round and balance on her front hooves just long enough to buck her legs out.

Even as she overbalanced she felt her buck make contact. Lucky cried out and backed away again as Apple Bloom fell onto her side and looked back at him, from the look of it she had managed to hit his jaw and possibly taken a tooth out. It didn't help his look as his face darkened and his horn glowed anew, it took a moment before Apple Bloom realised that the aura had surrounded her. Even if he wasn't strong enough to lift her with it, it was enough to move her, as he showed as she was thrown skidding back along the floor. She hit the wall back first, knocking the air out of her lungs and leaving her downed next to the still recovering Pinkie.

Apple Bloom was only vaguely aware of the shocked cry Pinkie gave as she saw her friend laid out next to her, still aware that being choked half to death had taken a lot out of her. A small slither of her mind gave thanks to the inherent durability of earth ponies as she pushed herself into a half standing position and pulled herself forward to defend Pinkie again, even as she still fought for breath. Lucky was moving in again, his eyes narrowed and his grin demented.

"You think...That this is done?" Apple Bloom asked between breaths. "I'm not leaving...Not leaving my friend again...She means more than you could realise and I-ah!" She ducked a fresh beam and braced herself as best she could with a bad leg, growling defiantly despite struggling to stand at this point. Lucky smirked and lowered his horn further, primed to end the showdown. It glowed brighter and fired...A stream of confetti, complete with party cannon-esqe squeal. He stopped and looked up at his horn in confusion, looking focused for the first time in a while.

"What the...?" He said quietly, taking a step backward and yelping as his back legs slid out from under him, leaving him sprawled on his back. Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom could only watch in confusion, noticing that the floorboards beneath Lucky's feet looked like ice. The detail was lost from their gaze though, as the stallion was enveloped in a bright gold aura and thrown against the opposite wall with enough force to knock him out cold. For a minute there was only silence, broken only the shuffling of hooves as Pinkie got back up.

"Okay...What just happened?" Apple Bloom asked quietly, tensing as something knocked into her middle and squeezed. She looked down and realised that Pinkie was hugging her tightly, looking back up at her with the warmest smile she'd ever seen.

"Thank you, Apple Bloom..." Pinkie said, the sheer relief in her voice almost overwhelming her ability to get the words out. Apple Bloom blushed deeply at the sight, those familiar feelings that she'd managed to keep under control so far rushing back to the surface in full force. She wrapped her good hoof round Pinkie and held her close, a silent promise that they were okay now. It was weird, she'd gone through how it might feel it be in a scenario like this so many times in her head, now that she was here it just felt peaceful and...Right. Those were the only words she needed right now, the last month's stresses and worries melting away in the warmth of the moment.

"Well I couldn't exactly leave you like that, could I?" Apple Bloom replied simply, cracking a grin even through the stinging pain that was making itself known all over her body once again. "Are you okay after all that, Pinkie?"

"Thanks to you. I was just taking photos of anything suspicious and wondering if I could get a show about investigating crime with a really popular theme song out of it. I showed Lucky some of the pictures to see if anything jogged his memory and then my knee got super extra pinchy. I looked at it to make sure it was the Pinkie sense I thought it was and he pinballed me right into the wall. That was where the screaming came from, because I was kind of terrified at how aggressive he was, then the arm came down on my throat and I thought I was gonna have to set up a 'Welcome to heaven party' for myself...What about you though?"

"Me? We both got through this in one piece, there aren't words for how good I feel." Apple Bloom managed to hide a wince and glanced down at herself, knowing she'd have to get her leg seen to soon. "I'm just wondering about at the end when everything went haywire, not even you're random enough to take credit for that."

The two of them looked at each other in sudden realisation before looking up as a somewhat dark yet jovial chuckle rang out around them. While Apple Bloom was somewhat perplexed, Pinkie simply grinned and sat up fully.

"Of course, the only one who could match my kind of crazy. Hi Discord!" She grinned more as the draconequus popped into existence next to them with a flash. Discord was still as much of an enigma as ever, appearing every so often and spreading a little chaos in Equestria. Although most still didn't fully believe in his reformation, a growing number of ponies had reported that such chaos had provided help in desperate or dangerous situations. Even now, the little smirk on his face at the sight around him indicated that he was satisfied by the results of his actions.

"Good morning to you too, Pinkie Pie, Apple Tart."

"Apple Bloom." Apple Bloom quickly corrected, Discord waving a good natured dismissal in return.

"Yes yes, of course. Now I love how you've handled the decorations in here, very Archea era. It's not really very in style at the moment though and it looks too tough on you to keep up...You got a little something on your hoof, Apple Brownie."

Discord gave a click of his fingers before she could correct him and all the items damaged in the fight warped back into their original place, all fixed up or cleaned off. Apple Bloom looked down at her cut and saw that it was now sporting a bandage with a smiley Discord face on it. She chuckled softly and looked back up at him.

"Thanks. So, how exactly did you come out of nowhere and save us like that?"

"Shoddy writing," Discord gave a chuckle before walking over to the unconscious form of Lucky Break. "Actually, I was having a delightful time at home, watering my thinking tree, when I felt this most unpleasant magical imbalance. Of course I rushed straight over, after double checking the place on a map, stopping by to visit Zecora and buying some new gardening clothes."

"...Seriously?" Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Pinkie was still happily giggling away. With a flash, Discord changed into his new professional gardener look.

"Not bad eh? Once that was settled I got here and realised I'd picked up this one," He changed back to normal and indicated Lucky. "You put up a cracking defence for how badly you were hurt right from the start but I needed to step in eventually, needed my fix of helping good ponies out."

Apple Bloom nodded and looked down, trying to avoid making eye contact with Pinkie. She'd just been trying to keep Pinkie from worrying about her too much and that was completely undone thanks to some probably intentional lack of tact. Pinkie simply placed a hoof on her shoulder but didn't comment. She looked up again to see Discord examining Lucky up close before placing a finger in his ear.

"And the culprit behind all this is right...Here!" Discord pulled his finger back out, carrying what looked like an peach sized orb of cyan coloured magic. It was sparking and pulsing slightly, almost as if angered at being disturbed. He eyed it closely, his eyes narrowing at the sight of it, before summoning a glass case and locking it in there.

"Oooh, what'd you think it is?" Pinkie whispered over to Apple Bloom.

"Beats me," She replied, watching as Discord, now sporting a hazmat suit, studied the magic in detail, slowly taking items from around the house and jury-rigging them into a full science lab around him. "Ok, that's a bit much."

"There's no such thing as too much in the name of science! It's allowed me to confirm that this...Is magic!" Discord exclaimed, holding the case up dramatically for several seconds before looking up in frustration and clicking his fingers, summoning a few lighting bolts that ricocheted around the room for extra dramatic effect.

"Okay, did you confirm anything useful?" Apple Bloom asked, unable to help but grin slightly as Discord sighed in exasperation and ran a clawed hand down his face.

"Well if you must know, this magic is serious business. It's powerful, somepony else's, borderline chaos magic. I should know because I pioneered the style this knockoff uses. Mind control magic. Though whoever came up with this put an interesting twist in, it stays dormant until some unknown trigger comes up and then fires up orders included when the spell was cast, making the unlucky pony some kind of sleeper agent...That's really quite brilliant."

"That's...Dark," Pinkie commented. "So, when you're done and put everything back, could you sent all that to the Institute? We pinkie promised to give them what to learned."

"Ah, those tech ponies. I do like them, feels familiar for some reason. But yes yes, I'll make sure they can get to finding new ways inject some good old chaos into Equestria."

"Right...Oh! Speaking of things we learned, I found a secret book upstairs that shows Figleaf's side of things." Apple Bloom told Pinkie. After a moment to take it in, Pinkie gave a small squee and hugged her again.

"You're amazing Bloomie, you super secret seeker you!" She exclaimed before darting off upstairs to go see it. Apple Bloom blushed again and rubbed her leg in embarrassment, unable to deny how good that moment had felt. She glanced over at Discord, who had taken his equipment off and was wearing the most knowing smirk imaginable.

"...What?" Apple Bloom asked nervously.

"Nothing, just thinking some congratulations are in order. It's always tricky to figure out who you are in that sense, now the question is when you plan to tell Pinkie Pie."

"I-you-I mean...Tell her what?" She stammered, not sure if he was doing this to her for fun or as payback for disrupting his dramatics earlier.

"Oh come on, surely you've figured it all out by now, even they've all pieced it together by now!" Discord exclaimed, throwing his arm out and pointing at nothing in particular. Apple Bloom looked over that way and stared, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Eventually she looked back at him, trying to find the right words.

"Discord...You are so random."

"Thank you," He grinned in reply. "Seriously though, give it some thought and sort out what's going through that pretty little head of yours."

She disregarded that last comment and stepped aside to test how well her bad leg could take her weight. It hurt like hell but was good enough to walk with a limp. That wasn't the only issue on her mind though, much as she hated to admit it, Discord had a point. She really needed to take a long hard think to herself and decide once and for all just how she felt about Pinkie Pie.

Past Nine - The Moment of Truth

Author's Note

Sorry if you were hoping for another chapter in the present, I found my idea for it too lacking to carry a chapter on it's own.

Hopefully these make it up to you, some updates to the tags, minor fixes to some previous chapters and a luckily timed new one. Happy Valentines/Hearts and hooves day everypony!

Past Nine - The Moment of Truth

Ponyville
December 9th

After the intensity of what had gone down at Lightleaf Farmstead, the aftermath had gone by in a rapid haze for Apple Bloom, mostly since she had focused on getting her cut leg back up to strength. Lucky Roll was currently being held in Canterlot while the princesses tried to determine how culpable a pony was when they had been confirmed to be under mind control during their crimes. Discord have taken all their findings to the Institute of Development and gone back to...Whatever it was he did in his free time. Pinkie Pie had gone into her serious mode again and mostly kept quiet while she tried to piece together what they'd learned.

The time had given Apple Bloom time to think about everything that had happened. In the heat of that week she hadn't really had time to even think about her feelings for Pinkie. Now though, with several weeks of calm and nothing more strenuous than Cutie Mark Crusader meetings while her leg healed, she'd had plenty of time to get her thoughts in order and acknowledge everything that had been said and felt on the matter. Now it was time to clear the air with Pinkie and see where things went from there.

If only the weather was feeling as good as she was, the winter had only gotten harsher while she was away and was now firmly keeping Ponyville in a freezing blanket of thick snow and ice. It was nothing that couldn't be handled with a little preparation though and she'd been to see Rarity in advance. Now sporting a set of long snow socks, with an extra bandage underneath on her gash, long scarf and thick balaclava, she was ready to face the elements. Stepping out into the foot deep snow, she glanced round and set off at as brisk a pace as she could manage. Thankfully, the lack of fresh snowfall meant that ponies had started to carve pathways through the worst of the drifts.

"Lucky me." She mused to herself as she walked, keeping it careful and still sometimes nearly losing her footing on patches of ice. Despite it all there was still a definite spring in her step, or three of them since her bad leg couldn't quite match the others again just yet. As she headed into town square things got easier as so many ponies had already cleared the way, several still hanging around on their own business.

Just as she was starting to feel confident in her steps, both her front hooves caught an ice patch and pitched her face first to the floor. Her back legs scrambled for grip but merely pushed her further onto the ice, leaving her sliding uncontrollably until she crashed into an unaware pony, taking their legs out under them and bringing them both to a halt in a snowdrift. Apple Bloom groaned as she got her bearings again, glancing round and gasping slightly as she realised she'd hit somepony.

"Oh gosh, I'm so so sorry!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, pushing herself up and offering her hoof to the other pony. A hoof flailed in the snow slightly before gripping the offered hoof, pulling themselves out and revealing it was a very snowy Lyra.

"Uugghh...Apple Bloom? How are you not a hoofball player with a tackle like that?" Lyra shook some of the snow off herself and looked round to try and see what had happened.

"Well it takes a lot of ice and completely blindsiding the target, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just caught by surprise. What about you? You're holding your hoof up."

"I'm fine, that's an old injury." Apple Bloom half lied, trying to think of something to distract them from her hoof. Fortunately, Lyra came up with something first.

"Oh hey, if you don't mind me asking, how are things going with you and your 'friend'?"

"Hmm? Oh! That's, been a bit slow going but actually, I was going to find out how that's going to end up...One way or another." Apple Bloom put her hoof back down and checked it was still alright, thankfully she could still stand on it at least. Lyra nodded, smiling more at the news that she had been a help.

"Glad to hear it, just make sure to invite us to the wedding if it all goes well."

"Will do," Apple Bloom smiled back and wiped the last of the snow off Lyra's back. "I'll make sure to let you know if we decide to be open about it."

"That's the spirit, just see how it goes!" Lyra chuckled happily and set off on her way again. Apple Bloom watched her go before heading off herself, making sure to avoid any further ice patches along the way. The rest of the journey was uneventful and before long she was standing in front of Sugarcube corner, hesitating to go in.

Ok, time to step up and face destiny...Ok maybe she shouldn't have put it like that, her legs didn't want to respond anymore. Why did emotions have to be so hard to work with? Pinkie wasn't going to react badly to something like this, she wasn't the kind of pony to react badly to anything that wasn't evil, so she wasn't going to react badly to this. Heck, she'd probably be honoured. Okay, one more run through in her head; just go in, talk to her one on one and just say those seven words.

Pinkie Pie, I think I love you.

Just saying it in her head helped with the tension because she knew it wasn't just a phase, or a weird fantasy, or any other kind of falsehood. After all those months of confusion and indecision, she'd finally come to accept her feelings about Pinkie for what they were, romantic attraction. She sighed slightly to steady herself and headed inside, ready to both take this head on and run away at the same time. Nervicited, that was the word. To her relief, there weren't any customers in at the moment and Pinkie was on her own, wiping a table down and humming happily to herself.

"Oh, hi Bloomie! What's up?" Pinkie asked as she noticed her. Apple Bloom smiled, trying to keep herself from sweating too badly. She'd forgotten just how much harder things were in reality, when she was actually going to get a reaction.

"Hey Pinkie, I-err, do you have any scones on sale?"

"Almost, we got a fresh batch just finishing up to be super scrummy. You wanna come see?" Apple Bloom nodded at the invite and followed Pinkie through to the kitchen. It felt like forever since she had first been in here, trying to get a cupcake making cutie mark, the first time she'd properly spent time with Pinkie. The nostalgia hit her hard before being distracted by the fact they were the only two here.

"Hey, is nopony else around today?"

"The twins are off visiting their ma and pa today, Gummy's having a winter nap and everypony else is staying all warm and toasty at home. So it's just us, just like back on the day you formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Good times," Apple Bloom smiled at the memory, leaning against a counter and watching as Pinkie handled the oven. At least in here she could attribute her sweating to how warm the room was, rather than working up the nerve to finally say it. She still couldn't bring herself to it just yet though. "So, any luck making progress with the clues you found?"

"I have theories, but nothing solid," Pinkie replied, bringing the fresh scones up to cool off. "I promise I'll let you know when I know for sure."

"Ok, if anypony can figure this kind of thing out, I trust it's you."

"Awww, thank you." Pinkie hummed happily to herself as she went on with her preparations, leaving Apple Bloom to her thoughts for a minute. That compliment had eased her nerves a little and it was time to make a move while she believed that she could.

"So, Pinkie, something I've always wondered about you. Is there any kind of party that you've never had the chance to throw?"

"That's, actually a good question," Pinkie mused, muttering something to herself before looking back over at Apple Bloom with a smile. "I've planned so many parties that almost all of them happen in some way. Pretty much the only one missing is the 'I'm in a relationship party'. Never really had time with my lifestyle."

Apple Bloom blinked in surprise. Not only had she not expected Pinkie to have thought about something like that, she'd caught a hint of sadness in her voice when she said it. She knew that feeling though, getting so caught up in her lifestyle that she didn't think of letting another pony get close to her like that. It was never too late though.

"So, assuming that you did, and somepony asked you out, would you have any preference if it was a stallion or a mare?"

"If they like me like that, I don't think gender should matter. Or even race too much, I mean I'd date Spike if we were interested like that. All that matters is we make each other happy."

"I see," Apple Bloom said quietly, getting up and moving next to Pinkie. "It's always great to hear a pony be so accepting, makes me feel better."

"How so?" Pinkie asked, raising an eyebrow. Apple Bloom cringed mentally at walking herself into that one. Now she was going to have to confess how she felt, one way or another. Well if this was happening, it was going to happen in a way Pinkie would understand.

"Oh, well see..." Apple Bloom blushed slightly and rubbed the back of her head. "Those scones are for a little party I'm giving myself. Kind of a 'I've come to terms with my sexuality' party."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah, I...I'm actually a lesbian. I've been thinking about it a lot and I realised that mares drew my attention in that way and that there was one that drew me in and makes me feel like nopony else possibly could just from getting to see them. She's funny, good natured outgoing but knowing her limits...And right here." Even with her confidence that she would understand, Apple Bloom still glanced away and tapped the counter nervously. This was it...She looked back over and placed her hoof on Pinkie's gently, making sure she was keeping eye contact.

"Pinkie Pie...I...I-I think I love you."

Pinkie's eyes widened at those words, pure emotion visible in her eyes, too much to keep track of, the rest of her face unreadable. Apple Bloom blushed more and looked away, sweating bullets and barely maintaining enough nerve to stay in the room. She slowly looked back and blinked in surprise, Pinkie was smiling a lot more than she'd anticipated.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh mygoshohmygosh!!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place with more enthusiasm than Apple Bloom had seen in a long time. "This is the most incredible thing I've ever heard! I mean I've heard a lot of super fantastical things in my time but this is ultra hyper special! Can you believe it? I have a pony who likes me that way, I'm so happy I could scream! Aaaaah!!"

As Pinkie kept working herself up, bouncing higher with each passing moment, Apple Bloom backed up slowly. She hadn't been expecting this reaction, though truth be told, she probably wouldn't have said anything if she'd thought it would have happened like this. A small part of her was weirded out, another glad to see her friend-slash-love so happy about this. All the same, Pinkie's excitement was getting more intense by the second and it was starting to look like she was so worked up, she'd forgotten the whole reason she'd started. The way her usual motor mouth was now running at incomprehensible speed didn't help either.

So, just how exactly was Pinkie taking it? Well she hadn't returned the feelings but then she hadn't rejected them outright either. All things considered, Apple Bloom was willing to accept that as a result for now. She could always try asking but by now Pinkie was pinballing off the walls in her excitement and she could easily keep this up for hours if she wanted to. Much as she'd hoped for a straight answer, Apple Bloom decided it would be better if she tried again when they were both feeling calmer. She glanced aside and noticed the scones had cooled down, perfect to go now.

"Alrighty then...I err...I'll just take my purchase and give you some breathing space. I'll leave the bits here," Apple Bloom said, fishing some coins out and placing them on the side before taking a few of the scones. "And can we keep what happened here between us for now? Just until I'm comfy enough to admit it to others."

"Pinkie promise!" Pinkie called in the middle of her antics. Apple Bloom nodded and made her way out, waiting until she had reached the front of the shop before letting a giddy little giggle loose and skipping in place.

That had gone so much better than she anticipated. Not only had she managed to get the words out, they hadn't been rejected outright. Of course, this was only another step forward, Pinkie hadn't actually said anything about how she felt either way and there were still a number of other ponies who she needed to tell the truth about herself. The question was, who would she work up the nerve to tell next. Applejack? Big Mac? Scootaloo?

The answer could wait until tomorrow, she decided as she stepped back into the snow. No point in getting herself worked now when she had a little party to throw for herself, now both an 'I've come to terms with my sexuality' and 'I managed to tell my love how I felt' party. Just the thought of that moment had made today all worth it.

Past Ten - The Crusaders

Author's Note

I apologize in advance for this chapter, working with some of your older material and having to correct the resultant continuity errors doesn't make for brilliant reading. Hopefully you can still somewhat enjoy.

Past Ten - The Crusaders

December 21st

Dear Apple Bloom,

Sorry I haven't had a chance to send you anything since October but everything's been happening at once in Manehatten. The shop was really busy and the focus I've been missing for some time came back to me. Then I managed to secure a spot at the Breaker Field event on the 16th and they loved it. My music career seems to be making a comeback and there are no words for how good I feel right now.

I've missed being able to hang out with you and Scootaloo though, just the three of us able to have fun together like back when we made up the CMC. I hope we can still have a chance to do so, I'm still coming home for Hearth's Warming after all. I'll be arriving on the midday train on the 21st, hopefully we can still pick up where we left off and I can meet the new Crusaders you mentioned.

Can't wait!

Your friend,
Sweetie Belle

Apple Bloom felt like she had read the letter through at least a dozen times since it arrived three days ago. This was a perfect chance for her to, to come out to her friend. Even though arguably the hardest part was over, she still wanted to tell the other former Crusaders the truth, even if the mere thought scared her. What if they weren't as understanding as Pinkie Pie had been? All she could really do was say it and see what followed, it wasn't like this was a big deal...Except for the part where it really, really was to her.

She shook her head and checked her winter gear over before putting it on, it wasn't that long before the train arrived and she'd arranged to meet with Scootaloo first and head there together. Fortunately the weather had relented over the last week and the winter harshness was giving way to the Hearth's Warming spirit across town, which thankfully meant much less chance to slip on ice. Not that she was going to suffer that twice, her leg was back up to strength and the scar was covered by the surrounding coat, nopony would have to know now. With her protection from the cold in place, she headed out into town, shivering slightly at the wind chill.

A fair few ponies were out and about today, getting into the holiday spirit. Apple Bloom didn't recognise half of them with how wrapped up they were, though she was so focused on her own thoughts she didn't really notice many of them anyway. She was meeting Scootaloo outside of Sugarcube Corner, so she had about that long to come up with how she was going to come out to her. Much as she was trying to keep it together, her nerves were starting to fall apart and she couldn't stop thinking how similar this was to the nightmares she used to have. How her friends slowly drifted away from her for what she was, what she'd become...No, real life wasn't going to be like that, the darkness of those nightmares held no sway in Celestia's light.

She came to a halt as she reached Sugarcube Corner and looked round, waiting for her friend. The wait did little to ease her nerves though and by the time she saw Scootaloo coming she was fidgeting slightly in desire to just get this moment over with. Apple Bloom swallowed quickly, steeled herself and waved Scootaloo over. Now or never time...Again. Probably not for the last time either. No, this was going to be fine, this was one of her closest friends, she would be fine with it.

"It's been too long. How've you been?" Scootaloo asked as she came over and hugged Apple Bloom in greeting. She had some of her own winter clothing on, long socks and a thick cape that kept her wings covered.

"Oh, you know. Not alone at least," Apple Bloom replied, blurting out the first thing that came to mind, at least she wasn't embarrassing herself as badly as if she'd said nothing. "I'll tell you what's been happening after we get to the station. Sweetie Belle's train arrives in twenty."

She glanced away nervously, trying to think of something better to say as they set off for the train station. The two of them walking side by side, trying not to think about how long it had been. Truth be told, they hadn't had a chance to see each other since the start of November. Scootaloo had been busy with some private project of her own and Apple Bloom had been working on the missing pony case with Pinkie. She still needed to find a way to ease into that and-

"Come on, Apple Bloom. Can you at least tell me where you've been and with who? I won't breathe a word of it to anypony. Pinkie promise." Scootaloo started to do the motions but caught the edge of her cape and almost tripped over. Apple Bloom couldn't help but giggle at the sight as she helped Scootaloo to steady up, it probably wasn't intentional but it had lifted her spirits. She smiled and nodded, feeling a little better, enough to bite the bullet and tell her at least.

"Well, for you then. I was planning to tell you and Sweetie Belle some of it together and make you pinkie promise anyway. I was in southern Equestria with mah-I mean, with Pinkie Pie. She wanted me along to investigate a farm down there, I don't really understand the full story yet but we'll be back down there soon...There's something else, something you can't even think about around anypony else right now."

Apple Bloom looked down for a moment, mentally kicking herself for fumbling her words like that. She glanced round and decided not to risk it out loud before stopping and leaning in to whisper in Scootaloo's ear. Even at this last moment, with all her determination steeled, she couldn't bring herself to tell the full story.

"I ah...I-I've fallen in love, with a mare."

She moved away and looked down again, feeling a little...Shame? She couldn't explain it but she didn't feel right telling Scootaloo like that and any confidence in a positive reaction was diminishing quickly. All she could do was wait to see what happened in the next few seconds.

"Seriously?" Scootaloo sounded more puzzled than anything, though that was still better than Apple Bloom had expected. "I'm...I'm actually really impressed. Really, congratulations."

That, she really hadn't expected that. Apple Bloom looked up in surprise to see that Scootaloo was grinning at her, clearly serious about seeing this as a good thing. She smiled back weakly and slowly started walking again, Scootaloo trotting after her.

"I mean it, it takes a lot of guts to accept something like that, plus it doesn't change anything for the worse. You're still the same Apple Bloom I met at the cute-ceanera all those yours ago, only now you're even more awesome. If anything, that's the kind of thing that makes Ponyville so special."

"Awww, thanks Scootaloo." Apple Bloom smiled softly and gave Scootaloo another hug in thanks. Scootaloo simply patted her shoulder and let it go. Once Apple Bloom let the hug go they continued on, moving onto talking about their day to day lives as if they hadn't had any time apart at all. Just another small sign of how close their bond was, Apple Bloom thought to herself. Plus she was right, Ponyville was the accepting home of all kinds of ponies, this was just another form of that.

"Lot of ponies about today." Scootaloo mused as they entered the station. Apple Bloom couldn't help but agree when she saw the sight ahead of them, the building was far more crowded than usual with what looked like a mix of paparazzi and locals waiting for somepony.

"Is some other big name arriving? I know Sweetie Belle was popular but I wouldn't have thought she'd get this reaction now."

"Guess we'll find out soon." The two of them started to slowly make their way through the crowd, trying not to disturb too many ponies. A few of the ones with cameras noticed Scootaloo and took some pictures but the lack of focus showed she wasn't going to be the centre of attention, though that just made it easier for them to make their way through.

The platform was less crowded for now, more ponies out here that looked like they were actually waiting for a train. Apple Bloom looked round before nudging Scootaloo and pointing to the end of the platform. A unicorn wearing a full fur outfit and some rather fetching glasses was discretely waving them over from there. The two of them trotted over immediately, even from where they'd been standing they could tell that it was none other than Rarity. Of course she'd be here to see her little sister, though Apple Bloom privately wondered how she'd found the spare time to do so.

"Glad you could make it, I'm sure Sweetie will love seeing us all here." Rarity said happily, as if she'd been expecting them. Any further conversation was cut short by the sound of a whistle. Rarity looked back eagerly while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom watched in anticipation, watching as the train approached. A number of ponies from inside started to move out into the snow as well, gathering round and waiting to see if any celebrities were on board as the train pulled up. The doors opened up and ponies made their way out onto platform, mostly just local ponies but one pony quickly drew the attention of the crowd.

"Is that...?" Apple Bloom's eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of the paparazzi's target, a green pegasus with gold mane, blue eyes and a bass clef cutie mark.

"Deep Note, yes," Rarity answered. "He often does music at the same shows as Sweetie. I'm not sure why he's here though." She looked down toward their end of the train and beamed. Making her way out from the last carriage was a familiar white-grey unicorn with a bushy two tone mane, stunning sleek body and silver microphone cutie mark.

Sweetie Belle took one look at the trio waiting for her and gave a squeak of pure joy, dropping her saddlebags to one side, rushing up and hugging Rarity. Apple Bloom watched the unfolding reunion, feeling a lot calmer at how well this was going now. After a few moments Sweetie put her hoof out and managed to wrap it around her and Scootaloo, pulling her two closest friends into the hug and holding it, barely keeping herself from being reduced to happy tears. Considering she hadn't seen any of them in at least seven months, it was understandable.

"Oohhhh I missed you all! I was going to get gifts but I got a rush at the store so I thought you wouldn't mind me getting something local." Sweetie Belle said quickly, that ever familiar squeak creeping into her voice as she hugged them tighter. Rarity giggled softly and nuzzled her gently, glancing over at the crowds to make sure they hadn't noticed her. Thankfully, most of them had already followed Deep Note elsewhere.

"I already have the best present I could ever get." Rarity said softly, hugging Sweetie a little tighter.

"We all have." Apple Bloom added, stepping back with Scootaloo to let the two sisters have their moment. After a minute, Sweetie Belle broke the embrace and shot a grin at the other two. Scootaloo put her hoof up and the others quickly joined in with a three way hoofbump, just like the old days.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, reunited!" They held it for a moment, just savouring the moment, before they let go and the four of them made to head back into town. Rarity hung back for a moment to make sure she had Sweetie's saddlebag before following the others, watching happily as they started chatting.

"So what've you been getting up to back here?" Sweetie asked eagerly, prompting a grin from Scootaloo.

"Where do you want to start, my high intensity training or Apple Bloom's adventure to the south?"

"Actually, it was more south-east," Apple Bloom commented, prompting a look from Scootaloo. "What? I was stressing out, I'm gonna fumble details in that situation."

"Stressing over what?" Sweetie asked, prompting Apple Bloom to look away slightly.

"I'll explain once we're in town."

Past Eleven - Love and Tolerance

Sweet Apple Acres was absolutely blanketed in snow, silent and somewhat forlorn with leafless trees as far as the eye could see. Apple Bloom had seen it enough times not to let the sight bother her though, that was just a necessary part of the tree's life cycle and it didn't hit the farm too hard anymore. Applejack had kept building on the success their parents had started and these days their products were known and sold even beyond Equestria. She sometimes missed working the farm, but she had her own life now and it wasn't like AJ was handling it alone. Big Mac was still on hand and she had employees now with Little Hayseed, Arboreal and Bounty.

"So, I'm guessing your leg's better?" Sweetie Belle asked as she caught up to Apple Bloom. The unicorn was struggling more with the snow now, considering it was deeper than in town and Rarity had given her the fur outfit from before as a disguise. Scootaloo had left to attend to a personal issue, leaving the two of them to the next stop on the tour to catch Sweetie up on Ponyville. At least, that was part of why they were out here.

"Enough for this at least...Sorry I dragged you out here, I was worried I wouldn't have the nerve to say this three times in one day."

"It's fine, I hoped to see Applejack at some point," Sweetie smiled and looked round as they entered the farm. "Is the old clubhouse still there?"

"Sure is!" Apple Bloom beamed at the mention of it. "Took some persuading but I was allowed to have it stay on the farm, me and Akane keep it in shape together."

"Big Mac's son? Is he one of the Crusaders?"

"Yup, the second generation of the CMC. Him, Bumblebee, Stellar Nova and Rain Runner, with me mentoring when I can."

"Great, I hope it goes well." Sweetie smiled happily as they reached the farmhouse. Nopony else was around but Apple Bloom still glanced round before going and knocking on the door.

In all honesty, she hadn't been looking forward to this moment. Applejack may be her big sister but that just meant she had a better idea of how she might react. Scootaloo had been cool about it and Sweetie was likely to be understanding, but Applejack had a more...Traditional upbringing which might clash with this news. At the same time though, she had the strongest sense of family bonds in Ponyville and even something as big as this didn't seem like it would be enough to shake that. She took a quick breath as the door opened, just having to trust that things wouldn't go too badly.

Almost anypony else would have been caught out by the sight of the pony waiting for them. Applejack wasn't exactly the same pony she had been back when she became an element of harmony, years of running all aspects of Sweet Apple Acres, single hoofed at times, had left her sharper, smarter and much, much stronger. It showed too, her body a lot bulkier with enough muscle to be mistaken for a stallion, though by now the only ones who did so were newcomers to Ponyville. Beyond that though, she was still the same Applejack that everypony could depend on.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack exclaimed happily, pulling her younger sister close and hugging her tight. Apple Bloom shifted her body slightly so she could still breathe and hugged her in return.

"Good to see you too sis, sorry I haven't had a chance to come see you recently."

"Awww, no worries sugarcube, you've got your own life to live," Applejack looked over at the other pony in front of her, taking a moment to recognise her behind all that fur. "Sweetie Belle? That you?"

"Just a very small yak, actually." Sweetie replied, lifting her headwear enough to confirm it was her. Applejack chuckled and nodded, clearly glad to see her as well.

"So what's new with y'all?"

"Well, that's the thing. Is it ok if we come in?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at Applejack, her eyes showing that this was a more serious matter.

"Of course." Applejack released the hug and stepped back to let them inside. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave their thanks and stepped inside, thankful for a chance to be out of the afternoon cold. The inside of the farmhouse was much like Apple Bloom remembered it from her fillyhood, evidently Granny Smith's sense of style had rubbed off on Applejack. The main difference was a three meter long board set up along the wall and covered with all sorts of papers. Business contracts, work plans and what looked like one or two letters to a pen pal.

This wasn't the time to snoop though, there was something more important to deal with first. Apple Bloom took a seat while Sweetie Belle worked on getting her fur off, trying to judge how she was going to do this. Ultimately, this was Applejack she was dealing with, going in straight and telling everything as the honest truth was probably the best bet. It couldn't go that badly, right?

"You're A WHAT?!?"

Ok, it could go badly. Apple Bloom cringed in her seat, fighting to maintain eye contact with the focused look Applejack was giving her from across the room. Sweetie Belle shifted slightly in her seat off the to the side, looking like she was trying to process this new information and will herself to teleport anywhere less awkward than this at the same time. It had started well enough, telling them about what she and Pinkie Pie had been dealing with the month before and steadily following that up with the reveal about herself. She had been flying high on the hope that this would go just as well, now that hope seemed to have stalled and nosedived hard.

Applejack stood up slowly and walked toward Apple Bloom, her face unreadable but the tone of voice she had used not boding well. Sweetie Belle flashed a look of concern before she got up quickly and took to Apple Bloom's side, likely a future gesture if things went bad, but one she appreciated regardless. For a few tense moments the room was silent, each pony seemingly waiting to see which would make the first move. Eventually Applejack opened her mouth and Sweetie Belle jumped forward in response before she could get so much as a word out.

"This is Apple Bloom's choice of life and I think we have no right to try and dissuade her from it! The fact she was willing to tell us about it says a lot about how much she trusts us and how happy it makes her. Think what you will about it, but she deserves better than hassle over such a decision from her own sister!"

The room dropped into silence again. Apple Bloom was looking over in surprise at the defence given to her, Sweetie Belle was staring Applejack down with enough determination to make the mare back up a step despite being at least twice her weight. Applejack eventually sighed and adjusted her hat slightly before looking back at her younger sister.

"I didn't mean to sound so harsh, I swear. You just, you caught me off guard and I-I...Well I didn't handle it very well...I shouldn't have made you worry like that, especially with how big this is. I'm sorry, to both of you."

"It's, it's ok sis..." Apple Bloom sounded a little uneasy in her reply, considering the initial response she had gotten. Applejack winced slightly at that and looked over at Sweetie Belle, who seemed to be taking it a lot better, smiling softly at the sight of them patching things up.

"No problem, I'm just happy you're both happy with it," Sweetie broke into a happy grin, seemingly having already shrugged the incident off. "Congratulations, Apple Bloom."

"Yeah, I'm glad for you," Applejack added, getting another wary look from Apple Bloom in return. She clearly wasn't ready to move past it just yet.

"So who's the lucky mare? Huh huh?" Sweetie asked, starting to get a little excited now she didn't have to worry about things kicking off. Apple Bloom chuckled and got up from her seat, silently judging if she should admit it. Maybe Applejack would feel better about it if she knew it was a decent pony.

"Okay, it's not the worst secret in the world after all. It's..." The big reveal was cut off as somepony knocked on the door, making Apple Bloom jump slightly. Applejack sighed slightly at the interruption before going to answer the door.

"Wow, convenient dramatic timing." Sweetie commented, getting a chuckle out of Apple Bloom. The two of them looked over toward the door, listening in on Applejack and whoever the visitor was.

"Oh, howdy Pinkie."

"Hey AJ! Hi back there Sweetie Belle, Bloomie!" Pinkie leaned round Applejack and waved at them. They waved back at her, Apple Bloom blushing slightly as she did. "I just came to ask if you three wanted to come to my 'Happy Hearth's Warming Eve Party'? Before you ask, yes I invited the rest of your crew, Applejack."

"Golly, you're really prepared this year...Ah what the hay, sure I'll come."

"Great! You two?"

Apple Bloom glanced over at Sweetie Belle, who was grinning eagerly. Applejack was looking a lot happier now as well.

"A Pinkie party while I'm here, could this get any better?" Sweetie replied eagerly.

"You even need to ask?" Apple Bloom added, biting her lip slightly.

"Good point. Well I still have half of Ponyville to invite, see you around!" Pinkie bounded off quickly, leaving the trio watching her go. Applejack looked back at Apple Bloom and gave a knowing smile at the look on her face. Apple Bloom glanced away and tried to act like nothing had happened.

"Ohhh, I see how it is. Never thought that would be your type, but like Sweetie Belle put it, if it makes you both happy then I don't see a problem."

"O...Okay, thanks Applejack..."

"If it helps, I won't mention it to anypony, promise."

"Me neither," Sweetie Belle put a hoof round Apple Bloom's shoulder. "Not until you're ready to tell anypony publicly about it."

Apple Bloom smiled softly and hugged her in return, feeling a lot better about the whole situation. As they let it go she went over to Applejack and hugged her as well, showing that despite the unpleasant misunderstanding earlier, they were still okay with each other. Applejack smiled back and hugged Apple Bloom in return, clearly thankful that they still had their bond intact.

"Thanks, both of you. I appreciate it."

"That's what we're here for, now how about we talk about something that we're not going to try and keep a secret?"

"Alright, we got some catching up to do anyway, all three of us."

The three of them settled back down again and steadily resumed talking. Apple Bloom was only half listening as Sweetie Belle went off on a tangent for Applejack about how her friend Coloratura was doing these days, she was just enjoying the moment too much. Pretty much all of the most important ponies had taken the news better than she expected and now she had the chance for another day with Pinkie. For the first time in what felt like months, things really seemed to be back on the up and up.

Past Twelve - Partners in Crime

December 25th

It was only the middle of the afternoon but Ponyville had already fully embraced the Hearth's Warming Eve spirit. Most ponies were spending the day with family or loved ones, either at home or at the party that Pinkie Pie had set up at Sugarcube Corner. Several dozen ponies seemed to be there, enough for the party to have spilled outside and gone into full swing on the street outside. Just about anywhere one might look, they could see somepony else having a good time or just enjoying the company of others, having a day where they could just unwind and have some fun, away from the complexities of day to day life.

At least that was how Apple Bloom was handling it. With her store now closed for the holidays and no word from Pinkie Pie on the missing pony cases, she was taking the chance to just be another resident of Ponyville again. Mingling with other ponies, enjoying a cool drink and some music, finally getting round to telling Big Mac the truth about her sexuality. Granted, that last one didn't fit in but the party atmosphere was enough to keep her calm and focused on what she was doing. She'd managed to track him down with little difficulty and now the two of them were off to the side, away from prying ears, treating the reveal a lot more casually than any of the others.

"So, yeah. That's the story...Are you, okay with this?" She rubbed the back of her neck and waited, watching for his reaction. Big Mac stood looking back at her for several seconds before breaking into a soft smile.

"Apple Bloom, every so often, little Frostleaf comes to me and says 'Daddy, are there any new words for your family?' When it comes to her aunt Apple Bloom, I've told her a lot of good things so far. Next time the question comes up...I'm going to say that I'm really proud of her."

"You're...Proud?" Apple Bloom blinked in slight surprise. Big Mac smiled more and put a hoof round her shoulders.

"Eeeyup. Always have been, figuring out just who you are and having the confidence to accept it just makes that special feeling a little warmer inside."

"Awww, thanks Big Mac." Apple Bloom smiled back and gave him a quick hug in thanks. A quiet chuckle from nearby made them both look over quickly, only to relax when they realised it was just Applejack coming over, a pair of presents on her back.

"Glad to see you're handling this a lot better than I did," She commented, smiling happily. "Happy Hearth's Warming you two."

"You too, Applejack." Apple Bloom grinned slightly, a familiar fillyhood glint in her eyes at the sight of a likely present for her. Applejack chuckled and moved round to offer them one each.

"And to you," Big Mac finished, opting not to question what she'd meant as him and Apple Bloom took their respective presents. "The rest of the crew around?"

"Back in the heart of the party, speaking of, we should probably go find them. Arboreal looked like she was trying to get Bounty riled up again when I left. We'll see you around soon, little sister?"

"Sure, have fun out there." Apple Bloom waved farewell as her siblings headed back into the party before doing the same. That was that, all five of the significant ponies she felt she'd needed to tell about herself now knew, all taking it with varying degrees of acceptance. Right now she was feeling pretty good as she looked round, trying to decide what to do next.

Pretty much everypony seemed content with enjoying the party outside for now, leaving her with an idea. Pinkie Pie was likely still inside Sugarcube Corner, keeping on top of the catering. It seemed as good a time as any to catch up a little without anypony else interrupting. She made her way inside and looked round, seeing a number of tables loaded up with all manner of festive treats and being manned by the familiar trio of the Cake twins and Pinkie herself. Apple Bloom smiled more at the sight and made her way over to Pinkie's table.

"Hey Bloomie! Long time no see." Pinkie said happily, just the sight and sound of her getting a small tingling feeling out of Apple Bloom.

"Hi Pinkie, good to see you again too. How's life been treating you?"

"Great! The twins have really come into their own with handling the store, which is helpful considering what I've got coming up. It's big, it's top secret, it's...Oh yeah, it involves you. Can you hang around after the party finishes? I have something really important to show you."

"Oh, err...Sure." Apple Bloom couldn't help but blush slightly at where her mind had gone to from that. From how Pinkie had put it, this was going to be either a major update on the investigation or something more personal. Right now, she wasn't sure which she wanted it to be more.

"Great! I'll come find you once things wrap up here. For now, try some of the Puddinghead pudding, we put a secret ingredient in."

"It's strawberries isn't it? Maybe you should let Pumpkin know she needs to mix it up a bit." Apple Bloom chuckled and took some of the food, waving to Pinkie as she headed back into the party.

Well, finally she was going to find out what was happening, one way or another.

It was at least eight o'clock before the party started to come to a close. As various ponies made their way home, Apple Bloom hung back at Sugarcube corner, waving to various ponies as they left. Once the shop was empty she got up, looking round and smiling as Pinkie came back inside, looking a little frazzled but still happy as ever at another successful party. She simply nodded upstairs and headed for her room, Apple Bloom following quickly.

Pinkie's bedroom could have easily been mistaken for a crime lab right now, packed full of photos, analysis equipment and a large pool for Gummy. One of the walls was lined with what looked like various charms and bracelets, each bearing a shining rune on them. Apple Bloom trotted over and looked at them in wonder while Pinkie started gathering up photos from around the room. She really had been going all out with discovering the truth, that kind of fixation probably explained why she hadn't given any reaction to Apple Bloom's declaration of love yet.

"What are these things?"

"Anti-Magic charms," Pinkie answered, checking the room over. "I started stockpiling them as soon as I learned what we're up against."

"A unicorn, I'm guessing. Unless we've stumbled upon a previously unknown rogue alicorn." Apple Bloom chuckled at how ridiculous sounded out loud, Pinkie joining in a moment later.

"I'd be calling in everypony in Equestria if that was the case. Thankfully we're not dealing with somepony quite as powerful as that, just an old enemy of the Elements that I thought we'd seen the last of twenty years ago. Nothing we couldn't handle even before she made it personal."

"Who?" Apple Bloom looked back with some concern, worried that Pinkie might be letting a shot at vengeance cloud her judgement. Pinkie sighed slightly and passed the photos over to her in reply. They all looked mundane enough, various items that had been in Figleaf's house. On closer examination though, she noticed a pattern, each one looked like it had been placed into the shape of a letter. Pinkie rearranged them into the same order they had been in the room and pointed out what it spelled out.

Starlight.

"Starlight?" Apple Bloom's eyes widened slightly at that name. It was familiar but she couldn't place it. Pinkie nodded in response, looking grim.

"It all adds up, the spelling it out, the pony disappearances, all that information in the diary you found, all of it points to the one responsible. Starlight Glimmer."

The two of them were silent for a moment, taking the reality of the situation in. In her heyday, Starlight Glimmer had been an incredibly powerful unicorn that had seemingly lost her mind to a personal grudge against cutie marks and started brainwashing ponies to give up their talents. The Elements of Harmony had managed to put a stop to her plans to do the same to all Equestria, only for her to escape and attempt to manipulate time itself to exact revenge against them. Ultimately she had refused to surrender when stopped again and Princess Twilight had been forced to take more drastic measures to stop her for good.

"As soon as I realised it was her, I put everything into learning what happened afterwards. Twilight was...Kind of unwilling to help, but I did some digging and learned that Starlight was being held in the highest security dungeon in Canterlot, stripped of her magic and talent. At least, until she went and escaped last year. Nopony's seen or heard anything of her since."

"She...WHAT?!?" Apple Bloom's jaw dropped. She hadn't heard the whole story about Starlight but what she knew was enough to be sure that having a pony like that running free was insanely dangerous for Equestria, even if she was still lacking her magic. "How in the wide realm of Equestria did she do it?"

"That's the thing. She's had help, probably still is. Starlight was never this sloppy about leaving evidence behind and there was no evidence that she has her magic back, which makes me think this unknown assistant was the one who brainwashed Lucky Roll. Given the kind of magic they used, they're clearly powerful themselves."

"And you still think it's a good idea to go after them?" Apple Bloom was starting to have more than a few concerns. Sure, she loved Pinkie but she wasn't sure about following her on a suicide mission.

"I think it's a good idea to track them down, so somepony more capable can stop them. I've been in contact with Moondancer and that Tracer Project she mentioned started working thanks to what we gave them. Speaking of which, they've listed us as working with them, so if we get into trouble over what happened at the farm she'll try and help us out. Anyway, they caught a weak trace of that same magic out in the San Palomino Desert and I'm going to go track it down. It's your choice if you want to come with me, Bloomie."

Apple Bloom looked round, torn on what she wanted to do. The San Palomino was a huge expanse of nothingness and anything could be out there, aside from the two super powerful, possibly crazy ponies waiting for them. In her heart though, there wasn't even really a choice. Even if she disregarded the whole romance part, the fact remained that Pinkie was still asking for her support in such an important task, what would it say about her if she said no now? She turned back toward Pinkie and put her hoof out.

"We've got this far, I'm gonna see it through to the end."

"Thank you." Pinkie smiled warmly and hugged Apple Bloom, she returned the hug after a moment and smiled softly, sneaking a quick nuzzle as she did. If Pinkie felt it, she didn't respond.

"So, where do we go from here?"

"For now, I'd say you should get some sleep and have some nice dreams. Tomorrow we'll head south by train and make for the desert from there."

"Okay, I should probably make sure everything at home will be alright being left alone for a few weeks," Apple Bloom finally released the hug and made to leave. "I'll see you at the train station then."

"Bring your presents, we can open them on the trip." Pinkie called after her as she headed back downstairs. Apple Bloom chuckled to herself as she made sure she had everything before heading for home, wondering just what she'd let herself in for this time.

She'd made her choice though, she was seeing this one through to the end, one way or another.

Author's Note

Now properly edited

At this point my uploads have caught up with my writing, so new chapters will be coming out every five or six days from now on.

Present Four - Hostile

Apple Bloom rubbed her throat as she finished recounting her story for now. She hadn't meant to keep going for that long but she had been in the zone, as Rarity would put it. She needed to take a quick breather for now though, getting up and going for a drink. Peace Walker was sitting back against the wall, eyes closed in thought, her face unreadable in the current light. It may just have been her imagination but it looked like Peace was sitting slightly angled away, as if she didn't want to look directly at Apple Bloom. Had something she said touched a nerve?

"I, have to give you credit, you're a fighter," Peace Walker finally commented calmly, looking over as Apple Bloom swallowed a mouthful of much needed water. "Have you noticed anything in particular about the memories you've recalled recently?"

"Not really." Apple Bloom answered, sighing slightly at the welcome relief the relatively cool water provided to her. She'd been talking all day and the stop for refreshment had been somewhat overdue.

"You've been mentioning more details the longer you've been talking. When you started, you were talking about a few months ago and little else, I've noticed you talking about further away then that, you mentioned your fillyhood at one point and if I had to guess, that was at least fifteen years ago."

"Huh...I hadn't really noticed," Apple Bloom mused, moving to get some hay. Now that Peace Walker mentioned it, she had been bringing up more details that she doubted she would ever have remembered earlier. "What'd you think it means?"

"Well I'm no expert but, I'd say that going through all your memories is helping your mind to start fighting back against the magical suppression. To use the two versions of you fighting example you used this morning, they're wearing each other down but the non-equal one is holding it's own now. We can build on this, keep building your mind up to the point it might hopefully throw off that magic. You'll be able to see your...Pinkie Pie, again."

Apple Bloom blinked in surprise at that comment, it may just been her but Peace had sounded a little disgruntled at the end of her explanation. Now she was certain that something in her story was rubbing her the wrong way. She wasn't sure why though, nothing had been overly offensive to her knowledge, could it be something a little more personal? Whatever it was, clearly it went deeper than either of them would have liked as Peace edged away a little further.

"Peace...Is something wrong?"

"What? No! Of course not. I mean we're finally making progress now, I can practically see us getting out of here...And you returning to your marefriend...Somewhere away from me."

"What?"

"Nothing, it's a free land, anypony can be with whoever they want. Even the weird ones..." Peace glanced away quickly, realising she was probably getting a bit too offensive without saying why. "I just, I just don't get same sex relationships. Two mares or stallions together just seems...Wrong."

Apple Bloom's ears folded back in dismay at those words. All this time she'd seen Peace Walker as a solitary beacon of hope in the mess they'd found themselves in. Now it sounded like she might have lost that just because of what she was, over something she wouldn't want to change even if she could. Of course, she had to have guessed that there would be ponies out there that wouldn't be as accepting of her sexuality, but to actually be encountering one, especially in a situation like this...Well, it wasn't pleasant.

"Wh...That's...Why?"

"No reason." Peace said quickly, sounding a little too defensive to be genuine. Before they could discuss it any further, the sound of hoofsteps just outside the door caught their attention. They looked over toward it, watching as it was surrounded by a light turquoise glow for a moment before swinging open quickly. With how shaded the room was, the sudden influx of sunlight was enough to briefly flash blind Apple Bloom.

She rubbed her eyes until it subsided and glanced aside, realising that Peace Walker was staring at the door with a look of pure fear. Pupils shrunk to pinpricks, ears shivering even as they were pressed against her head and her legs tensed as though she was ready to try and bolt through the wall. Not feeling any confidence from that reaction, Apple Bloom looked back at the door and tensed up herself. A unicorn mare was standing in the doorway, pink coated, blue eyed, purple mane and tail with an aquamarine highlight and cutie mark of a purple and white star with two green-ish streams. Even with her still scattered memories, Apple Bloom knew exactly who she was looking at; Starlight Glimmer.

"Well, good afternoon, my little interlopers." Starlight said, looking and sounding happy enough but unable to hide the slightest hint of contempt behind it at the end.

"Starlight..." Apple Bloom commented without thinking. Starlight's face twisted into a growl and she shot a beam of magic straight at her. With nowhere to go and no time to react, the beam hit Apple Bloom dead on and overtook her body, pushing her down into a sitting position and locking her in place.

"I'm not talking to you!" Starlight snapped, getting up in Apple Bloom's face, her face contorted into a snarl for several seconds before she blinked and looked back at Peace Walker with that same serene smile she had coming in.

Apple Bloom wasn't sure what unnerved her more, how easily she had been thrown back on her flank and stuck like this, which was also leaving her body parts stretched rather uncomfortably, or the way that Starlight was switching between such extreme emotions with such fluidity and disregard for how she was acting two seconds before. She really did come across as rather...Deranged. Peace Walker seemed to agree, judging by how she was attempting to back up into the corner with the most shadows.

"Now Peace, we've talked about this. Nopony needs to worry about anything here." Starlight said cheerfully, using the kind of tone one would use when explaining something to a foal even as she picked Peace Walker up in her magic and brought them face to face.

Even in the grip of magic, Peace was squirming slightly as she tried to avoid looking straight at Starlight. Apple Bloom could only watch in shock, remembering that Peace had been going through this for what seemed like a week with nopony but brainwashed victims and Starlight Glimmer for social interaction. Suddenly her panicked, cowering fear of everything when they'd met made a lot more sense. Even now she was clearly starting to break down again, panting hard, eyes darting around franticly for any sign of escape.

"You know you shouldn't be fighting this, you'll feel so much better when you're at the same level as everypony else here," Starlight continued. "I mean it, once you try being equal, you'll be happier than you could ever be with your own life."

"No...I...No, I have my own life. My job, my husband..."

"Oh please, five seconds of life here will make your old world, and your 'lover', seem like garbage...Assuming you can even remember him of course."

Peace Walker's face went blank and she barely choked back a gasp, all the discipline she'd been holding onto falling apart at the thought of losing everything that mattered to her like this. Starlight smirked and let her magic fade off, watching as Peace dropped to the floor and clutched her head in her hooves, whimpering slightly as fought to contend with the images in her mind again. Apple Bloom could only watch from her position, unable to move, unable to speak, hardly able to breathe with Starlight's magic constricting her like this.

"That's a good filly, just relax, you'll be feeling better and back out in the world in no time," Starlight gave Peace a gentle, reassuring pat on the shoulder before glancing back at Apple Bloom as if she was an afterthought. "Now, about you..."

"L...Leave her out of this..." Peace said weakly, waving her hoof out in a futile effort to try and hold the unicorn back. Starlight looked down at her and simply pushed her down onto her side before advancing on Apple Bloom.

"I would, but between me and her...It's personal." Starlight shot a small thread of magic at Apple Bloom, dissipating the rest surrounding her and letting her drop to the floor. Apple Bloom took a moment to get her breath back and let her tired muscles rest before looking up, only to see Starlight swinging her hoof right at the left side of her head. The punch knocked her sideways and left her sprawled on the floor, ears ringing and vision disorientated.

"Agghh! Wh-what's...?"

"What can I say, your sister wasn't here to do it to," Starlight said coldly, moving round and lifting Apple Bloom's head up so they could see eye to eye. "Once she's here though, I'll make her and the rest of the Elements suffer for standing in the way of Equestria's destiny. Until then, I guess I can take out my frustrations on the family as much as I want. The best thing? You'll never remember it happening, or if I really wanted to, one little spell and I could have you begging for more. For now, I'll check in on you again later."

Starlight smirked and moved her hoof away, letting Apple Bloom's head drop back to the floor. Content that she'd made her point, she turned and headed for the door, taking the time to give Peace Walker a friendly farewell wave before she headed back outside and enchanted the door again. Apple Bloom forced herself back to her feet and rubbed her head where the punch had landed. Peace slowly managed to regain some composure and came over to check her over.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I let that get to me so hard...Well you're not bleeding again, but that's going to leave a serious bruise."

"Okay...I-I just, ow. Just can't believe it though. Starlight Glimmer...I heard she was dangerous but that...That was insanity."

"Insane is right, she act differently toward me every time she comes in. Everything from treating me like a friend to smacking me around with magic and that back there was possibly the worst of them all. It was like...Like she thinks I don't have long left like this."

Peace tensed up slightly at the thought as Apple Bloom got back to her hooves. She'd been clinging to faint hopes all this time, enduring regular isolation, ponies that only served as a display of what she would become, Starlight's abuse and everything in between. She'd managed to stay strong enough to remain herself for this long, but she was already pushing the limits of her willpower. The reality was that she was going to lose this battle and now she was acknowledging it, it was tearing her up inside.

Apple Bloom wasn't doing much better at the moment. She'd finally seen the face of the enemy and though she had to put on a brave face, inside she was terrified. Everything Applejack had been willing to tell her had indicated that Starlight Glimmer had been a cunning and dangerous enemy before she had been pushed to more extreme measures. Now though, she something different, somepony far worse. Now she was more convinced than ever that she was in the right and had no reservations about how many ponies she hurt to force everypony else to see her view.

What were they supposed to do now, when the reality of a situation they couldn't escape alone was making itself known all too well...She looked back at Peace Walker and thought for a moment, before realising there was only one thing she could do; keep holding onto hope. From what her own story had told, she couldn't believe that Pinkie Pie wouldn't abandon her now, she...She refused to believe it. Pinkie was coming for them, that's all there was to it. For now though, Apple Bloom knew that she had to calm Peace down again, all they had for now was each other and the longer it stayed that way, the better.

"Peace, listen to me. We haven't lost this one yet. Somepony is coming for us, I know it and I want them to find us both as we are. I know you want that as well, so are you gonna let Starlight win or are you going to keep fighting until we come out the other side, unstoppable in the face of the worst she's got?"

"I..." Peace looked back at Apple Bloom, the look in her eye almost asking why she was still trying to help in light of how she acted earlier. After a minute she sighed and smiled weakly. "I, suppose we still need to finish your story, even if it is just to pass the time until we get out of here."

"That's the spirit," Apple Bloom smiled and gave Peace Walker a pat on the shoulder, far more genuine that the one she'd received earlier. "We're in the home stretch now, just relax and the worst will be over before you know it."

Past Thirteen - The Last Friendly Faces

Friendship Express, south Equestria
December 26th

For most ponies, the southern regions of Equestria had little to offer that came across as appealing. A mishmash of jungle, rock and desert with Appleloosa as the only major settlement, it wasn't much of a surprise that most trains going down this far tended to have few passengers. Today though, Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie had caught the train out of Ponyville and were heading in that very direction, ready to take on their latest and greatest challenge together. Track down a pair of rogue unicorns in the San Palomino and alert those who could bring them down. Today though, they had one last chance to enjoy themselves a little before the journey began.

"Have I said it yet, I'm not sure if I've said it yet. I'm gonna say it again just in case, happy Hearth's Warming!" Pinkie gushed, looking as energetic as ever despite having been up since the crack of dawn. Apple Bloom chuckled as she watched, this was at least the fourth time Pinkie had said it but seeing her happy like this was worth the repetition. They were the only passengers on board and they were making the most of it to have a mini party.

"Happy Hearth's Warming to you too, though you couldn't have saved a few presents for the train?"

"Well I couldn't take too many into the desert with me, where would I store all the charms then?"

"In your mane, at our destination, under a random sand dune on the way?" The two of them looked at each other for a moment before breaking down laughing.

"Maybe if it wasn't so serious, I want to be sure I'll have them if we need them. We've got these for now." Pinkie replied once she had her mirth under control, taking a present out from under her seat and handing it to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom blushed slightly as she took it and opened it up, giving a soft gasp at the contents. It was nothing spectacular, just a simple metal water canteen. As she picked it up and looked at it closer, she could see it had an engraving in the middle, just one word. Pinkiebloom. She blushed softly at the sight and rolled it in her hooves slightly, getting a feel for the best place to maintain a grip. Her smile only grew when she found the best place to hold it let her look at the word every time.

"I got that specially made, figured that you'd like something special about us, working together, taking down evil." Pinkie commented, clearly enjoying the sight of her friend so happy at the gift.

"It's beautiful...Just like..." Apple Bloom blushed and stopped herself from finishing the sentence, mentally kicking herself for saying that in front of Pinkie.

"It's ok," Pinkie replied, rubbing the back of her neck and smiling softly. "You made how you feel about me super clear and I really like the attention. I just haven't had time to think about it with all the hyper craziness going on so I didn't get to decide what result is best for us yet."

"Okay, I understand." Apple Bloom hoped she hadn't sounded too disappointed when she said that. It was mostly because she still didn't have a straight answer, though on the plus side, it was giving her more time to prepare in the increasingly likely event of rejection.

Managing to shrug it off for now, she pushed her present for Pinkie over. The box was equally simple but Pinkie quickly opened it up and took it's contents out, smiling softly at her present. It was a scarf, each side made with a different material and weave. One side was more like a traditional scarf, coloured pink and white. The other was much thinner, made of what seemed to be a shimmering, icy blue thread. As strange as it looked, Pinkie's eyes lit up somewhat at the sight of it.

"This is some of Rarity's work, isn't it?"

"Yep, a working concept piece," Apple Bloom grinned at how well it was being taken. "That blue side is embedded with temperature magic, helps the scarf adjust to something comfortable. Plus you could probably use it to protect against sand out there."

"Fantastic! I couldn't find a good sand guard in ponyville, since the only sand there is, you know, the sandpit at the schoolhouse. This is going to be perfect though, I just hope you've got some face protection of your own, neither of us want anything to happen to you."

Apple Bloom smiled softly and turned to her last present, the one Applejack had given her. She slowly opened it up and almost dropped it in surprise immeadietly. Inside was a neckerchief, a simple featureless design and sky blue in colour, anypony else would likely dismiss it as a sizeable cloth patch. What set it apart for her was a mix of déjà vu upon seeing it and the small note left on top.

Dad left this to us, I know you'll treat it well. AJ

She slowly lifted it out, doing her best not to tear up at the sight. She'd only had photos to remember them by, but she recognised her father wearing it in several of them, the fact Applejack was trusting her with it meant more than she could put into words. Pinkie smiled softly at the sight as Apple Bloom carefully made sure it was laid out correctly before starting to put it on. After a few moments of struggling with her hooves, Pinkie reached out and helped her to tie it up.

"Thanks, how'd you think it looks?"

"It suits you," Pinkie commented, giving a soft smile at the sight. Apple Bloom blushed slightly and smiled back, the two of them holding the moment before the sound of train brakes made them both instinctively steady themselves. "Oooh, this is our stop!"

"It is?" Apple Bloom looked out the window and did a double take, recognising where they were. Rock farm Station. It made sense they they were getting off here, the rock farm was near the edge of the desert, they could pick up some last supplies here and they would be well received since it was owned by Pinkie's sister, Limestone Pie.

The two of them gathered their things and waited for the train to come to a stop before getting up and disembarking. Surprisingly, it wasn't quite as cold as it had been further north, with only a light layer of snow on the ground. It didn't help the barren look of the rocky area though, the train station was the only sign of civilization in sight. One other pony was on the platform, a bluish grey earth mare with light grey mane, piercing lime green eyes and a black jumpsuit that left her body covered. Pinkie caught sight of her and instantly broke out in a beaming smile.

"Hi, Limestone Pie! Hi hi!" She half-shouted, making the other pony jump slightly before cracking a small grin once she recognised them.

"Well well well, look who finally showed their face around here," Limestone chuckled in her rough voice before putting her hoof out, Pinkie immediately coming over and hoofbumping her. "Good to see you, little sister. Happy Hearth's Warming. I see you brought your marefriend along as well."

"I wish." Apple Bloom muttered to herself, blushing furiously and looking away in embarrassment. Pinkie simply giggled at the comment.

"Of course not, just regular friend slash possible cousin. You remember Apple Bloom, right?"

"Oh yeah, nice to see you again, Apple Bloom. So what brings you this way?" Limestone finished as she offloaded some boxes from the train, basic supplies for the farm.

"Oh, well, me and Bloomie have a lead on this super exciting case that could help a lot of ponies. The trail heads into the desert so we were planning to use the rock farm as a starting point for our super important adventure!" Pinkie explained, grinning eagerly.

"Huh...And here I hoped you were coming to put aside your parties and work with us. At least say you're going to say hi to everypony." Limestone eyed them up as she said it, as if she wanted to make a comment but was holding back on it. Pinkie simply nodded as if she hadn't noticed.

"Of course I was going to see everypony. How are they?"

"Well, Maud is...Still Maud," Limestone hefted the boxes onto her back and set off on the path, Pinkie walked with with her, Apple Bloom following. "Ma and Pa are starting to ease into their retirement and...Well, I can't say it in front of her, in case it goes to her head, but I'm impressed with how Marble's growing into her potential."

"I'm guessing it helps if she's allowed to talk a bit." Apple Bloom joked, getting a glare from Limestone in return.

The three of them crested a hill and looked over at the rock farm. While it had lacked the level of business needed to expand, the farm had done well enough over the years to give it a slightly more professional look. As they headed into the boundary another pony became visible moving several rocks, another earth pony mare. She was a toned grey with a trimmed purple mane, turquoise eyes and a dull blue jumpsuit. Pinkie's eyes lit up at the sight and rushed ahead of the others fast enough to almost leave her gear behind.

"Maud!" Pinkie called, running up and hugging her other older sister. Apple Bloom chuckled as she and Limestone moved to catch up.

"Pinkie Pie, it's really good to see you." Maud said in her usual flat monotone as Pinkie released the hug on her. Even with her current position as one of Equestria's leading geologists, Maud Pie was living proof that some things would never really change.

"Yep, and she brought company." Limestone commented as she finally caught up with her siblings. Apple Bloom followed her up a moment later and gave Maud a quick wave. Though she simply responded with a slow blink, as soon as the others looked away she cracked the faintest of smiles for a moment.

"So, is Marble Pie around?" Pinkie asked, looking round eagerly. Limestone nodded and walked over to the quarry edge nearby, sticking her head over the cliff.

"Hey sis! Get up here, we got visitors!" She yelled out, waiting for a minute before looking to the pathway out as another pony made her way up, hauling a cartful of crystals. Another earth pony, she was light grey with a darker grey long, striped mane, violet eyes and a bright red jumpsuit.

"Woah...Marble Pie?" Pinkie commented before trotting over and hugging her. Marble jumped slightly before recognising her twin sister and hugging Pinkie in return.

"Oh, hi, I wasn't expecting to see you." Marble replied, her voice soft but slightly raspy.

"Nopony expects the teamup of Pinkie and Bloomie!" Pinkie declared before managing to relax again. "So, what's been happening with you all?"

"Come inside and we'll catch up." Limestone grinned, leading everypony toward the house.

"I've been asked to conduct a survey of the Canterlot mountain, I can hardly wait." Maud commented to response to the question. Apple Bloom couldn't help but smile at the sight of them all getting along so well, half wishing she could stay a little longer.

Maybe another day, they still had work to do.

The afternoon sun was starting to hang low as Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie prepared to set out again. Limestone had been willing to give them a few supplies they hadn't been able to pick up in Ponyville and made sure they could come back anytime they needed to. The farewells were all but complete and the five of them were staring off toward the desert, as if trying to break the tension.

"Try not to die out there, I like seeing you around." Limestone finally said, smirking slightly.

"Errm...Yeah, stay safe." Marble added.

"Clean your hooves often, the rocks that make up Palomino sand get caught in fur easily." Maud finished.

"Okey dokey lokey! I'll make sure to keep you all in the loooop about how we do." Pinkie replied, grinning eagerly at the prospect.

"And I, err, I'll make sure Pinkie stays safe out there. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Apple Bloom did the motions and held it for a moment, showing she was taking this extra seriously.

Pinkie chuckled slightly before nodding to her companion and leading the two of them off toward the desert, waving back to the Pie sisters one last time. There was no telling how long they would be out here, just the two of them against whatever was hiding out in the barren sands. Not that it mattered at this moment, they were loaded up and ready to begin their mission in earnest. It was time to go unicorn hunting...Something about that felt off to Apple Bloom though, like she was getting into something way over her head...Like she wasn't going to succeed.

Author's Note

Hope you're all still enjoying it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. Thanks for continuing to stop by, I appreciate every one of you!

Past Fourteen - Memories of a Desert Wanderer

San Palomino Desert
January 9th

The San Palomino, the kind of place that was perfect for a pony to disappear in for Celestia knows how long. Nothing but sand, rocks and wind as far as the eye could see, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact they sometimes all came up at once. Apple Bloom was starting to regret coming out here, two weeks of trekking through what looked like the same square mile of a giant sandbox over and over again, rationing food and water in ever so steadily decreasing amounts and now, getting caught up in a sandstorm. She and Pinkie Pie were bunkered down under a rock jutting from a sand dune, using their neckerchief and scarf to keep their faces covered as they just about stayed out of the wind.

"So, I've been meaning to ask, do we have any idea where we are?" Apple Bloom asked, wiping sand off her legs. Maud hadn't been kidding when she said that it clung to fur something awful.

"Well assuming the storm doesn't completely reorganise several hundred miles of sand, we've covered about this much." Pinkie answered as she placed her hoof on the map, though it looked like a patch of sandpaper for all it was worth. She probably knew what she was talking about this, this as Pinkie Pie after all.

Apple Bloom glanced out at the howling sands and shivered slightly from the wind chill. Without thinking she huddled closer to Pinkie for warmth and found herself pressing right up against her. Pinkie tensed slightly at the sudden feeling but relaxed quickly when she realised just what it was before reaching into her saddlebag. A few moments of rummaging resulted in her bringing out a quilted blanket and wrapped it round them both for a little extra protection from the cold and sand.

"How did you even fit that in there?" Apple Bloom asked in surprise, doing her best to bury herself in blanket all the same.

"Well I couldn't exactly head out here without making sure I could support my friend that chose to come out here with me." Pinkie replied, looking over at her with a surprisingly soft look in her eye. "I don't know if I've said it, but I really appreciate you agreeing to come with me for this."

"Come on, I couldn't let you try and do something like this alone...Even if I didn't care for you the way I do."

"Yeah...Bloomie, back when you said that, back on one of the best days anypony can ever think of ever, did you mean it?"

"I, do you even-I mean. Pinkie Pie, of course I meant every word of it, I said love you back there, I still love you now." Apple Bloom made sure to keep her eyes locked on Pinkie's for every word. There was nothing to hide between them right now, the rest of the world was beyond that sandstorm, everything that mattered in this moment was right in front of her.

"Wow..." Pinkie said quietly, actually blushing a little. "Thank you, having somepony like that next to me, it means a lot."

While it still wasn't returning the feelings, knowing that Pinkie enjoyed it was more than enough for now. Apple Bloom relaxed and stared back out into the sandstorm, a small part of her wishing she was out there, back in Ponyville right now. She couldn't explain it but she really felt like she should be talking to Scootaloo right now. That feeling would have to wait until they got home though, there was still a long way to go out in those sands.

February 15th

For all it's difficulties and frustrations during the day, the desert at night was a whole different story. Relatively cool, much less wind and the cloudless skies allowed anypony to see almost as well as they could in the day, thanks to Luna's moonlight. The hunt for Starlight Glimmer still wasn't going well but supplies had become less of an issue after Pinkie managed to find an oasis a week ago. The two of them had set up a small base camp on its edge and now ventured out at dusk to explore further, returning at dawn and staying sheltered from the worst of the heat.

Today though, Pinkie had brought them back early for unknown reasons. She was simply pacing round the camp right now, checking everything over. Apple Bloom had decided not to question it and was taking a little time to relax, lying on her back and stargazing. Normally she didn't really partake in it but with skies as perfect as this, and all that Luna had done for her in the past, taking some time out to admire the elegant beauty of the night felt like the least she could do. After a few minutes, Pinkie came over with their saddlebags and settled down on her back next to her.

"Hey Bloomie, you know what day it is tomorrow?"

"I...I haven't been sure what day it's been since we got here." Apple Bloom sighed slightly and rubbed her eye, trying to shake some of the tiredness that had been lingering since they had made the switch to searching during the night.

"It's the sixteenth tomorrow." Pinkie answered, letting her head drop to the side so she could see the dawning realisation on Apple Bloom's face as she caught the significance. February the sixteenth marked the date Twilight Sparkle had ascended to become an alicorn, a day that had shaken the dynamics of Equestia firmly enough for many ponies to mark it as the beginning of an era. If nothing else, it marked the beginning of a new year under four princesses at least.

"Oh yeah...Oh! That reminds me!" She scrambled to her hooves and started to run back toward the camp before stopping and looking back, realising her saddlebags had been brought to where she'd been before. Pinkie giggled and pushed herself up into a sitting position as Apple Bloom came back and sat down again.

"Sorry, thought you'd seen them."

"It's fine. Long shot but, you wouldn't happen to know when midnight is, would you?"

"It's not a long shot, it's a stretch within hoof's reach," Pinkie pulled her hoof up and checked the watch that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere on it. "About one minute and thirty three, thirty two."

"It's enough time for this," Apple Bloom reached into her bag and rummaged round for a few seconds before bringing out a pair of bottles filled with an amber liquid and marked with the Sweet Apple Acres logo. "I was saving these for our mission complete party but, feels like they'd get better use now."

"Whoa..." Pinkie's eyes widened as she recognised just what it was. "Premium chilled Apple family cider from last year? You got some of that? For me? You sure you don't want to save it?"

"Your favourite, right?" Apple Bloom smiled warmly and passed her a bottle. "It wasn't too hard to convince Applejack to let me have some. As for using it now, well, sometimes you just have to go with what you think is right."

Pinkie smiled back and glanced away slightly as Apple Bloom sat down next to her again, working the cap off with her teeth. After a few moments she looked back and got her own bottle open, deep in thought about something.

"So, what our toast going to be to?" She finally asked, leaving Apple Bloom the one doing the thinking this time.

"Well, considering what's coming up in a minute, I think we should toast to another peaceful year for Equestria."

"With all we've got going on, I'd settle for just seven months." Pinkie commented, giggling slightly. Apple Bloom simply grinned and nodded.

"Alright. Well how about just, to the new year, and our friends we'll be sharing it with." Apple Bloom put her bottle out and waited, watching as Pinkie checked her watch again.

"Eight, seven...Okay! To our friends and the new year." Pinkie's watch gave a soft beep to indicate the stroke of midnight and the two of them clinked their bottles together before taking a drink. Maybe it was the setting they had found themselves in, maybe it was the quality of the cider, maybe it was just the giddy glee that came from sharing a drink with the pony she cared for most, but to Apple Bloom, this felt like the best moment she'd been able to share in a long, long time.

As they finished the drink and put the bottles aside, the two of them simply looked over at each other for a moment, trying to find the right words for the moment. A full minute passed before Pinkie leaned in closer and put her hoof out, grinning slightly before booping Apple Bloom on the nose. Apple Bloom simply blinked at how out of nowhere that was before breaking down laughing, Pinkie joining in after a moment. They still had work to do but this moment was simply too good to let go of, making sure it was one they would both remember.

March 1st, Year 23 under the four princesses

Another day, another fruitless search for so much as a hint of Starlight. It had been over two months since they had set off now and no matter how hard they tried to hide it, it was clear that both Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie were growing weary of the desert. Apple Bloom had seen it in Pinkie's eyes, because she had the same feeling, if either of them got to the point of suggesting going home now, the other probably would not have an argument against it. At the same time though, she knew neither of them were willing to say it, Pinkie was determined to find her missing friends and Apple Bloom certainly wasn't about to let her go it alone.

The dusk had come a little later than she would have liked, considering they were still travelling at night and having to juggle searching for unicorns and water sources at the same time. As she woke up from a dreamless sleep, Apple Bloom realised something was covering her that hadn't been there when she dozed off. She glanced back and realised it was the blanket Pinkie had brought, looking very sandy. The wind had probably blown part of the nearby dune on them during the day and it would have been a lot more uncomfortable to sleep inside a sand pile rather than that cover.

"Hmmm...Thanks Pinkie..." Apple Bloom raised her head and glanced round, realising her friend was nowhere in sight. "P-Pinkie Pie?"

"Oh, you're awake!" Pinkie poked her head out from behind a sand bank they'd been using for wind protection and grinned as Apple Bloom got up and dug through her saddlebags. "I thought you deserved a little extra sleep in so I left the blanket on you while I went looking for water."

"Oh. Any luck?" Apple Bloom asked as she fetched her neckerchief out and put it on, looking up to see Pinkie's expression had deflated slightly.

"No, nothing less than half a night away. I hope I've got enough."

Pinkie sat down again, looking over the barren sands with an undeniable lack of enthusiasm in her movement. Apple Bloom got up and sat down next to her, noticing that she was hiding something. Her voice had been a little drier than usual and her body was angled to keep as much of herself possible in the little shade available. At a guess, she'd been cutting back on her water intake a bit to keep supplies for the both of them. Luckily, Apple Bloom had been keeping something in reserve herself. She reached back into her bag and pulled the canteen out, offering it to Pinkie.

"You sure about this?" Pinkie asked, looking at it in surprise.

"Well, it technically belongs to both of us, it does have both our names on after all." Apple Bloom commented, pointing to the Pinkiebloom engraving. Pinkie hesitated for a moment before giggling softly and taking the canteen.

"Thanks Bloomie, you're too good to me for what I've dragged you through." Pinkie commented before taking a swig of water.

"Well, it's no less than I'd do for anypony in this situation." Though she acted as though brushing the comment off, something about it was rubbing Apple Bloom the wrong way. Pinkie Pie had always been a pony who wore her heart on her leg, since she didn't have any sleeves, but she'd clearly been trying hard to hide this one. However bad she was feeling about the search so far, dragging Apple Bloom through what felt like a pointless and draining endeavour must have felt so much worse.

As Pinkie finished her drink and handed the canteen back, Apple Bloom gently took her hoof and held it for a moment, her eyes meeting Pinkie's. The look she gave was saying everything for her, that she didn't mind being out here so long, she'd be right there by her side for as long as it took. Pinkie stared back at her for a moment before smiling softly and nodding, getting the message. The two of them held the moment for a minute before Apple Bloom relaxed her grip and took the canteen back, fitting it back in her saddlebags and cleaning the blanket off.

"Thanks, Bloomie. You really think we're still in a position to do this?"

"Us two together, how could we not?" Apple Bloom grinned and stretched a little before gathering her things up. Pinkie did the same and lead them off for tonight's search. Things felt a little different to usual though, just a feeling in the wind that seemed to hint that one way or another, they were definitely getting closer to the end of this adventure.

Past Fifteen - Something More

March 5th

The silence in the desert air usually felt uncomfortable, blanketing anypony with a sense of almost suffocating isolation. Today though, something felt different, a more peaceful atmosphere was prevalent across the sands, giving off the sense that for once nothing was wrong. Apple Bloom smiled slightly as she woke up, relaxing slightly at the feeling as she stretched her front legs out. The two of them had their current base camp set up at the foot of a rocky outcrop, making use of the shade for cover and the fact it was just about climbable to recon the area. It was certainly the best spot they'd found since leaving the oasis and was closer to Los Pegasus in the event they needed to leave the desert for supplies.

She glanced over at Pinkie Pie, curled up asleep against the rock and snoring softly. It was nice to see her looking so peaceful and happy, wearing her typical grin even in her sleep. Apple Bloom couldn't bring herself to disturb her just yet, getting her neckerchief on her before starting to head up the rocks for a fresh look. It wasn't too hard to find ledges to pull herself up with, the fact it was at least fifty five foot high at it's peak was the part that caused the most concern. After ten minutes she reached the flat top of the outcrop and sat down for a breather, scanning the horizon.

The desert formed into a small valley to the south, allowing for miles of relatively unrestricted vision, the sun was still fairly early in it's descent and clouds had gathered off to the west, not ideal circumstances for searching but far from the worst they'd had. She had time to think out here, about just what she was going to do once this adventure was over. It wasn't as simple as just going back to how things were, running her carpentry shop, helping the CMC out, this time she would be going back with a possible relationship. Pinkie had been taking everything in stride so far and even gave off the impression that she liked the attention more than just accepting it. Apple Bloom smiled slightly to herself at the memories and sat back, simply enjoying the times they'd shared together so far.

She didn't know how long she'd sat there, but the sun was three quarters of the way below the horizon before the sound of somepony climbing up made her look round. Pinkie poked her head over the edge and quickly clambered up to the top, sitting down next to her friend and looking out at the view. The two of them simply sat there for a while longer, enjoying the gentle breeze, letting the last rays of light warm their fur, Pinkie occasionally looking round behind her as if expecting somepony to be there. Neither of them said a word for sometime, simply enjoying each other's company, before Pinkie sighed quietly and looked over at Apple Bloom.

"I've been thinking. About, you know, that itty bitty thing between us." She grinned sheepishly as Apple Bloomed looked back at her with a small glint of hope in her eye. Was this finally the moment she'd been waiting for, the heart to heart that would put their feelings out in the open?

"Okay. I'll just say that, the fact you've been so accepting of this means a lot to me. The fact you've been able to go on without it affecting things between us is just...It's amazing, really."

"It's only fair, I mean you've made me smile so many times through all this," Pinkie's smile became a bit softer as she sat forward, dangling her hooves over the edge of the rock. "Even when you started out really nervous about it, it's all worked for us both."

"Yeah...Wait, when was I nervous?" Apple Bloom tried to sound calm but warning bells were going off in her head. She had only ended up feeling nervous twice and if Pinkie was implying what she thought she thought she was implying, she might have ended up wasting so much time skirting the issue.

"Oh you know, when you came into Sugarcube corner back in October and you said 'surprise me' and I was all 'okay, why the frowny face?' and then you asked to hang out and I went off on a tangent about ears. It was cute and sweet but looking back, I can't believe I didn't notice you were already asking me out."

"I..." Apple Bloom folded her ears back and looked away. She hadn't meant to be so transparent about her feelings but apparently that's all she'd been from the start. Suddenly all that effort she'd taken to come to terms with this and admit it felt somewhat...Pointless. Pinkie noticed the look on her face and put a hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder, giving a reassuring smile

"If it helps, I appreciated the attention right from the start. I thought you deserved something back in return, a little something that was just for you."

"...Oohhhhhh. Well, I really liked it, especially coming from you," The constant use of the Bloomie name made a lot more sense now, especially considering she'd never used it before. Apple Bloom looked back at Pinkie and smiled back. "I'll admit I was curious at that time, but I just wanted to see if I was really feeling something for you."

"I don't blame you. After you commented that I was the kind of pony you were into, I was actually kind of curious if something would come of that...I'm actually glad it did. Otherwise I would have been going it alone for this whole investigation and we both know how badly that would have gone. Instead I got a super awesome detective partner who connects with me on a besties level."

"Yeah, good thing." Apple Bloom looked back out at the view and waited until Pinkie did the same before letting a quiet sigh of disappointment out the side of her mouth. For all she might have hoped otherwise, it looked like Pinkie still saw her as just a friend, albeit one she remained on good terms with in the aftermath.

"But..." Pinkie added, smiling softly as Apple Bloom swung her head round quickly in response.

"But...?" She asked, rubbing her neck to try and loosen a muscle that hadn't quite kept up with the head turn. The two of them stared each other down for a moment, the wind gently whistling between them and out into the sandy expanse. "...Buuuuuuttt?"

"Too much dramatic pause?" Pinkie chuckled and adjusted her sitting position, shuffling a little closer in the process. "But, even before what happened at the farm, I'd been thinking a lot about you. About how dependable you've been for me, sticking through all this no matter what, you could say it was due to your feelings for me but, something tells me you'd stick around anyhow. Not to mention you're smart without coming off as overbearing, pretty level headed, strong and brave...A lot of quirks I respect, a few I wish I could do myself. The point is, there's a lot I like about you, Bloomie."

Apple Bloom blushed softly, silently hoping this was going where she thought it was. Even with the temperature dropping as the sunset progressed, her whole body felt a lot warmer. Pinkie slowly reached out and put a hoof on her chest, holding it right over her heart. It was a small moment but the meaning of it was clear. Apple Bloom brought her own hoof up and placed it on Pinkie's, trying the make the moment last as long as she could.

"Pinkie Pie, are you saying that...That you're...?"

"I'm not quite totally sure yet, because even with all my experience I haven't felt anything as tingly as this. But when I look at you, your smile, your happy eyes, your...Surprisingly fit body. I know, that I feel something about you too. Maybe I've felt it since you first said anything and never quite accepted it. I think I just need to give it a little longer to figure it all out."

"Okay, that's...That's better than I thought it was gonna go," Apple Bloom grinned slightly and relaxed as Pinkie smiled back and brought her hoof back down. "Thank you, Pinkie."

"Awww, you're welcome." Pinkie sat back further on the rock and sighed happily, looking over as Apple Bloom got back to her hooves.

"I'll err, I'll let you think about it a little more while I get everything set up for tonight." Apple Bloom gave Pinkie a wave before starting to make her way back down the outcrop. As soon as she was out of sight, she stopped and sat down, burying her muzzle in her hooves in a futile effort to try and stifle her giddy laughter.

She half expected Princess Luna to appear at any moment because she had to be dreaming. She'd spent so long wondering if Pinkie was going to make her own feelings known and now, now she'd shown that there was every chance the two of them could have a future together. There wasn't a word in existence for how happy she felt right now, though given time they could probably think one up. For now she recovered her composure and lowered herself down to the next ledge, making sure to keep moving slow and careful on the way down.

It wouldn't be smart to round off such a great moment by falling to her death after all.

The climb down was uneventful though and Apple Bloom soon felt her hooves make contact with the sand again as she clambered down from the last rock. As she wiped the dust off her neckerchief, thinking about if they had any daisy sandwiches left, her ears twitched at the sound of something walking nearby. Normally she wouldn't give it a second thought, but the fact that they hadn't encountered anything larger than a lizard out here so far meant this was something different, unknown, quite possibly dangerous. Apple Bloom pressed herself against the outcrop and slowly peeked out to see if whatever it was would stick around.

As the camp came back into view, she could see a pony looking round at the various items left out. A unicorn mare, she was a light amber colour to the point that had it been the sand instead of another rock behind her, she probably wouldn't have been noticed at a glance. Her mane and tail were crimson with a bright yellow streak running down them, her eyes a shining cyan, her cutie mark a red and yellow sun. Wrapped around her neck was a brass pendant with an abnormally long chain, enough that it needed to rest partway down her back.

She touched nothing but took in everything, her face locked in an expression of focus as she muttered something to herself. Apple Bloom hesitated as she weighed up her options. Calling for Pinkie would give her away and force her to wait several minutes for the climb back down to take place. Besides, there were towns on the edge of the desert, maybe she'd just come from one of them. Whatever the case, she wouldn't get anywhere by waiting and it was just another pony. She just had to be civil and things would be fine.

"Excuse me." She said as she trotted out, the unicorn swinging round quickly but relaxing somewhat at the sight of her.

"Oh...Sorry, you made me jump." The unicorn seemed to have a bit of a Canterlot accent, odd to hear all the way out here.

"Sorry, it's just that you wandered into my camp. Do you need help with something?"

"Your camp...Ohhh, so you're Bloom?" She nodded over at the canteen that had been left out by her saddlebags, making Apple Bloom wince internally at leaving it like that.

"A-apple Bloom, yes. And you are?"

"Apple Bloom? As in, sister to the Element of Harmony, Applejack? Interesting..." The stranger's eyes widened slightly and took a step closer, her horn glowing faintly before flashing into life, her magic aura the same colour as her eyes.

The same colour as the mind control magic Discord had uncovered.

Apple Bloom tensed and made to rush back behind the rock as a shot of magic was fired at her. Her shifting position meant the first shot missed her side by a few inches, the second came before she knew it and impacted her square in the side, knocking her off her hooves. It didn't actually hurt, yet her whole body felt drained, struggling to summon the energy to so much as gasp or raise her head. The unicorn slowly walked over and levitated her neckerchief off, tossing it aside before looking down at the floored Apple Bloom.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about this. You're too important to let go though, having an Element's family member on my side...You and me, we're gonna be heroes once we succeed."

Apple Bloom didn't have the strength to respond, trying to figure out just what the stranger was talking about before they fired another beam straight into her chest. For one horrific moment, her heart felt like it had stopped before her whole body went numb and her mind was blown into the dark silence of unconsciousness.

Past Sixteen - Machinations of the Madmare

???????
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How long had she spent in this nothingness? If it wasn't for the fact that the stranger that had attacked her had woken her up afterward, Apple Bloom would have been convinced she was dead. All she knew now was that she'd been dragged off to Celestia knows where, kept sedated for at least three weeks and was intended to be used as some kind of pawn. She had no idea where Pinkie was now, if she even had any idea what had happened, the thought that she might have looked like she bailed right after that touching moment on the outcrop was just...She didn't want to think about it. She'd have to deal with it later, the sense of feeling was starting to come back to her body, suggesting she was regaining consciousness.

She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes just yet though, trying to gauge where she was just from her body. She was lying on something cold, on her front in some sort of crumpled heap. Her muscles seemed to have regained their energy and she slowly pushed them into action, getting all four hooves back on the ground. A quiet groan escaped her throat and she finally managed to bring her eyes open a crack. The world beyond them was still blurry but her view was filled by something pink.

"Wakey wakey my little pony."

Apple Bloom felt a hoof tap against her cheek a few times, helping her out of her stupor. She blinked and saw the world come back into focus, realising that the pink thing in her face was actually Starlight Glimmer's face, wearing a disturbingly smug grin. Apple Bloom shrieked slightly at being nose to nose with her and scrambled backward as fast as she could until her back was against the wall. Now her eyes were working again she had a chance to look round the room, though it didn't do anything to calm her down. The only door was on the far side of the room, where another unicorn was watching with interest, the same one that had attacked her out in the desert.

"Oh...Oh no, sweet Celestia, this can't be happening..." Apple Bloom mumbled to herself, trying to think of anything she could do in this situation and coming up blank.

"Apple Bloom, please try to relax, we need to get introductions out of the way first," Starlight commented, seemingly indifferent to the breakdown happening in front of her. "I imagine your sister told you about me, or at the least your reaction shows you know, so the only pony left is my associate. Apple Bloom, meet Sunset Shimmer."

"I hope the stasis spell didn't affect you too badly. I'd hate to think it hurt anypony, everypony deserves equal treatment after all." Sunset said, her words making Apple Bloom's heart sink into the pit of her stomach. Sunset's words in the desert and the dark room had indicated that she had an agenda, now it sounded like she was simply wrapped round Starlight's hoof. That was even worse considering she clearly had some serious magic power, not even Twilight Sparkle had been able to lock a pony in suspended animation for several weeks at a time when she was still a unicorn.

Apple Bloom's mind was still reeling from the sheer influx of information dumped on her in the last minute. Stuck in a sparsely set up room with a cutie mark hating psychopath and a powerful wild card, her options were decreasing by the second. The only chance she could see of coming out of this relativly intact lay in the fact that Sunset Shimmer seemed to have a more rational mind. Even if she was caught up in Starlight's insanity, she seemed the type who could still be reasoned with eventually. For now, she decided to try and keep it civil, or as much as she could with her slight grogginess and what they'd done to her.

"I'm about as okay as I can get for feeling like I died out there. Thank you, Sunset Glimmer." Apple Bloom replied, catching her mistake a moment too late. Sunset looked slightly troubled at the comment, looking over at the now scowling Starlight and putting a hoof out in front of her chest before she could make a move.

"Ease up, she's already scared enough."

"With good reason!" Starlight snapped at Sunset. "She did that on purpose. Do you remember how much mockery the last pony who mixed our names up got in?"

"I remember your idea of 'discipline'," Sunset retorted, a look of disgust on her face. "You crossed the line with what you did to Peace Walker and even if it didn't threaten the stability of the village, it's still just, wrong!"

"Yes, you made that perfectly clear already." Starlight looked back at Sunset and narrowed her eyes slightly, the look on her face showing she wasn't willing to be lectured. After a minute she shook her head slightly and looked back at Apple Bloom, who had spent the whole tangent recovering her composure without anypony looming over her.

"I, err...I don't mean to interrupt but, I-I don't understand what's going on." Apple Bloom asked, rubbing the side of her head as Starlight stared her down for a moment before smirking and nodding slightly.

"Well, I suppose we can indulge you. Somepony should hear my brilliant plan for Equestria before it goes into full swing," She chuckled happily, not noticing Sunset facehoofing behind her. "After my daring breakout from the Canterlot dungeons, assisted by Sunset Shimmer here, we made out way out here while I came up with a new way to show Equestria just how far it's strayed with it's cutie mark obsession."

"Yeah, your breakout..." Sunset muttered, rolling her eyes. Starlight didn't seem to notice, pacing round in front of Apple Bloom with the arrogant air of a pony who thought she held the world in her hooves.

"So while Sunset Shimmer was using her magic to make this place undetectable unless you walked here, I realised just why everypony is unwilling to give up their precious sense of superiority. Celestia. When everypony looks up to a supposedly perfect ruler flaunting her special talent every day, they're going to think it's okay to do the same. How would anypony put up a different philosophy against that, you might ask? It's quite simple really, you show the public they're really nothing special, as flawed as anypony, that they really can't lead Equestria at all."

Apple Bloom couldn't help but feel her jaw drop at these words. The way Starlight Glimmer was putting it made it sound like she was trying to directly usurp the Princesses and install her own regime of equality. The plan to do so though was, for lack of a better word, insane. Any attempt to overthrow Equestria would require masterful tact, years of planning and manipulation, or enough magical strength to overcome three or four alicorns, potentially at once. The only thing she had that seemed to even come close to any of those was Sunset Shimmer, who seemed to be more concerned with keeping Starlight's craziness in check.

"Okay. Going out on a limb here, but I guess that's why you've been going after the food industry?" Apple Bloom asked hesitantly, trying to stay calm for their reactions. Starlight pulled her head back slightly, looking down at her with a puzzled expression. Sunset had a sudden look of realisation and stepped forward.

"Ohh, so YOU were the one who I had to trigger Lucky Roll to deal with? I'm impressed you caught on to that one so quickly."

"Yes...Wait, trigger? You mean the whole sleeper agent idea Discord mentioned is real?"

"Yes, it is." Sunset sounded distracted as she looked down, seemingly caught off guard by the mention of Discord being involved. Starlight gave an arrogant smirk and stepped forward again.

"It's what happens to those who get in the way but don't fit in with the plan," She said, getting nose to nose with Apple Bloom as a not so subtle warning. "Just some memory tampering, a quick spell containing orders, stick the mark back on as a cover and you'll be on your way, ready to serve whenever we make the call."

"...No way." Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed in defiance, refusing to believe she was skilled enough for that.

"Awww, it's so cute when you think you get a say in things. Unfortunately for you, Sunset is an expert with mind related magic. Of course, she's an expert with ALL magic, any protégé of Celestia's tends to be."

"Hey, I already told you that I'm not better than anypony." Sunset interjected, looking even more uncomfortable by the second. Apple Bloom briefly wondered if Starlight had done something to her before her focus was taken up by the pony up in her face again.

"Though if you insist on being troublesome, we could always just completely overwrite your mind, make you think you've always lived here with no special talent. You know, like all those bakers, chefs and farmers have been."

"What?!" Apple Bloomed down in thought, scrambling for options and going for the first thing that came to mind. "But...How does all this fit in with taking over Equestria? I-I mean, ponies can always just eat grass."

"It's brilliant when you think about it," Starlight sounded almost ecstatic at being asked. "Sure, grass is an option, but when it's the only food source it's going to go down fast. How long do you think a town like Ponyville would take to completely shred the surrounding area, let alone a big city? Food supplies dry up, ponies start to crack under the conditions, and what do they do?" Starlight stood there for a minute, smile slowly fading as she realised Apple Bloom was too busy staring at her in confusion to answer.

"They, uh...They blame their leaders." Sunset finally said, breaking the tension enough for Starlight to back up and start pacing round the room, back to her usual self.

"Correct! Then they blame whoever's above them and it all piles up until everypony realises that Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Twilight," Starlight paused for a moment on that last one, her voice dripping with contempt. "That ultimately, any blame rests with them. Then comes social unrest, protests in the streets, calls for Equestria to be freed from those who let their smug superiority get ahead of their land! That's where we come in, our desert community, everypony as equal as the next, a shining beacon of what ponykind can do when nopony stands above the rest. We lead by example! We bring the masses over! Celestia is forced to stand aside as everypony willingly gives up their cutie marks and joins in following the path to Equestria's only future! MY future!!!"

By this point, Starlight was throwing her legs out to emphasise her points and probably would have been going on for hours if she hadn't needed to breathe. As she stopped the speech to recover, Apple Bloom glanced aside and realised that Sunset's jaw had dropped slightly in shock. Truth be told, she was having the an almost identical reaction. Aside from the fact that she could point out enough flaws in the 'plan' to fill a novel, the way that Starlight had put so much effort into just describing it had shown just how convinced she was that it was fool proof. At the same time though, it just sounded so ridiculous. The two of them managed to compose themselves before Starlight looked back round, looking far too proud of herself for what she'd said.

"Okay, that was...Wow." Apple Bloom eventually commented. That seemed to keep Starlight placated as she sat back down in front of her.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"It's, certainly something, every time I hear it." Sunset added, still looking a little put out.

"It's taken longer than I'd like, but now, now we're that much closer to...The two of us, bringing Equestria back to where it should be, with everypony happily equal, separated by no more than names."

"Hopefully they wont mix them up..." Apple Bloom remarked, simply trying to make herself sound worse for the earlier mistake, only to stop as Starlight's eye twitched slightly.

"Ok, I tried being nice." Starlight's face twisted into a snarl and she swung her hoof up, punching Apple Bloom square in the muzzle and knocking her head back into the wall before lifting her up telekinetically.

"Sorry..." Apple Bloom finished weakly, stunned by the impact, vaguely aware of the feeling of blood starting to run down her nose. The magic around her tightened slightly and pushed her back legs apart in response.

"Hey, hey! Enough!!" Sunset shouted, pushing Starlight back and wrapping a hoof round her horn to disrupt the magic, dissipating the field around Apple Bloom and letting her drop back to the floor. "Stick to the plan!"

"The plan...Of course." Starlight seemed to shrug off her outburst in moments and grinned eagerly as she stepped forward again, letting Sunset use her magic to lift Apple Bloom over to them.

"Okay...This, this isn't going to be pleasant is it?" Apple Bloom asked as she watched them, having recovered enough of her wits to focus again, though it had the unfortunate effect of letting her focus on the pain in her muzzle.

"Probably, but it'll be worth it for you," Starlight's voice sounded dark but enthusiastic as her horn started glowing. "You'll finally free yourself from the dark and see the light, of a life without cutie marks."

Apple Bloom didn't have time to respond before Starlight shot a beam of green tinted magic, surrounding her body and freezing her body in place. Her eyes shot round nervously before a sudden burning sensation filled her chest, feeling like it was coming from deep within her. It was more intense than even her heart could have felt, as if her very soul was on fire, withering in the flames. It was joined moments later by searing pain in her flanks as the burning spread through the rest of her body. Apple Bloom cried out in agony, tears of pain forming in the corners of her eyes, her plight falling on indifferent ears as all her energy went into keeping her composure. Despite all efforts, her will simply faded as another scream escaped her.

As suddenly as it started, the magic faded and she collapsed onto her side, the pain lessened but by no means gone. Her eyes focused on the hoof in front of her and she tensed up. The formerly clear and bright yellow of her coat was now subdued and pale. She glanced back with rising panic joining the maelstrom of feeling inside her, which hit a zenith as she saw that the familiar saw cutie mark she'd worn for decades had been replaced by a grey equal sign. Apple Bloom groaned weakly, not the ideal reaction but all she had the strength for right now, at the final proof that she had gone in way over her head. She looked back at her captors and her eyes widened, seeing Starlight holding her cutie mark in her magic, eyeing it with the satisfaction of a hunter that had brought down their prey.

"You'll feel better soon. Sunset, you know what to do." Starlight said, turning and making her way out the room, carrying the mark off to some unknowable hiding spot. Sunset shook her head with a hint of sadness and leaned over Apple Bloom, touching her horn to her forehead as a fresh spell was cast.

For a moment, the pain coursing through her body seemed to be numbed, blissful by comparison to what she had just gone though. It was immediately followed up by a colossal influx of information directly to her mind, countless sights, sounds and memories in an overwhelming assault. With her strength already used up when her cutie mark was removed, Apple Bloom quickly found herself starting to black out. Even with her mind shutting down as it was seemingly overwritten, the last thought she had was one that gave her the faintest glint of hope.

Pinkie Pie was still out there, she was still safe.

Author's Note

And with that, the past recollections are brought to a close. There's still some ways to go though, hopefully you're enjoying enough to stick around. Fun fact, the original concept for this part was simply tacked onto the end of the previous chapter, I think this version works better.

Present Five - Broken

Author's Note

So, advance warning, this chapter combined with the previous one implies some pretty dark s**t. I'd really appreciate some input on if it warrants any changes to the tags or rating. Do please make it a comment or PM, a simple downvote doesn't quite give enough information.

Thank you for your time, hopefully you enjoy the chapter.

Present Five - Broken

"And when I woke up, I was here..." Apple Bloom finished, looking down at her hooves. She'd been too preoccupied to pay much attention to it at the time but looking back, that whole situation had been very close to being even more horrific. Being restrained, legs held apart, Starlight's comments about discipline and that Peace Walker had gone through said discipline. The implications were...Something she really did not want to think about.

The room was silent for several seconds before she looked up and saw that Peace wasn't reacting to any of it. She was sitting down, staring at the floor with a dejected look on her face, eyes dull and downtrodden. Hearing about Apple Bloom being subjected to the those conditions was likely reminding her of going through her own unmarking and everything else she had been put through. Apple Bloom mentally kicked herself for not thinking of that possibility sooner and put a hoof on Peace's shoulder, smiling weakly as it was enough to break her from her daze.

"S-sorry about that, I-I just..." Peace started, struggling for words.

"It's ok, we've both been through a lot." That was something of an understatement. Peace's homophobia made a lot more sense in the wake of that final memory, though it also made it a lot harder to help her overcome it.

"Yeah, some more than others...You were lucky you know, Sunset wasn't there to bail me out." Peace folded her ears back and tapped the ground awkwardly. Apple Bloom gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder as she tried to think of what to do next. If Peace stayed like this, she probably wouldn't have the will to keep resisting Sunset's magic any longer. While she was likely to feel that she was in the wrong no matter what, at the very least she could focus on something more positive, remember what was waiting for once they got out of here.

"Peace, it wasn't your fault, Starlight is freaking insane and I'm sure your husband will understand the circumstances...Come on, we've still got plenty of ideas to talk about away from that. You haven't told me about him yet after all."

It was a long shot but Apple Bloom really hoped she could keep Peace's mind off what had happened. Peace was still staring at the floor, worn down from a day and a half of trying to maintain the illusion that she was fine. After a minute she blinked and looked up, looking tired but smiling slightly at the same time. Apple Bloom smiled back and shifted to get more comfortable as Peace took a quick drink before sitting back against the wall.

"One of the few things I still remember clearly...My sweet Bulwark. I met him at a night class teaching self-defence when I was preparing to apply for the Defence Force, he saw some potential in me, we hung out a few times outside of classes and ended up joining around the same time. I, probably would have ended up up quitting a lot sooner without him, then on my twentieth birthday he admitted that despite what I'd been thinking, none of our previous meets had been for personal interest, which was strange to me because it wasn't a secret we liked each other. I decided to get a smile out of him and asked him out on the spot."

"Sounds a lot simpler than what I went through." Apple Bloom commented, getting a weak chuckle out of Peace Walker, she still looked like guilt was weighing on her but her tone of voice was more upbeat now that she wasn't dwelling on what had happened.

"I guess living in Ponyville tends to make everything overly complicated."

"True, when I was a filly there, I seemed to end up in some major escapade every month," Apple Bloom moved to sit next to Peace, thinking she might feel better with somepony supporting her as much as possible. "So, I'm guessing this Bulwark was the serious type?"

"That's one way of putting it, he's a military stallion through and through. Always found time for me though, even after I transferred to the Scout Division and he was promoted to the Second Earth Pony Regiment, we managed to stay together. After a few years, he came to me and said that since the were no rules disallowing relationships between personnel, he was able to offer me a promotion to the position I'd always desired. I just about realised what he meant before he proposed right there."

"That's, unorthodox, but nice."

"It was," Peace yawned slightly and rested her head back against the wall. "We've been married for about...Six years? Is that right?"

"I, don't know." Apple Bloomed looked over at Peace Walker with a hint of concern. She'd been silently worried that Peace was finally going to succumb to Sunset's magic and have her mind overwritten for some time, the way she was forgetting details she'd clung to so firmly was a fresh warning that they were short on time.

"Hmm...That's, weird," Peace yawned again, starting to look tired despite the fact that a quick glance outside would show that it was barely sunset yet. "I err, I think I'm going to catch a quick nap. Talk to you later."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's not that late and the longer we can keep talking, the better chance you have of getting out of here, seeing him again. Peace, listen to me...Peace!"

Apple Bloom gripped Peace Walker's shoulder and shook as her head dropped down, eyes held shut as if to try and block out the reality surrounding her. The steady rise and fall of her chest showed she was still fine in herself, but the way tiredness had suddenly overcome her and dropped her into such deep sleep so quickly was worrying. Apple Bloom slowly pulled her hoof away and looked out of the window, watching the sun making its descent. The last time she had taken the time to watch this was back on that outcrop with Pinkie Pie, when everything seemed to be going so right.

Now, it was all falling apart. Even if she knew just how she'd got here, it didn't change anything in the long run. There still wasn't any clear means of escape from this building, let alone the town. Starlight and Sunset's power couldn't be taken head on, even if she still had those magic charms that Pinkie had gathered. Speaking of which, she had no idea where Pinkie was right now, if Sunset had been truthful then it had been weeks since she'd been kidnapped with no clear sign of what had happened. Apple Bloom could only imagine just how hard Pinkie had taken it, or was still taking it, given her previous reactions.

She stayed by the window, the same thoughts chasing each other round her mind in an effort to come up with something new, until the sky outside was blanketed by the night. The sound of movement broke her focus enough to pull her eyes away from the rising moon and back into the room. Peace Walker was starting to wake up again, bringing a hoof up to her forehead and pressing on it slightly as she groaned quietly. Apple Bloom moved in front of her quickly, checking for any kind of abnormal behaviour and silently praying to find none.

"My head...How long was I asleep?" Peace asked quietly, bringing her hoof back down and looking up at Apple Bloom.

"Only an hour or two." Apple Bloom replied, about to decide that nothing was wrong when she noticed the look on Peace's face. Confusion, as if she was trying to recognise the pony in front of her, though the words that followed it up proved far worse.

"I'm sorry, but have we met? I haven't seen you around town before. I know there was a party yesterday and I went a little nuts with the drinks, maybe I just didn't remember. That must be why I'm not at home, somepony let me sleep it off in here and they'll check on me later. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"I...Yes, yes we have met. In fact you're the only pony I've properly spoken to in the last twenty four hours." Apple Bloom managed to keep her voice calm but blind panic was setting in on the inside. This was what a brainwashed pony was like? The entire town outside was full of this?

"Strange, if everypony was there then I would have definitely seen you. Are you new to our town? My name is Peace Walker, pleasure to meet you."

"I-I don't think this is right. I've met you before today, you've only been here for a week. You had your own life, with your husband and a full career."

"Are, you feeling alright?" Peace looked even more confused with every word she heard. "I don't know where you heard that but I've never been married. I did have a coltfriend once but we fell apart quickly. We still get along here though, everypony does thanks to our leader, Starlight Glimmer. Maybe you should talk to her about seeing a doctor."

"No, no that's a bad idea. You have to believe me when I tell you that Starlight is dangerous. She's been using her magic to manipulate you and everypony else here. Did you ever wonder why everypony had the same cutie mark?"

"We were born with them, a sign of our standing together in equality, nopony any better. Starlight, along with her assistant, Sunset Shimmer, keep tattoos over theirs to help us find them quicker in the crowd. It's how things have always been and having lived it for thirty four years, it's wonderful."

"You're only thirty one!" Apple Bloom snapped, starting to lose her composure at the sight of just how serious this was. Peace Walker stared at her for a moment before getting to her hooves.

"I'm sorry, whoever you are, but I don't want to argue this. You can have your opinions, your slander about Starlight and all that unhappiness, but please keep it to yourself. We don't appreciate it in our town." Peace said, somewhat forcefully. Apple Bloom stepped back in surprise as she moved away and went back to one of the corners, muttering something about the room they were in.

That was it. It would take a better pony than her to talk down a pony that had been brainwashed like this. Peace was gone, a lot of options for escape gone with her. Apple Bloom slumped down against the wall, sighing as she started to try and think of where to go from here. The most obvious answer right now was probably to continue going through her memories, buy some more time against Sunset's magic, though that would take a lot longer with no guarantee it would work in time, if at all. Any other plans that would lead to getting out would take even longer to come up with and even then, all of them would then require her to flee the town, without anypony catching her, and find a way back to civilization despite having no idea where she was.

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless it seemed. Apple Bloom simply sat there, trying to think of a new way out of this, hardly even registering Peace getting up and moving round some more. She'd lost track of time when a new sound managed to capture her attention, a gentle shuffling noise that seemed to be coming from outside. More specifically, from the windows. She pushed herself back to her hooves and brought her head up to the opening, decided that whatever was out there was better than staying quiet in here.

"Hello? Anypony?" She called quietly, silently praying for a reply.

Present Six - The Other Side of the Wall

Author's Note

Yes I uploaded this chapter a day ahead of schedule, yes it was partly to avoid the inevitable rush from the S6 premiere, but mostly it was because I'm actually really happy with how this turned out. Hope you all enjoy it too!

Present Six - The Other Side of the Wall

Starlight's Compound
March 31st

Even in the middle of the day, the impression given off by Starlight Glimmer's base of operations made it clear that it was not a welcoming place, let alone how it looked in the night right now. Three rows of identical two-story stone houses, providing enough housing space for approximately a hundred ponies, capped off at one end by another pair of the same houses and a small oasis surrounded by several fields producing durable crops at the other. The long north edge was walled off by a rock cliff that trailed off to the northwest, the rest of the perimeter was covered by a twenty foot tall wooden fence broken up only by a gatehouse on the southwest corner. Overall, the whole place looked impenetrable for any regular pony.

Fortunately, the pony taking the area in right now was anything but regular.

Pinkie Pie stood motionless on a nearby sand dune, eyes narrowed, unusually focused, staring at the final objective of an Equestria-wide search she'd been engaged in for the last six months. A search that had intensified after the encounter with Lucky Roll and only become more critical after Apple Bloom had been snatched away from under her nose. If succeeding had been important before, it was imperative now. All she had to go was break in, find a way to free everpony and get them all back out, on her own, with two incredibly powerful unicorns in there that would do anything to protect their secret commune...She was an Element of Harmony, she'd faced worse.

Pinkie took a breath to ready herself and set off, the desert around her silent except for the wind and a gentle clinking from her saddlebags. Most of what she'd been carrying at the start of the month was still there, along with a few other belongings that needed to be brought along. Her heart felt a little lighter with each step, knowing that one way or another, the end of the journey lay beyond that wall. A big, cliche villain's bastion in the middle of a lifeless wasteland, styled in the same way as the previous one, how could it not be? Pinkie made a mental note to tell Starlight to be more original if she ever tried to hatch another plot once this was over and put that note aside on her mental notice board before reaching the wall and sizing it up.

Thanks to getting a tiny bit lost on the way, she'd ended up making her approach from the east and wasn't anywhere near an entrance, either by going through the gate or down the cliff. Not that she'd planned to use those either way. Pinkie put her bags down and looked through one of them, packed to the brim with a variety of bracelets, each one fitted with a charm or rune that she'd gathered from all over Equestria. From the ones bought from explorers of the Undiscovered West to those borrowed from the Canterlot Tower Vaults, each had been tested and proven authentic, capable of negating magic of various strengths. Pinkie pulled out a jet black rune with unreadable carvings fitted to a grey bracelet and attached it to her front right leg. Satisfied it was set in place, she pressed the rune against the wall and waited.

Several seconds passed as she eyed the wood carefully for any change at all, anticipating some kind of magical trap cast in case somepony tried to scale the wall. After a few more seconds she slowly brought her other hoof up and carefully pressed it against the wall for a moment, retracting it quickly and glancing round quickly. Still nothing happened. Pinkie gave a soft smirk at such an oversight and moved the rune away before opening up her other bag and rummaging through it, finally pulling out a rope and four pronged grappling hook.

"Operation: Bringing down Starlight again, uncover the missing pony plot and rescue Bloomie, is go." Pinkie whispered to herself, moving back from the wall and checking the rope was properly tied this time, not wanting to repeat her various mistakes when practicing. Judging her angle, she started spinning the grapple round, timing each full rotation before hurling it with as much strength as she could muster. For several moments, the grapple seemed to defy gravity before starting it's downward arch, just about managing to clear the wall. Pinkie was so focused on watching it that she almost forgot to keep a grip on the rope as it dragged her forward a few inches. Her hooves dug into the sand and she pulled back, clinging on until she felt the grappling hook dig into the far side of the wall.

With her entry point secured, Pinkie refitting her saddlebags and wrapped her forelegs round the rope, planting her hind legs on the wall before starting to pull herself up. A small part of her always wondered why she found it so easy to do things like this when they were normally impossible for most ponies, yet she didn't question it when it was so darn useful. Several times during the climb she paused to listen for a few moments, waiting until she was sure nopony had caught on to her yet. Two minutes later, her head finally reached the top of the wall and she peeked over to try and get the lay of the land. Most of the town was dark, aside from a few torches lit outside several houses, giving just enough light to indicate how many ponies were about. Unsurprisingly it was mostly deserted, aside from a few silhouettes visible at the other end of town.

With nopony visible around the closest houses, or at the pair at the end of the rows, Pinkie pulled herself up and rested herself on the top of the wall before pulling the rope up and draping it down the other side. A quick double check satisfied her that the grappling hook would stay in place long enough and she gripped the rope with all four hooves, rappelling down quickly. As her back hooves hit the ground she yanked the rope, dislodging the hook and letting it fall next to her, hitting the sand with a thud. She grabbed it and ducked into the nearest shadow, nerves flaring up for the first time as she waiting to see if anypony would come to investigate. This was the moment everything hinged on in her mind, if she got through this cleanly then she could easily find a way to make everything else work. Much as she loved setting up plans, it was much easier to avoid them failing if they weren't too detailed.

Several tense minutes passed before Pinkie couldn't bring herself to keep still any longer and poked her head out to look round, still seeing nopony whatsoever. She stuffed the rope and hook back in her saddlebag and moved off quickly, pressing against the nearest house and leaning out slightly. The next nearest building was one of the pair sitting alone at the east end, all the lights off and looking uninhabited. She darted over to it and waited for several moments before slowly shuffling her body along the back wall, doing her best to stay silent. If the building didn't have anypony it, she might be able to bunker down there and keep an eye out for new leads on her friends before making a move. She checked the corner and moved round it, hoping to get to the front and reach the door before anypony noticed.

"Hello? Anypony?"

Pinkie froze in her tracks, recognising that voice instantly. It had come from inside the house, practically next to her. She glanced further down the wall and noticed a small window just a few inches away. She rushed over, poked her head up to look in and was greeted by the sight of Apple Bloom staring right back at her. She looked paler than usual and her nose had a worryingly dark patch under it, but she was still there and the dawning recognition in her eyes set a small fire off in Pinkie's heart.

"Bloomie! Are you okay?" Pinkie said in a hushed shout, that was normally more of Fluttershy's thing but she managed it none the less. Apple Bloom fiddled with the window for a moment before pushing it open, still too small to climb through but enough to fit her head and a leg out, which she did to pull Pinkie into a hug.

"Pinkie Pie...It's really you," She whispered, holding the moment as Pinkie hugged her as best she could. "You're the first good news I've seen in however long I've been here...How did you find this place?"

"Long story involving an animal migration leading to me and Fluttershy fighting a trio of manipulative water beasts for the coordinates," Pinkie grinned as she let the hug go.

"...Seriously?"

"No, but it sounded better. I heard a scuffle from the top of the rocks and jumped down as quick as I could. By the time I got there, all I found was your neck cloth and some hoof tracks. I scooped everything up and went after them, finally tracking the dastardly ponynapper here...You're gonna hate me for this next bit."

"Pinkie, you managed to find a way to stand in front of me again, how could I hate you after that?"

"Because it took me two days to find this place, then three weeks to get back to Canterlot, alert, get an audience with, then show the Defence Force commander everything before coming back here. I ended up rushing in ahead of any plans they might of had because I'd wasted too much time...Left you here alone for longer than I could stand."

"You did what you thought was right and wanted to make sure somepony you really cared for was safe, I respect that. Though, I wouldn't really say I'm safe, Starlight...Starlight took my cutie mark, punched me in the face and it only gets worse from there."

Pinkie tensed slightly at those words, feeling something she rarely felt rising up inside her, anger. A pure, sudden fury at the idea that anypony had hurt Apple Bloom, a desire to show Starlight Glimmer what happened when you got an Element of Harmony riled up. She managed to keep any outward sign of it suppressed for now and simply nodded.

"Are we closer to they don't have any cupcakes worse, or possible end of Equestria worse?" She finally said, her voice coming out a little sharper than she'd intended.

"It's...Planning to starve Equestria out and overthrow the princesses in the chaos worse. It's an insane plan and I'd have written it off if not for the fact she has far more competent help. Sunset Shimmer, the pony who attacked me out in the desert, she's definitely more powerful and has the advantage of not being insane. She was the one behind Lucky attacking us and implied she had far more ponies under her spell like that."

"...The ponies reported missing that had since been found." Pinkie put a hoof to her forehead and looked down, mind blown at how much sense this all made.

"The worst part is that Starlight's not using the same methods as when you first encountered her. She's got Sunset brainwashing everypony to think they always belonged here, even I've been subjected to it. I'm doing okay so far but I've seen what happens..."

Apple Bloom moved her head aside and looked back into the room, letting Pinkie get a good look at it's other occupant. Peace Walker was sitting back in her corner, staring at the ceiling and running through what sounded like a list of everypony she needed to talk to about newcomers, lost in her own little world for now. In that moment, Pinkie understood just how serious this was and just how important it was that they find a way to save everypony here. She stepped back and delved into her saddlebag for a moment, bringing out the neckerchief, still a little dusty but otherwise none the worse for wear. Apple Bloom blushed slightly and carefully took it, feeling a sudden sense of calm as soon as she put it on and looked back at Pinkie.

"It's not going to happen to you, Bloomie. We're gonna give these ponies a reason to smile as themselves again, Pinkie promise."

"I know, I kept believing that you would manage to help us and you're doing it. I knew there was another good reason I loved you." Now it was Pinkie's turn to blush at those words, looking back at Apple Bloom and staring into her determined orange eyes. A familiar feeling stirred deep inside her, rapidly building up until her entire being wanted to show just how much she cared for the mare. She had to keep a lid on it for now, first they had to reach a point where they weren't communicating via a small window.

"Dawww, thanks. Hopefully this counts as another one." She managed to reply, reaching into the other bag and bringing out a dark green bracelet with a stone anti-magic charm fitted to it before handing it over. Apple Bloom fitted it round her right leg and held her head in a hoof for a moment, Sunset's magic within her reacting to the charm by giving her a major headache. She shook her head quickly and trotted over to the door, both Pinkie and Peace watching with curiosity as she pressed the charm against the door. The shock spell imbued in it flared up again, only for the door to flash for a moment before it faded back to normal, neutralized through the charm.

"Great, that's our exit fixed. Come on Peace, we need to go."

"Why? Somepony will come get us when they're ready." Peace snapped out of her isolated state and looked down at Apple Bloom with the same look of confusion she'd had every time they talked recently.

"Because I, want to talk to Starlight Glimmer and see if she can help me with those different thoughts. She probably won't talk to me unless somepony she trusts can verify it though, somepony like you."

"Oh, why didn't you just say so?" Peace got up quickly and followed Apple Bloom out, who was too surprised that her bluff had worked to comment further. The rest of the house was empty but lacking further traps, clearly Starlight had assumed that just one line of defence was enough since it came from her. Pinkie was waiting for them as they opened the front door and stepped out, any other pony outside still too far away to notice.

"When I woke up, learned what had happened, I didn't think I would be getting out of there as myself. I owe you big for this, Pinkie." Apple Bloom said with an air of relief, nuzzling Pinkie happily.

"Only doing what feels right. Just like this." Pinkie Pie managed to reply before her desire finally won out and she leaned forward, her lips pressing against Apple Bloom's and holding there, a first kiss she wanted to be as memorable as it was badly timed. Apple Bloom barely hesitated or recoiled before relaxing and gently kissing her in return. The two of them held it for a long moment, each feeling a small flood of emotion rush through them, a sense that despite months of disbelieving, hesitation and repression, this was right. This was heartfelt love, and it was for each other.

As long as they wanted it to last, the moment was shattered far too soon for either of their liking by Peace's sound of disgust. Pinkie broke the kiss to shoot her a glare, only to be met with one in return. Apple Bloom looked back at her and put a hoof on Pinkie's chest, silently motioning to let the issue be for now. With how much Peace had been through, it was almost surprising that she was still capable of functioning on her own.

"We can make the most of this once our duty is done. Where to from here?"

"About twenty feet that way." Peace replied flatly, nodding toward the other house standing alone. Apple Bloom looked over at it and had to keep herself from showing any worry. Starlight and Sunset's house, most likely the place her cutie mark had been ripped away and now, the only place that held any clues on where to find it, along with those of everypony else here.

It was time to get them back.

Present Seven - Collision of Powers

Apple Bloom gave a small sigh as she stepped forward, trying not to think about just how much was on the line here. Only everything she'd been working toward for the past few months and the fates of several dozen ponies, including one she loved, no pressure there. Pinkie Pie followed on her right, looking determined, even if her eyes betrayed a desire to finish the moment they'd shared. Peace Walker stayed on her left, refusing to look at the pair of them but sticking close nonetheless. The silence between them was a little uncomfortable but it only lasted a few seconds as they reached the front door of Starlight Glimmer's house.

Peace moved forward to knock on the door, only for Apple Bloom to stick a hoof out in front of her. Something felt off about this situation, though it was just as likely she was being paranoid after being held for so long. Pinkie snuck up to a window next to the door and pressed her ear to the wall, trying to figure out how safe it was in her own special way. A few moments later, she recoiled slightly as raised voices became audible from inside. Apple Bloom moved next to Pinkie and hesitated, wondering just what was going on in there.

"Peace Walker, don't go in just yet. Starlight doesn't sound like she's in the mood to talk right now. We'll wait here until she calms down." She whispered, silently praying that yet another attempt to bluff Peace into cooperating would work. To her amazement, she nodded and moved to wait by the other side of the door. The way she went along with anything if it sounded like a plus to Starlight was both surprisingly efficient and incredibly sad.

"Who'd you think Starlight's yelling at?" Pinkie mused as she glanced up at the window, Apple Bloom looking over at her and opening her mouth to answer before Pinkie continued. "Oh yeah, right hoof pony Sunset. Duh." She shook her head as the two of them slowly sat up and peeked through the window.

The inside looked exactly as Pinkie remembered it from the first time she had met Starlight all those years ago, right down to the framed picture of an equal cutie mark. A door inside opened as they watched, the small glimpse inside the adjacent room made Apple Bloom's pupils shrink and her ears fold back against her skull as she recognised it as the room she'd lost her mark in. Pinkie glanced over and dropped under the window again before wrapping a reassuring hoof round Apple Bloom's shoulders, hoping it would help her stay calm. She didn't react for a few moment before looking down at the hoof and smiling softly, her eyes going back to their normal size as she leaned over and gave Pinkie a quick hug in return.

"Thanks." Apple Bloom whispered, blushing slightly as they let the hug go. The two of them glanced back up at the window and peeked back in, pressing their ear to the glass to listen in while they watched. Starlight had made her way into the room by then and was standing with her back to the window while Sunset paced in front of her, visibly frustrated, her voice coming in clearer now.

"I'm telling you, somepony is onto us."

"How?! You were supposed to be covering our tracks!" Starlight snapped, stomping a hoof down for emphasis, even if it made her look more like a whiny foal.

"I can cover them, but when you decide to keep different ponies here because they got on your nerves, it changes everything. Peace Walker is part of the Defence Force and Apple Bloom is sister to an Element of Harmony, ponies are going to notice they're gone!"

"And then they come and track us, we beat them and add them to the ponies made equal. What's the problem?"

"Unless they bring backup. I may be powerful and you might be as well, but you said it yourself when I got you out of that dungeon. Two of us against a hundred soldiers and possibly a princess or two is just impossible odds."

"Sunset, you had one job, keeping everything running smoothly! You said you liked a challenge and yet if I didn't know better, I'd say you're deliberately sabotaging our efforts."

"I beg your pardon," Sunset turned and walked up to Starlight, voice ever so slightly tenser, horn glowing faintly as if she was supressing the urge to use it. "I think it would be wise if you remembered exactly who you accepted help from."

"Yes yes, Celestia's next student, capable of doing anything presented to her, even when it's stupid to do so. You've gone over the story involving King Armor enough times to show how broken you are. Now answer the question, are you daring to try and sabotage my work?"

Sunset stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly before she grinned and turned away, flicking her tail slightly and adjusting the chain on her pendant as she walked back toward the back room. She stayed silent before looking back again, her eyes seeming to glance over to the window. Apple Bloom and Pinkie both leaned back out of sight and hesitated, wondering if their cover was blown. For several tense seconds they stayed bunkered down, glancing at each under until Sunset's voice came through again.

"Well...I had to give them a chance to catch on."

"....What?" Starlight's voice wasn't doing as good a job at hiding emotion as Sunset's had, right now she sounded like she needed to crush a stress toy.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you prefer it when my ideas were limited to the cause of 'Starlight Gimmer is right. All hail equality'? Elegant, but not exactly ambitious. All I want to do is return to my rightful place at Celestia's side, help Equestria out my way. I just needed some way to get back into her good graces though, proof I still have good intentions..."

"I-you-bu....WHAT?!?" Starlight yelled loud enough for the trio outside to recoil. Pinkie couldn't help herself and poked her head back up to look in. Starlight was still rooted in place, her mounting rage visible even from where they were standing, considering one of the veins in her temple already looked ready to explode. Sunset was looking back at her with a knowing grin on her face.

"Did you honestly think I went to all those lengths to get you out of that dungeon without anypony being able to trace us, guiding you to find each pony you wanted to bring in, creating this entire settlement, that any of that was for your sake? I had to make it look like that so that if...No, when, somepony finally caught onto the little clues I left, it looked like you were the lone mastermind."

"That...That doesn't explain why!" Starlight seemed to have calmed down a tiny bit with her ego fluffed like that but her anger was still downright palpable. Sunset finally turned round and trotted to go face to face with her, radiating confidence so strongly it was almost visible.

"The why is simple really. When the royal guard or the military arrives, they'll be expecting to encounter the brainwashed town of Starlight Glimmer, bunkered down and ready to show the world her philosophy. What they'll get instead is far better; Sunset Shimmer, the pony who brought down Equestria's most wanted pony and liberated an entire town of her captives, single hoofed. All those freed ponies will recognise me as the one who saved them, I'll return to Canterlot as a heroine and Celestia will finally see me as worthy of returning to my place as her student! Of course, that does require those ponies to, you know, be themselves."

Sunset stepped back quickly, her horn glowing bright enough to force Starlight to shield her eyes. The glow intensified for a moment before it fired out in a giant white pulsing ring, spreading out fast enough to pass through the entire town in three seconds. As it crossed the boundary fence, her horn flashed again and it rocketed away faster than the naked eye could keep up with. The entire area was silent for a moment before a multitude of cries and screams began to resonate from across the town. Starlight's ears twitched as the glow faded, bringing her hoof down staring at Sunset with pure venom in her eyes and voice.

"What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PONIES!?!"

"A simple dispel spell, boosted to cover the whole of Equestria. The sleeper orders, gone. The memory override, gone, though they're going to need a little time to adjust to having their entire lives collapse in their minds and be replaced by their real memories again. Oh, and the cutie mark holding pens I set up..."

Sunset stomped her back hoof down on a floorboard, knocking it out of place and letting it slide into an unseen area underneath. As Starlight looked down at it with her teeth bared, Sunset telekinetically pushed the front door open and grinned as dozens of cutie marks shot out of the opening she'd created. Apple Bloom looked round to watch as they streaked out the door, seeking out their owners. A saw mark broke off from the stream and planted itself firmly back onto her flank, a glow enveloping her body as a sense of calm rushed through her. She could feel the falsehoods implanted in her mind fading away as her body flashed, her faded yellow and red colours returning to their usual brighter selves. She was finally herself again.

"Hey, that's the symbol I got shoulder shivery over." Pinkie commented, pointing out a black peace sign cutie mark at the back of the freed marks. It hesitated for a moment before shooting toward Peace, who was leaning against the wall, clutching her head in agony. As it planted itself back onto her flank, her body flashed quickly, her coat brightening to sapphire blue, her mane and tail a clear silver.

"I...Ah...B-Bulwark?" Peace finally said, opening an eye and looking round, her saffron pupil finally locking onto the other two. "A-Apple Bloom and, Pinkie Pie? Oh, for gods sake, I'm still here. What's happened?"

"Well you-" Apple Bloom started, suddenly cut off as the front door exploded into splinters from the force of Starlight being telekinetically thrown through it. Her body skidded to a halt about thirty feet away and she scrambled back to her hooves, staring at the trio with malice in her eyes and intent to kill in her horn.

"You...All of you ruined everything!" She snarled, magic coiling round her horn before firing a concentrated beam straight at Apple Bloom faster than she would be able to evade. She instinctively threw her hooves up to try and shield herself, feeling the beam impact against her charm.

A strong heat spread across her leg but didn't go any further across her body. The beam was flaring against the now glowing hot charm but failing to do any significant damage. Starlight ended her attack and growled darkly, turning to aim at the still vulnerable Peace before a beam from inside forced her to throw up a barrier and back off as Sunset stepped outside to continue the fight. Apple Bloom blew on her hoof to try and cool it a little while Pinkie fetched a red and white charm out her bag and passed it over to Peace, who had recovered enough composure to take it and attach it without needing to be told. A quick glance down the rows of houses showed the fight between the two unicorns was erupting into a deadly engagement, magic blasts and beams filling the air between them.

"So err, what've I missed?" Peace asked, rubbing her head one last time before getting up, her stance subtly different to when she had been trapped before. It had a drive, a fresh determination to act.

"Apple Bloom, can you take this one? My short version's too long." Pinkie responded as she double checked how many charms she had left.

"Sunset's betraying Starlight, everypony has their memory and cutie marks back and now there's a town full of ponies who need our help getting clear of this."

"Right...How many civilians?"

"About thirty." Apple Bloom ducked as a stray blast skimmed the edge of the house and exploded against the perimeter wall with the force of a magic artillery shell, the shockwave making her stumble slightly. Even at a glance it was clear that Starlight couldn't care less about collateral damage, even with Sunset doing her best to deflect attacks skyward the houses were already taking damage and a fire had broken out on the south edge of the wall, illuminating the town in a harsh orange glow.

"Okay, okay," Peace eyed the situation for a moment before looking back at the other two, a focused glint in her eyes. "You two focus on getting the ponies moving out of the town. I'll cover and assist you where I can, if necessary I'll draw Starlight and Sunset away from you."

"You're crazy, but kind and brave to volunteer." Pinkie commented as they got up, the three of them starting to run for the nearest house she could hear voices from.

"Just doing what I need to." Peace said simply, tailing the others as they rounded the bend to the first row of houses.

Pinkie passed a few charms to Apple Bloom and they pushed forward, checking for ponies who were still incapacitated by their flood of new memories and helping them focus again as they found them. Peace watched as they slowly coaxed a shell-shocked looking stallion back to his hooves, realising how lucky she was that she hadn't ended up the same. Some of these ponies had been stuck with their altered mind-set for many months, she'd only been stuck with it for five minutes and the change had hit like a freight train. The unlucky ones would probably be in therapy for a long time to come, assuming they even recovered. Her idle thought was disrupted by the sound of teleportation behind them and she instinctively turned and rolled like she'd been trained to.

"Move!" She called back to the others, digging her hooves into the sand and glaring at the sight of Starlight staring back at her, broken off from the fight for long enough to pursue them. Though she showed no strong emotion on the outside, she was just about ready to break and run on the inside. She remembered everything that had been done to her, the idea that the same could happen again and she wouldn't be able to stop it...No, that all happened because she had been alone and off guard before, this time lives could well be riding on her standing her ground. The choice was clear, stay and fight her fear, or run and let it define her.

"Oh come on, you really think you can stand up to me?" Starlight said coldly as she fired a beam that Peace barely managed to block with her charm. "You didn't stand up to me last time, good thing too, that was fun. Face it, Peace Walker, you're a coward, a plaything that I can break to my will again anytime I want. Can you honestly look at yourself and think that you're anything more than nothing?

"I..." Peace replied calmly, lowering her hoof enough to make eye contact again, the look in her eyes more determined than ever. "...Am a soldier of the Equestrian Defence Force. Dealing with threats like you is how I sleep at night." She gritted her teeth and charged.

The next beam of magic encountered nothing but air as she twisted on her hooves to evade it cleanly, bringing her within reach of her target. Starlight growled and swung her head down, aiming to spear her opponent with her horn. Peace reared up on her back legs to evade the swing, following up by a counter-punch that forced Starlight to give ground. A second swing fell just short but threw the unicorn's defences off balance, giving Peace an opening to close the gap and wrap a hoof round the horn as she brought her weight down hard, body slamming Starlight into the ground and fighting to keep her pinned down.

"No, not like this, not to anypony!" Starlight shouted, rolling out before Peace could finishing restraining her hooves and teleporting away. Peace shook her head and got back up, silent as she moved to catch up with Apple Bloom and Pinkie, though inside she knew she had taken a more important victory than that fight.

"Trust me, just run for the gate and you'll be fine. I'm right next to you the whole way." Apple Bloom fitted another charm to a shaken mare and escorted her out of the damaged house. The lull in the fighting had given them the chance to make some progress but now the sound of magical combat filled the air once again, a fact punctuated by the stray beam that left a smouldering hole in the wall behind them moments later.

She didn't want to admit it, but things were starting to get a bit too dangerous. The growing number of stray or deflected shots were doing serious damage to the area, she'd had to help more than one injured pony away from the wreckage of their homes already. They couldn't leave anypony behind though, between her, Pinkie and Peace, they had a duty to make sure nopony ever had to go through this again. As they reached the gates she opened them quickly and shepherded the pony out to those who had escaped already, looking back to see Pinkie covering another pony's run out of the town.

"How many is that?" Apple Bloom called to her as she ran back inside, putting a hoof up to shield her face from the increasing heat emanating from the fire.

"About twenty, we need to hoof it faster than this," Pinkie panted, clearly starting to tire as she wiped some sweat away. She glanced behind her as Peace finally caught up with them again. "Peace, would now be a bad time to ask if you have any medical training?"

"Basic first aid, how bad is it?"

"They can explain, we'll finish up here," Pinkie pointed out the injured ponies and waited for her to run out to them before turning to Apple Bloom. "Huh, didn't think she'd listen to me."

"She's been through a lot this week, I'll explain when, incoming!" Apple Bloom grabbed Pinkie and pulled them both to the floor as an amber streak shot through where they'd been standing and smashed through the weakened outer wall, showing them with splinters.

"Wow, faster reaction than the Pinkie sense...Think Sunset survived that?"

"I hope so, she's the only thing standing between us and...This." Apple Bloom got back up as Starlight approached them, a little battered but smirking at seemingly dispatching her opponent at last.

"Bloomie, let me handle this one." Pinkie replied calmly, getting up and standing her ground. Starlight stared back at her for a moment before throwing her head back and laughing at the comment, so caught up in it she didn't notice Apple Bloom dart past her to get to the remaining ponies.

"Oh that's a good one. There's only two ponies in Equestria who think they would stand a chance against me and one of them is lying in the sand outside right now, her spirit shattered and probably her spine too. Twilight Sparkle isn't here to save you this time either. I'd offer to let you run in exchange for giving all my ponies back, but let's face it, you wouldn't last two days before I found and beat you again."

"Lemme just ask you something real quick," Pinkie replied, pretty much ignoring every word. "Do you really plan on subjecting everypony in Equestria to this?"

"Well, isn't that a stupid question? Of course I am. I kind of need every living thing under my watch if they're going to be equal and happy after all."

"So, assuming in a hypothetical and totally impossible scenario, you would also do this to...Sunburst?"

"...How do you know his name?" Starlight stepped back, a small flux of magic building around her horn. Pinkie eyed it warily but even she could tell from the tone of voice, stance and look in her eye that Starlight had been thrown off guard by the question.

"Twilight was just about willing to tell me about his part in your history. You didn't want to deal with the face that 'everypony' includes him, but you can see it now. How do you think he would react if he could see you now? How he will when you're about to subject him to what you did to the others?"

For the first time, Starlight was left at a loss for words as the reality of her plan was laid bare in front of her. Her pupils shrank slightly and her body locked up as she finally thought about it, every scenario running through her mind either unsustainable or completely negating the original point. Pinkie stepped back to let her deal with this epiphany and looked behind her to where Apple Bloom had come back into view, slowly leading a number of ponies forward. Just as she dared to think they could start to make a run for it, Sunset suddenly teleported into place next to her, mane dishevelled, body sporting some fresh cuts, but horn alight and active.

"Got you!" She shouted, firing a large offensive beam straight at Starlight too fast for anypony to react, including herself when she realised she had neglected to check just what was behind her target. In this case, that was Apple Bloom. Starlight screamed as the beam engulfed her, blowing her off her hooves and burning at her coat. Apple Bloom didn't even have time to do that as her charm went white hot before shattering, both it and her overwhelmed by the sheer magical force hitting them.

Both ponies were blown back, hitting the cliff face hard enough to rebound off it slightly before coming to rest on the floor, unmoving and unresponsive.

Author's Note

Achievements unlocked: First 50,000+ words story, First 3,000+ words chapter

For once, I'm really proud of this, mostly for it showcasing my improvements compared to when I joined up here. I just hope I can keep improving and you all keep enjoying. Stay awesome.

Present Eight - Burning Bright

"........APPLE BLOOOOM!!!"

The whole world seemed to have frozen around Pinkie Pie. She couldn't move, couldn't think, could hardly breathe. Her throat ached in protest at the shriek that had just emanated from it and her eyes burned from the mixture of losing the ability to blink and tears welling up at the sight in front of her. Apple Bloom had always been an active pony, to see her lying still like this was more than she could take, including the fact that this was the pony that had wormed her way into her heart made it an unending, unrelenting, unbearable nightmare.

Her neck was the first part of her to start working again and she managed to turn it to look at Sunset Shimmer, who was similarly rooted in place, clearly shocked by what she'd done. Whatever her plan had entailed and no matter how unwittingly, she had openly attacked an innocent in full view of others. She looked back at Pinkie, sweating fearfully, realising just how much trouble she was in, her own plan fallen through for now. Before anypony could react, her horn glowed and she disappeared in a flash, teleporting out to parts unknown. Pinkie stared at the spot for a second before the rest of her mind and body caught up, turning and running for the pair of fallen ponies.

"Peace! Peace get over here!" She cried out, covering the gap quickly and checking Apple Bloom over. Her coat and mane were completely unkempt, several patches were smouldering slightly from the blast, the worst being where the charm had formerly been. Some of her fur had burned off there, leaving the scarring left by the knife cut exposed, the same ankle was sitting at an awkward angle after the impact with the cliff. All in all she looked a total mess, but a mess that was still alive, judging by the slow rise and fall of her chest. Against all odds, her neckerchief had even managed to survive practically unscathed.

"What's..." Peace started as she ran up, stopping and gasping at the sight. She quickly moved forward again and checked them both over. "How did she even...Never mind, I'll get the answers later. Right now we need to get them to safety."

"Them? Oh yeah. I'll carry Bloomie, you lead these ponies." Pinkie said firmly as she buried her muzzle under Apple Bloom's back and lifted her up onto her own back. Peace shook her head slightly and went to organise the remaining ponies as Pinkie turned and ran for the gate, trying not to think about the implications of what she'd said.

The air was a lot cooler outside the town, though not much cleaner thanks to all the smoke spilling out. All the evacuated ponies had gathered on a nearby sand dune, watching the ongoing rescue efforts and helping tend to the injured as best they could with no supplies. Pinkie soon reached them and set Apple Bloom down carefully, caressing her cheek before looking back behind her, seeing the remaining ponies headed their way. Peace Walker was only just making her way out of the gates, Starlight's limp body draped over her back. Behind her, the compound now lay empty, many houses damaged or destroyed, several small fires scattered around in addition to the large one raging along the wall. There wasn't going to be much left by the time it was done.

It didn't matter now though, there wasn't anypony left to be affected by it. Pinkie looked round at the group and smiled to herself, satisfied that the mission was complete. Including herself and Apple Bloom, there was a total of thirty six ponies who they'd needed to help escape and all of them were here now, despite the intensity of the fighting that had taken place. Ten ponies had notable injuries, two of them serious enough to need help walking. One other was completely incapacitated right now, her one...There could also be another who was unconscious right now, or possibly dead, but that wasn't the biggest issue involving Starlight right now.

"Why'd you bring her out?" Pinkie asked as Peace reached her and dropped Starlight onto the sand. The unicorn looked in a bad way up close, her horn still smoking slightly, more than a few visible cuts and bruises showing through her coat.

"Well I couldn't just leave her in there. She either would have woken up and escaped or been caught in some of the damage. If nothing else, I know the princesses would want her brought in, this is one of the most wanted ponies in Equestria we're talking about...Oh no, no...She was number two on the list and, we let the number one get away."

Pinkie simply stared at Peace for several seconds before sitting down next to Apple Bloom and looking away. Much as she would have liked to have known about such an important detail sooner, bringing it up now would just add another point of stress to what everypony had gone through. Many of the others were finally starting to calm down, seeking solace in each other or helping try to keep spirits up. Her own spirit felt rather flat after everything that had happened though, so much as a glance downward would remind her of just how much it had taken. No matter how much Apple Bloom had said she was here of her own choice, Pinkie knew that she had pushed for them both to be here, this consequence was on her.

"Pinkie Pie, can I ask you something?" Peace said quietly, looking over the compound. Pinkie looked over at her in surprise, wondering what was bugging her now and if she'd be up for the party she was planning once everypony was safe.

"What's up?"

"Well, if I'm okay asking. You and Apple Bloom, is there anything between you two?"

"Well...Yeah, we realised it a few months ago but we're only just starting to make something special of it," Pinkie smiled softly at the memories it brought up and the hope of ones yet to come. Peace nodded and looked away again, silent for a full minute before replying.

"I see...You're both very lucky."

"Aww come on, you've got somepony close to your heart, right?"

"Yes, I mean I'm married but I...You didn't see the worst of what went on in that town. I saw it and had to experience it firsthoof, that kind of thing...Well...Just imagining somepony being affectionate toward me gave me nightmares."

"Oh, that's...Awful," Pinkie looked over at her, unable to fathom the idea of being scared of being cared about. After a moments thought she gently placed a hoof on Peace's shoulder. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm sure you're strong enough to overcome it in time."

"...Thanks," Peace looked back over at her and smiled weakly, small but enough to show she appreciated the support. "Nice to know some ponies still have my back. Apple Bloom kept doing her best to help me before as well. I bet she'd be saying something just as reassuring right now."

"Mmrrr...Turn heater down..."

Both Pinkie and Peace turned and looked between them at those words. Apple Bloom was still in her resting place but there were small signs of life starting to show. An inch of leg movement here, a tensed eyelid there. Pinkie gave a happy squee and lay down on her front, watching closely and fighting the urge to hug her before she was ready for it. Eventually, Apple Bloom slowly opened her eyes, still not moving her body yet but glancing up at the sight of Pinkie in front of her and managing to push her head back a tiny bit for a better look.

"Pinkie, what happened?" She asked weakly, her voice dry. "I remember...Leading others then, everything burning, then pain..."

"That was, some very unfriendly fire," Pinkie replied, starting to tear up slightly, emotion heavy in her voice. "We did it though, we won, we're alive...You're alive. I was so scared you hadn't made it."

"It'll take more than that to get me away from the pony I love," Apple Bloom chuckled weakly. "I'm okay-ish. Bad leg hurts a lot and I'm thirsty."

Pinkie giggled slightly before taking her saddlebags off and fetching out the engraved canteen. A quick shake confirmed it still had plenty of water inside. She opened it up and placed it to Apple Bloom's lips, holding it while she took a much needed drink. Peace watched them silently, noting the effort being taken to ensure she moved as little as possible. It was a simple thing, but the first one she'd seen as herself that showed just how deeply Pinkie cared. After a few moments, Apple Bloom moved her head away and let it rest back on the sand, glancing up as Pinkie closed the canteen again.

"You're...Really durable," Peace finally commented, starting to sound more cheerful. "I mean, I didn't think anypony could get up from the state you were in and definitely not that quickly. You did miss a few things while you were out though, want the short version or the long?"

"Short." Apple Bloom answered, glancing up at Pinkie and managing more of a grin, her own voice sounding better now her throat wasn't as dry.

"Well while you were fetching the last group I decided to use my secret weapon against Starlight by mentioning a name that meant a lot to her in the past, she blanked out when she realised she'd have to go after him with her plan and left her wide open to a cheap shot by Sunset which caught you in the blast through bad timing. We got everypony out expect for Sunset who fled when she realised what she'd done and it also turns out Starlight was one of Equestria's most wanted and we managed to bring her down."

Peace's jaw dropped slightly at just how quickly Pinkie had managed to explain that. Apple Bloom listened quietly before smiling and nodding, bringing a hoof up and slowly trying to push herself upright. Both Pinkie and Peace moved to help her, supporting her sides as she slowly made her way up, just about managing to sit herself down. Despite her best efforts, it was clear that she still had barely any strength left, a fact shown by the way she struggled just to keep her head up. Pinkie quickly moved her own head underneath for support, taking the chance to give her a loving nuzzle as well.

"So..." Apple Bloom said after a moment's thought. "We're in the middle of nowhere with three dozen ponies, some of which can't walk...What do we do now?"

"At a guess, I'd say deal with whatever this is first." Peace replied, pointing back toward the compound. Apple Bloom and Pinkie's eyes followed her hoofpoint to the cliff and up to the top of it.

Nopony had noticed their arrival but a small number of pony figures were gathered at the top of the cliff, faintly illuminated by the glow of the fires, their numbers indeterminate in the dark. There were no faces visible, each hidden behind a black helmet that completely covered their heads, a matching faceplate and grey visor covering their muzzles and eyes. What little of their bodies that was visible were similarly adorned in some kind of black armour. Even as they watched, one of this mystery group took off and flew their way, landing in front of the group and drawing the attention of pretty much everypony present.

"Stay calm..." Peace told the assembled group as she took the newcomer in. From the size of them, it was a pegasus mare, though that still just about all that could be told about them. Every part of her body below the head was covered in a series of small, flexible armour plates, including the wings and tail. On the left shoulder was a small bronze patch depicting a pair of white wings aside a golden unicorn horn that was sitting atop a sword hilt, the emblem of the Equestria Defence Force. Even as they watched, the figure looked away and spoke in a deep, distorted voice.

"Commander, it's them. Still need to verify but looks like just about everypony on the list...Yes sir, suspected target is here but was incapacitated before arrival. Get Stable down here double time, we've got multiple wounded civilians...Actually, I do recognise three of them, target included...Yes sir, will standby here, out."

The figure looked back toward the group, straight at Pinkie Pie, before reaching a hoof up and undoing a clip at the side of the faceplate. The plate swung free as soon as she moved their hoof away, exposing a sky blue muzzle as she reached up and removed the helmet fully, light purple eyes coming into view, followed up by a distinctive six tone rainbow mane. Apple Bloom smiled as she recognised just who it was, while Pinkie's eyes lit up and she grinned as widely as ever.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Oh! Second Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, ma'am!" Peace quickly shot into a standing position and saluted. "Specialist Peace Walker, Recon Corps."

"At ease kid," Rainbow chuckled as Peace lowered her hoof again. "I'm guessing you're the missing scout we were told had been out here."

"What're you doing out here, Dashie?" Pinkie interjected. Rainbow turned to her and grinned as a unicorn stallion clad in the same armour teleported in next to her.

"Originally, we were sent to save your flanks. Now, looks like we're getting you all out of here...How did you two end up involved in this anyway?"

Pinkie glanced up at Apple Bloom who simply managed a small laugh. Telling the story again was going to take a while.

Present Nine - Our New Beginning

Groundside University Hospital, Las Pegasus
April 13th

The sun was starting to set over the city of Las Pegasus, its gentle rays covering the cloud districts and ground based facilities. Even at this time of day, the general hustle and bustle of the city streets was nearly enough to rival Manehatten, a detail that made Apple Bloom glad she wasn't down among it. She was settled in a simple hospital room, watching the view out the window, simply enjoying having some peace and quiet again. Considering she'd arrived in the Magic Inflicted Emergency Ward as a worn down wreck who could barely sit up unassisted, the last week and a half of treatment had done wonders for her, even if it hadn't been all as bad as first feared.

The doctors had managed to nullify the worst of the magic that had subdued her, revealing in the process that it was a specialised spell intended to be used against unicorns, which explained why she had recovered from it so quickly. Her leg had been both twisted and dislocated but mercifully wasn't broken, though the burns were a different story. While most of the affected patches had grown back already, the one on her bad leg had needed extra attention just to ensure she didn't lose her coat there for good and would probably need follow up care once she returned home. For now it was all bound up in bandages and a splint, though given her earth pony durability the latter was more of a precaution while she was still in the hospital.

Right now though, Apple Bloom had a little time to herself. She moved away from the window and glanced round the room, trying to think of what she could do until a nurse came to check on her. She'd been transferred to a single patient room in the recovery wing two days ago, small but modest, though rather lacking in things to do beyond reading, not that she minded getting into a book sometimes. She didn't really have anypony to talk to that often either, Peace Walker had been transferred to a hospital in Canterlot where she could get better psychiatric care, Rainbow Dash had left shortly after everypony from the compound had been moved to the hospital safely and neither Applejack or Pinkie Pie had been able to visit as much as anypony would have liked. She'd probably be enjoying this a lot more if she wasn't so darn lonely.

She carefully climbed onto the bed and lay down on her good side, watching the view out the window from back here. The sun was steadily sinking into view, silhouetting one of the pegasus residential districts nearby. The sight was an unintentional reminder of the one loose end from the otherwise complete success Pinkie and her had managed; Sunset Shimmer. Arguably the most magically powerful unicorn in Equestria was still on the loose, bunkered down Celestia-knows where, probably plotting some new means of worming her way back to Celestia's side even with half the continent now looking out for her and now more unpredictable than before. Even though she'd been exposed, the knowledge that she hadn't been stopped outright was going to leave a gnawing worry in the back of Apple Bloom's mind for a long time to come.

Her thoughts were disturbed by the sound of hoofsteps outside the door, though she didn't feel quite up to checking who it was with her current mood, even as she heard the door open and somepony entered the room. Whoever it was, they were keeping quiet, probably thinking she was asleep considering only her back was visible from that angle. The room remained silent for a few seconds before a familiar pink hoof gently wrapped itself round her chest, she glanced down at it but otherwise didn't react, wondering exactly where Pinkie Pie was going with this.

"Hey Bloomie," Pinkie whispered, care evident in her voice. "I don't know if Princess Luna can help you hear this, but I just wanted to tell you something. Ever since you came and admitted how you felt about me, every day we've been together has gone from super funderful to downright rooftastic. You put a spark in my heart that sets off a firework of bliss inside me that nopony else is capable of igniting. Add that to the adventures we've had and, well...I'm a very lucky pony to know you. Thank you, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom blushed as Pinkie kissed her neck gently. She'd seen this side of her before but knowing just how much their developing feelings about each other meant to her, that meant every bit as much. If nothing else, the way she was keeping her hyperactivity in check showed just how important this was to her. Her hoof went to Pinkie's and held it gently as she looked over her shoulder and smiled softly, nuzzling into her chest lovingly.

"Don't worry, I heard every word."

"Dawwww," Pinkie hugged her fully before letting go and hopping over the bed to sit where Apple Bloom could see her, her voice back up to normal. "How're you feeling today?"

"Better with you here, though the doc did say that I could be cleared to go home tomorrow. Honestly, I can't wait."

"Great, I've got such a party planned for us once we get back. Right now though, I finally found out what happened to Starlight."

"Oh yeah," Apple Bloom slowly sat up and ran her hoof along the bed in thought. "Last time I saw her, she was being carted out of the building under armed guard. I'm guessing she woke up after that?"

"Good news, yes. Better news, she did so in some location that even I couldn't figure out. All the guard would tell me was that Celestia considered it even more secure than Tartarus and that it was rigged to ensure she could never leave under her own power. Extreme, but it means one thing for sure."

"And that is?" Apple Bloom looked up as Pinkie put a hoof on her cheek and smiled softly, slowly doing the same herself. The two of them simply held the moment for a long while before Pinkie leaned in and hugged her with more affection than she'd ever felt before.

"It means it's game over, we did it Bloomie...We really did it."

"It's over...Oh! That reminds me!" Apple Bloom quickly got up and opened up her bedside table. The single drawer contained her neckerchief, the canteen and a small boxed present wrapped up in pink paper and yellow wrapping. She fetched the present out and offered it to Pinkie. "Just a little something I've owed you."

Pinkie gave a small squee as she took the present, sniffing it momentarily before ripping it open and looking in. She reached in and pulled out a block of white chocolate and a jar of golden luster dust, both items she recognised from Sugarcube corner. The gifts together brought up the memory of the two of them when they had arrived at the Institute back in Canterlot.

"It's quite a sight, isn't it?"

"Yeah, almost like it was made of white chocolate and glitter..."

"When this whole thing is over, I'll make sure to buy you some."

Pinkie slowly looked from the gifts to Apple Bloom, feeling the tears of joy starting to well up in her. She put them aside and pulled her into another hug, taking care not to put pressure on her leg. Apple Bloom took a moment to catch up before wrapping her hooves round her, smiling warmly at the feeling of the two of them together. She hadn't realised just how much she missed even the little things between them while she had been stuck here. The gentle caress of Pinkie's hoof along her back was a clear indicator that the feeling was mutual.

"Thank you Bloomie, for filling a void I never knew I had." Pinkie said softly, letting the hug go and grinning widely. Apple Bloom grinned back, practically overflowing with love for the mare in front of her right now.

"And thank you, Pinkie, for being so accepting of this."

"Oh you know me, I can accept anypony," Pinkie smiled as Apple Bloom simply nodded at the comment before looking up at the ceiling. "I did want to ask one teensy weensy thing though."

"Oh?"

"Well when we get back to Ponyville, I err..." Pinkie rubbed her leg and glanced back down, blushing even as she smiled. "Well, what would you say to completing my list of parties. Make it the 'I'm in a relationship party'?"

Apple Bloom blinked, mouth opening and closing as she tried to find something, anything, to say. Much as she had wanted to ask about things becoming more serious between them, she'd been terrified of asking too soon and souring things between them. Now the chance had been taken from her, because Pinkie wanted the same thing. She slowly got her jaw back under control and broke into a warm smile, blushing deeply.

"I'd like that." She finally answered, stepping back as Pinkie quivered slightly before bounding with joy, nearly touching the ceiling. As her hooves came back down she managed to contain her enthusiasm enough to avoid rebounding, settling for a triumphant hoofpump.

"This calls for a super special celebration, how'd you feel about trying something I've never let anypony do with me before?"

"That's a...Bit sudden for where we are, but I'm curious what you mean." Apple Bloom said as she nodded and stretched slightly. Pinkie grinned even more and pointed behind her in response. Apple Bloom looked round and her eyes widened slightly at what was sitting in the corner. Her first thought was how Pinkie had managed to sneak her party cannon in without her hearing it, her second how the hospital staff had allowed her to bring it in the first place. She looked back at Pinkie, the look on her face enough to get a giggle out of her.

"Before you ask, the doctors let me bring it if I didn't fire it inside. Plus I gave all the other ponies here cake."

"Of course, I'm still not sure what this has to do with me though." Apple Bloom stepped aside as Pinkie went to the cannon and moved it over to the window, opening it up and pointing the barrel outside.

"Wanna try it?"

"I...Really?" Apple Bloom's jaw dropped slightly as just how significant this was hit her. Pinkie was rather protective about her party cannon, especially after an incident in Manehatten that she'd had refused to elaborate on in the past. Then again, considering what the two of them had just agreed to, it didn't even need to be said how much each of them trusted the other now.

"Yep! Just press down on the fuse and enjoy." Pinkie grinned more and stepped aside, motioning for her to give it a try. Apple Bloom came up to it and gently placed a hoof on the barrel, thinking as she waited for a reaction. When none came, she looked up and smiled back.

"Want to do it together?"

Pinkie smiled eagerly and put her hoof on the trigger on the top of the cannon. Apple Bloom put her hoof on hers and looked into her eyes, feeling better than she had in a long time. Both of them knew what to do in that moment, leaning in closer. Their lips met at the same moment they pressed the trigger, the familiar party cannon squeal firing off beside them. In this moment they knew that absolutely everything had been worth it, they still had each other after everything they'd been through. Soon enough, they'd be able to head back to Ponyville and just relax again. With one difference to normal though.

This time, they'd be together.

Author's Note

Surprise! A little earlier than usual but I had a sudden burst of motivation that got this chapter done and I just couldn't wait to share it.

And with that, we're wrapped up here. Maybe it went under the radar in comparison to my other work but overall I'm happy with it and how much I was able to improve. I'm not sure just what I'm going to write next but there'll be something, Pinkie promise. Thank you all for every view, comment and rating, see you next time!

Present One - Confinement

?????
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It was dark, even as she slowly opened her eyes. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing, all she could feel was throbbing pain in her forehead, like somepony had wrapped barbed wire around her brain. Her eyes slowly started to come into focus, realising she was looking down at a pale yellow body, probably her own. The rest of her senses slowly started to catch up, adding the feeling of cold stone at her back and a dull ache in her muzzle. She brought a hoof up to her nose and tensed at the feeling of dampness, slowly bringing it back to see red liquid soaking into the fur. Her own blood.

The sight triggered something in her mind, faint memories, no images, just sensations and feelings. An impact across her muzzle, the tingle of being enveloped in magic, muffled words, followed by a searing pain deep within her, as if part of her very soul was burning up. Any attempt to remember more just made the throbbing worse. She slowly brought her head upright and realised she had been slumped back against a wall, probably left there by...Whatever had done this. Her eyes went to the room itself and they didn't like what they saw.

Wherever she was, it was practically bare. There were no pictures on the walls, no furniture, the only objects she could see were a water trough and a bucket full of hay beneath a pair of tall but thin windows, too small to climb through. If the colour of the sky outside was any indicator, it was either dawn or dusk right now. To her left was a door, the only real exit she could see. Trying to put the pain to one side, she struggled up to her hooves and slowly walked over to it, reaching out to the handle. The instant she touched it, a magical charge flared up from the door and shocked her leg, forcing her to recoil. Of course that would have been too easy.

Her ears twitched, having adjusted to waking up again they were starting to pick up the sound of something else in the room. A quiet panting, rapid, bordering on hyperventilating. She turned round, looking for the source of the sound. Then she saw it, huddled in the shadows of a corner. An earth mare, steel blue of coat, a light grey coloured mane and tail styled with a short, professional cut and a cutie mark of a grey equal sign. That last detail sent a small wave of dread through her, for reasons she couldn't even begin to figure out without the throbbing becoming worse. She carefully walked closer, realising the pony was curled up, head buried in her hooves.

"A...Are you-"

"Get away from me!!" The unknown pony screamed, swiping at the air with a hoof. She recoiled in surprise, yet another addition to the mounting confusion in her mind. She looked down and managed to make eye contact, seeing the saffron coloured eyes of the other pony for the first time. Eyes that flashed fear, desperation, stress. As the pony's pupils shrank at the sight, something new weakly glinted in them. It was a semblance of calm, a sight of the unknown granting her something new to focus on. "You're, not one of them."

"Them? Wh-what's happened? Who are you?"

"I...My name is Peace Walker, Equestrian Defence Force, Scout division...O-or was it-" Peace Walker winced and clutched her forehead again, probably going through the same pain. A few moments passed before she managed to recover and push herself up into a sitting position. She seemed to be handling whatever was happening a lot better with somepony else to focus her efforts on instead of being trapped in her own mind.

"Okay, good to meet you, I think. What's, happening to you?"

"Same as everypony here, I wager. We don't have much time though and this is very important, try to think, not too hard, about yourself. Wh-what do you remember?" Peace Walker looked up at the newcomer as she thought about it. The newcomer gritted her teeth slightly and focused hard, yet no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to think of anything. Entire years of her life seemed to have been wiped from her mind, only a few isolated pieces of important information remaining in her long term memory.

"I remember some, little bits. My name is...Apple Bloom."

"Okay, Apple Bloom, that's a good start. Now, this is asking a lot but please try to stay calm when you hear this. Your memories, they've been tampered with, by some ponies who really seem to have issues against Equestria. Do...You remember what your cutie mark is?"

Apple Bloom frowned, of course she remembered what her mark was. It was...Wait, she remembered a saw but, also an equal sign? Like the one on Peace Walker's flank? She looked back, brushing her light red mane aside, getting a look at her mark. An equal sign mark. Her eyes widened slowly at the sight, trying to make sense of it, before recoiling as new memories suddenly flooded her mind.

It felt like two lives worth of experiences were all trying to be remembered at the same time, the result a barrage of rapid, indecipherable images and white noise within her head. Apple Bloom cried out and stumbled back, tripping over herself and falling back onto her rear, head in hooves as she desperately tried to fight it. A hoof on her shoulders made her jump and she looked up to see Peace Walker shaking her slightly, it was working though, the blur in her mind faded as it lost its hold without her focused on it.

"Stay with me, come on, you've still got a chance here!" Peace half-shouted, her voice breaking slightly in worry. Apple Bloom blinked and sat up fully, slowly bringing herself back under control.

"Wh-I-Wha...What was that?"

"The ones who did this to us effectively planted a whole new life in your head, I can only imagine how powerful a unicorn would have to be to do something like that. Your mind is trying to cope with two lives worth of memories. Given time, the magic powering the new ones with supress what's left of the old ones, make you think you've lived here all your life, your past self nothing more than a bad dream."

Peace Walker gently held Apple Bloom's shoulder, trying to keep her calm. Apple Bloom looked down and took several deep breaths, the touch having a surprisingly good effect on her. She slowly looked back up and rubbed her forehead, feeling the throbbing subsiding for now. She had so many questions and no idea which to ask first, ultimately deciding to go with what came first.

"How do you know about all this?" Peace Walker looked away at the question for a moment, biting her lip slightly, as if she had been hoping that this question wouldn't come up.

"I've been here for...I don't know how long now, a week? If the shadows have been any indication, at least that long. I've only stayed myself that long thanks to that guards' discipline, waiting it out in that corner, only coming out to eat. I've seen a number of ponies stuck in here, talked to them, watched them and read the signs of what was happening. They only lasted a few hours each before going out again, thinking they belonged here."

"That's..." Apple Bloom paused to try and find the right word for just how horrific that sounded to her. Her efforts were distracted by a hoof on her muzzle, she looked forward and realised Peace Walker was carefully wiping the blood off her, taking great care not to hurt her further. Thankfully, it didn't feel like anything was broken since she was able to get it all off without any further pain. Peace stepped back and wiped her hooves off, thinking her next move through.

"Listen, Apple Bloom, I've seen enough to know I can help you but we have to focus. I saw you trance out, the memories struggling for dominance. Were there any flashes of anything, anything at all, that weren't from the desert or a building like this?"

Apple Bloom closed her eyes and thought back, trying to place a single image from the mess in her short term memory a minute before. Most of it was haze of colour, going by too quickly to comprehend but after a moment her mind managed to focus on something different, a scene from someone that wasn't here.

"I think...Yes. Yes, there was a different town and I was with two ponies."

"Ok, that's good. Try to focus on that, don't be afraid to say it out as you remember. It'll help us both since I need the distraction as well."

Apple Bloom nodded, she didn't have any better ideas and this Peace Walker was probably going to be the only pony she had as company for the foreseeable future. She sat down and focused harder, trying to get her mind back to where it had been. The throbbing was coming back but she gritted her teeth and concentrated. It was something of a blur but she could see the memory slowly taking form in her mind again.

"Okay, I can see it. I was in...I think it was a town called, Ponyville."

Author's Note

Welcome back everypony! Sorry if these early chapters are a little rough, I came into this almost straight off the back of Rising Above and I needed a little time to get back into my stride. Hope you all enjoy all the same.