Rotting Away

Twilight kept moving at a steady trot as she went down the halls, having just left the company of Luna. The two had spent hours devising a proper plan for the evacuation of Canterlot, which would take place either immediately after the return of Applejack and her crew, or after the passing of two weeks. If they weren’t back by then, the worst could safely be assumed.

Twilight wasn’t sure where to go at this point. She wandered the castle halls, meeting and greeting ponies from every walk of life, but everywhere she went, she felt like judgmental eyes were on her. As a princess it was her duty to be a beacon of hope for those around her, but what if she didn’t deserve that? As a friend, it was her passion to make the ponies she cared for, loved even, smile; but could she do that still? Even with blood on her hooves?

“You’ve failed us, Twilight.” Celestia’s voice rang out from somewhere up ahead, making Twilight pause. It wasn’t the first time her mind had played tricks on her recently. Twilight hadn’t had any restful sleep for a few days now and she’d begun to have auditory hallucinations. She shook her head, dispelling the ghostly voice. “You’ve failed us all.” Its persistence was unnerving, making Twilight pick up her speed from a walk to a trot and then to a canter, her hooves clacking loudly on the stone. “What have you done?”

Twilight rounded a corner, nearly colliding with another pony. Rarity gasped, jumping a bit at the sight of Twilight. “Oh darling, you really mustn’t startle me like that.” She chuckled, giving her dear friend a smile. “Are you alright? It’s not like you to be wandering aimlessly like this. How did the conference with Luna go?”

“About as well expected.” Twilight had talked about more than the escape plan, naturally. She had also spoken to Luna about building a monument to the ponies who perished during this incident. It was a phenomenal idea that Luna supported wholeheartedly, but both princesses felt it’d be better focus their attentions for now on keeping that monument as blank as possible. “How is Spike doing?”

“He’s been a dear, really. You taught him to be quite the caretaker.” Rarity chuckled daintily, motioning for Twilight to walk with her. As the two continued down the hall, Rarity continues the small talk with Twilight. Eventually, Twilight grew curious why they were talking about such trivial things. “In times like this, we really must maintain our integrity and retain our old lives in whatever way we can. It’s what separates us from the savages.” She fixed her mane with a hoof, eyes closed as she walked. “It’s what helps keep me… together, I suppose is the word.”

Twilight thought about that, finding herself smiling as she did. “You know what, Rarity? That’s a very good point.” Twilight had been focusing all her attention onto the war outside, but Rarity was doing the opposite, maintaining order within the walls, along with Fluttershy, who had taken to teaching quite nicely. The two were a bastion of strong will and happy emotions.

“Any word from Applejack?” Rarity asked, giving Twilight a nervous look.

“I’m afraid not. But honestly, I didn’t expect to hear from her until she returned. It’s only been a day, anyway. It will at least take them that long to walk here, uninterrupted. Have some faith.” Twilight had the utmost confidence in Applejack. Never once had she been lacking when it really came down to it. If anypony could do this, it was her.

The two walked onwards, loving the company and talking of times long past. For the first time in forever, the smiles were genuine and the laughter was real. It seemed they had indeed found something happy in these dark times, after all. Their friendship hadn’t even dimmed slightly, among all the mayhem.

Sleep eluded Twilight, no matter what she tried. Regret battled with fear in a war to keep her eyes open. She sat up in her bed, groaning. A walk, she hoped, would help clear her mind. Slipping from her bed, Twilight wandered into the halls of Canterlot Castle, enjoying the peace and quiet of her surroundings. Just as she was sure sleep was a possibility, something happened to shatter all her illusions.

“Twilight.” The voice caught Twilight off guard. Snapping her head up, she gasped. Celestia stood at her full regal height, watching her from the other end of the long hallway. Twilight felt herself start to cry, a smile stealing it’s way onto her face.

“Princess? Celestia, is that you?” As she took a step, Celestia turned, walking down a corridor off to the side. “No, Celestia, please wait!” Twilight hurried after her mentor, but when she rounded the corner, Celestia was gone. A wave of vertigo and nausea hit her, making her question if Celestia had been there at all. It was the most vivid hallucination she’d had yet; she needed sleep more than ever, that was becoming increasingly clear.

On her way to her room, Twilight’s ears caught the sound of somepony knocking hard on a door. When she realized it was her door being knocked on, she trotted over briskly. “What’s the matter?” The guard who had been knocking stopped, looking over to Twilight with a shocked look.

“Your Highness.” He say, bowing. “I-It’s the Princess. Princess Celestia arrived just moments ago.” Twilight felt her heart throb hard in her chest. Had that really been Celestia? The guard added that she was in council with Luna, and Twilight was off before he could finish talking. She galloped with every ounce of her strength, up to Luna’s quarters, knocking on the door enthusiastically. Luna opened the door, smiling a bit at Twilight’s expression.

“Twilight, I’m glad the guard found you.” Stepping aside, Luna revealed Celestia, lying on the bed inside. “She’s okay, Twilight. She is exhausted, but okay; from what I’ve gathered, she has been flying to every city she could, telling everypony that would listen about the threat. She told them all to come here…” Luna started crying as she spoke, wiping her face with a hoof. “She made it, Twilight. My sister is home.”

Twilight smiled. She stepped forward to say something, sighed, and then collapsed, passing out on the spot. With the stress pulled from her shoulders, Twilight had drifted to sleep standing up.

The next day came, and Celestia was still holed up in her room. The Princess was too worn to make a public appearance yet, funneling all she had, magically and otherwise, into her task of rescuing as many ponies as possible. As Twilight walked through the hall, something caught her eye.

Twilight blinked, seeing something flash in the air outside the barrier. Trotting closer to a nearby window, Twilight watched as a ball of neon green energy rose into the sky, exploding in the air with a loud concussion. “They’re home...” She whispered, recognizing the idea behind Vinyl’s firework spell. The princess had hoped the spell would be more subtle, but in this moment, she didn’t care. “They’re home!” Twilight felt joy spike through her heart for the second time in two days. Finally, the world was looking a little brighter.

She galloped through the halls, planning a reunion party in her mind as she went. She needed to go out and gather her friends from beyond the barrier, but that was easily done. Overcome with joy, Twilight cheered her happiness to no one as she galloped through Canterlot Castle’s halls.

Hurrying to open a space in the barrier, Twilight glided out, masking herself with a powerful invisibility spell. It was a magic of her own creation, just one of many that she’d made since her ascension. Even Celestia had been impressed with her magical prowess when she’d shown off this spell, a complicated refraction of light and shadows.

Spotting the group near the woods, Twilight landed. Everypony seemed to be okay, and Twilight even saw an old face she’d never expected to see again. “Trixie!”

“Hello there, Twilight.” Trixie waved haughtily. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is glad to grace your presence with her glory.” Applejack and Pinkie walked over, Vinyl sticking in the back.

“Hey girls. Where is the sound system? Don’t tell me it was broken…” Twilight tried to not show her enthusiasm when she said that. She was so glad her friends were safe, and that another friend had even been saved. At least, she supposed that, given the circumstances, she had no more reason to consider Trixie as anything but a friend.

“Sorry Twi. We tried.” Applejack shrugged a bit, but offered a hug to Twilight. “But we’re all as dandy as can be, here.” Twilight accepted the hug, trying to not cry.

“Why don’t we get inside, huh?” Twilight turned, the group gathering around her as her horn glowed with energy. In a flash, the group was inside the barrier, among the others in the garden. “Everypony! AJ and the others are back!” The group was swiftly swarmed by Ponyville’s residents, asking them how Ponyville looked and what happened to them. Even Trixie was met with a degree of camaraderie.

“We’re just really tired, that’s all. We don’t really want to talk right now.” Pinkie waved a foreleg like a wet noodle, yawning. Twilight found herself chuckling.

“I imagine you all ran here as fast as you could. I had Luna prepare rooms for you all the moment I saw Vinyl’s spell. I was only expecting three of you, but I’ll get you a room too, Trixie.” Trixie looked around, along with the other two, soaking in her surroundings.

“Thank you, Twilight.” Trixie fixed her mane, shifting her hat into a better position on her head. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is in need of a great and powerful power nap.” She laughed a little, the corner of her lip twitching, making it look very strained.

“Are you feeling okay, Trixie?” Twilight tilted her head a bit, raising an eyebrow. “Normally you don’t joke around like that. It’s very out of the ordinary for you.” Trixie just laughed more, wagging a hoof.

“I’m fine, just tired. Come on, let’s get to that room.” Twilight nodded, but keeps an eye on her former rival. As they moved along, the group walked in silence, making Twilight even more concerned. Reaching one of the rooms, Twilight opened the door with a quick burst of magic.

“Here you are, Trixie. This room has been empty, so I doubt Luna would mind you using it.” Trixie walked in ahead of Twilight, looking all around her.

“It will serve the Great and Powerful Trixie nicely. Thank you Princess.” With a burst of her own magic, Trixie closes the door, going to get some rest, Twilight assumed. The princess walked along the hall with the other three, frowning slightly to herself. “Is it just me, or is Trixie acting very strange?”

“When we found her, she was all alone in Ponyville. Been there alone since we abandoned it, I reckon.” Applejack kept her voice low, as if she was worried about waking somepony up. “She was kinda loopy, but we calmed her down and she ain’t done nothin’ since.”

“Well, if you say so, AJ.” Twilight sighed, looking to Vinyl and Pinkie, both of whom had been very quiet. While she couldn’t see past Vinyl’s glasses, Pinkie was looking down with a glassy look in her eyes. It worried Twilight more than a little, seeing her usually excitable friend looking like this. As she dropped each girl off in empty rooms, she felt the same thing; something was wrong about all of this. None of it felt quite right.

“G’night Twi. You go get some rest now. You look like you’re dead to the world.” Twilight laughed at Applejack’s words, but it was hard to even force a laugh. Once the door was closed, Twilight turned and started down the hall. After several steps, she stopped and looked back at Applejack’s door, chewing the inside of her lip. She should be happy they were back, but something felt… wrong.

When Twilight awoke, it was daytime and for the first time in days, she felt rested, rejuvenated and ready for action. Stepping outside, she was immediately greeted by a guard, who saluted her. “Morning Princess Twilight. I was asked to inform you that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came to the consensus that the planned Sonic Rainboom would be taking place later this morning. They didn’t wish to disturb you.” Twilight was thankful for that. She stretched her back hoof out, eliciting a faint pop from her joints.

“Can you please tell me where Rainbow Dash is? I want to see her off personally.” The guard noded, leading Twilight along towards the armory.

Rainbow was inside, stepping into a lightweight set of royal guard armor. Grunting now and then, she managed to pull the last strap and get herself ready. “Oh, Twilight!” Dash rushed to her friend’s side, smiling exuberantly. “I look great, huh? This armor is so me.” She grinned, trotting in place. Just as quickly, she stopped, snapping to crisp attention. The time in the Wonderbolt academy had taught her a strict code of discipline. “I’m ready to go whenever you give the word, Princess. I’ll lure the Risen away and be to Cloudsdale before they can even blink.” Of that, Twilight had no doubt. She was sure Rainbow could outrun the monsters outside their walls. No, her fears were what Rainbow was flying into, not what she was flying away from.

“Good luck, Rainbow. Remember, get to Cloudsdale and, if it’s already overrun, find survivors and retreat for now.” She pats her friend’s shoulder affectionately. “Now go, and save some ponies, alright?”

Rainbow grinned at that, taking flight and hovering just off the ground. “Of course I will! I mean, look at who you’re talkin’ to here.”

The two continued to talk as they left the castle, discussing strategies and ideas on what Rainbow could do, if Cloudsdale was in poor shape. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, looking tired but composed, stood to await Rainbow’s arrival. As Luna opened the hole in the barrier, Rainbow took a deep breath. Twilight watched as her friend hunched down, bracing herself, stretched, and bolted off with all her speed.

There was a brief moment of silence, before a loud boom rang over the city, a ring of rainbow light flowing out from a point just outside the city. Twilight turned her eyes to the Risen covering the barrier, biting her lip as she awaited the theorized reaction. It wasn’t long before her patience bore fruit and the back of the horde began to migrate, drawing the attention of others. It was just the chain reaction Twilight had predicted.

“Thank Celestia…” She lets out a long breath, smiling. “About time something went according to plan.” Twilight planned to evacuate Canterlot half a day after the Sonic Rainboom to give the swarm time to disperse after Rainbow Dash. For now, she could finally relax and just help ponies pack. Trotting to her room in the castle’s tower, Twilight opened the door, slipping inside. Spike was there, reading a book quietly. When Twilight entered, he gasped and hopped up, immediately shutting the book.

“Twilight! Did Rainbow Dash do it?” Twilight gave Spike a nod, getting a cheer from her little dragon companion. “Awesome! Now we can get ready for the evacuation!”

“Too right, Spike.” Twilight’s horn shimmered, lifting a quill, ink and parchment, laying them out on the table in the middle of the room. “I haven’t said this in a few months. Spike, take a letter.”

Spike seemed quite eager to jump to the task. Even years later, he was still the assistant she adored. “We need to make a checklist to prepare for this escape. There are a lot of things to do and I’m really tired of having to do everything on the fly. It’s all so chaotic and it makes me nervous.” Spike laughed a bit, picking up the quill.

“Well, what’ll you put on here? We are headed to the Empire, right? Are we going by train?” Spike asked, getting a nod from Twilight.

“The first step would waiting till the way is clear, then moving the train back to the tracks. We removed the damaged caboose, but with so many new ponies, we’ll need to either get a second train or add more carts to the one. I opt for the latter, if Full Steam thinks the train can do it.” Twilight began to pace, to help her think more clearly. “Then, there’s the matter of supplies. We don’t know how the Empire is doing, so we should bring a stash of supplies with us. Maybe have everypony carry a little, to make it easier?” She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a knock. “Oh. Who is it?”

Rarity’s voice came from the other side of the door. “It’s Rarity, dear. You must come out here, something big is happening.” Rarity sounded excited, more-so than she had in a long time. “The Appleloosa ponies are here! Braeburn is safe! Applejack is going to be so happy!” Twilight felt herself smile a soft, genuine smile. This was some of the best news she’d gotten since everything began. She had been genuinely concerned about Applejack, ever since she saw her pained expression back in Ponyville.

“I’ll be right out to welcome them personally. You go get Applejack and tell her we have a surprise for her.” Smiling, Twilight looked to Spike. “Put the list on hold for a little longer, Spike.” At least there was a good reason for it, this time. Heading back out, Twilight let out a long, relieved sigh. Maybe this was a sign that things were improving.

The Appleloosans were tired, hungry and weather-worn. They had injured among them, but none of them were bitten. After the guards had looked them over, they freely walked among the Ponyville ponies, mingling passively. The Apple family was with them before Twilight even arrived, Applebloom running around with some of the colts and fillies who’d made it out of Appleloosa alive. Granny Smith had taken to talking to some of the mares, but it was painfully obvious that very few of the elderly ponies had survived. The sheriff, Silverstar, was also among the deceased.

“Welcome to Canterlot. Or, what is left of it.” Twilight smiled a bit as she approached Braeburn, who was seeing that food was brought to the hungry travelers.

“Well wallop my withers, if it ain’t Princess Twilight. Howdy!” Braeburn was obviously overjoyed to be behind safe walls again. “It’s been ages since I last saw you, Princess. And then, you weren’t so much in the flyin’ business.” The two shared a laugh, recalling the time spent in that not-so-distant settlement, resolving the Buffalo conflict.

“I’m really happy to see you’re all okay. I’ve been worried sick. When I went to check on Appleloosa, it was already empty.” Twilight frowned a bit, shaking her head. “I wish there was more I could’ve done.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head there, Princess. Us Appleloosans are mighty good at bouncin’ back. Besides, there weren’t nothin’ you or anypony could’a done. Everythin’ went real sour in just a day.” Braeburn, clearly the leader and speaker for the group, began to explain.

“It hit us all sudden like, it did. One minute, it’s another bright ‘n sunny day in Appleloosa, and the next; ponies eaten’ other ponies. Didn’t help that Appleloosa was hostin’ a big ole hoedown for the whole town. Had ponies from all over there to make it bigger.” He looked over to a smaller group of ponies, separate from the others. They weren’t excluded, by any means, but it was obvious to see they weren’t from Appleloosa. Many wore clothes with the same style, but made of finer materials. The biggest tell, however, was how they weren’t closely knit to the larger community.

Twilight didn’t personally know any of the ponies there, but one caught her eye. Twilight’s pupils shrunk, sweat gathering as she stared at the lime yellow pony. “Who is that?” Twilight asked, motioning with a hoof.

“Ah, that there’s Fiddlesticks, from Fillydelphia. She’s one’a Applejack’s cousins.” Braeburn nodded matter-of-factly. Much to Twilight’s dismay, Fiddesticks greatly resembled the late Octavia Melody, and Twilight had a sinking feeling that her and Octavia may have some deeper connection. They even shared a similar cutie mark and both played instruments, if the case on Fiddle’s back meant anything.

“Well…” Twilight changed the subject of her attention, hoping to forget that problem for the moment. “You came at just the right time. We were just about to head to the Crystal Empire to set up a stronger defense. The cold is their weakness and we plan on using the Empire’s natural climate to our advantage.” Braeburn grinned as he heard that, snickering.

“Well, color me crimson and call me delicious! That’s soundin’ like a mighty good plan, I’d reckon. Them things are as cold as the grave, and move like frozen molasses. Your tellin’ me freezin’ em is the best thing?” He pounds his hoof to the ground a few times, chuckling to himself. “Wish we’d known that. Coulda done us some good, maybe.” Sighing, he looked up to Twilight. “How’s my cousin doin’?”

“Applejack is fine. She should be here very soon, actually.” Twilight had to admit, it felt great passing on good news. Braeburn started crying a little at those words, but held it in.

“I saw so many ponies go down, Princess, I was terrified it happened all over.” He wiped his face, hiding the few tears that’d gotten free. “Thank you, Twilight, for keepin’ her safe.”

As he says that, a blindfolded Applejack is lead along by an excited Rarity, flanked by Vinyl and Pinkie Pie. As the three approached the Appleloosa group, Rarity stopped to talk to Twilight. “The others insisted on tagging along, so I figured, it couldn’t hurt. This surprise is mostly for Applejack after all.”

Twilight nodded to Rarity, but mostly to herself, watching the situation unfold. Rarity happily trotted behind Applejack, levitating the blindfold off. Applejack blinked a few times, rubbed her eyes, then stared at the Appleloosa ponies.

There was a long pause, a silence to both sides that made Twilight nervous. Applejack tilted her head a bit to the side. “So uh… What’s this all about now?” Braeburn grinned, laughing.

“Very funny, Applejack. Quit kiddin', you! You can’t tell me you forgot your own cousin.” He puts a hoof around Applejack shoulders, smiling broadly. Twilight hadn’t taken her eyes off her friend. The sense of wrongness came flooding back tenfold.

“Hey Vinyl.” Twilight walked over to the white pony, who was relaxing in silence nearby. Applejack was laughing and bantering with Braeburn now, and Twilight didn’t care to interrupt. “There’s somepony I’d like you to meet.” Knowing that, if she was wrong this could end very poorly, Twilight trotted towards the Octavia look-alike, keeping her eyes on Vinyl. She said nothing, but jumped when Fiddlesticks makes the first move.

“Scratch? Well, howdy there, gal!” The cow-pony hooked the DJ in a headlock, rubbing a hoof into her mane. “It’s been a hound’s age! How’ve ya been treatin’ my cousin?” Twilight went wide eyed. So she was related to Octavia.

“O-Oh uh… Good! We’ve been having a great time here. Well, as good as anypony can have, given how crazy things have been.” That fed Twilight’s suspicions. She was starting to piece together what had happened here, and she didn’t like it one bit. Looking back to Pinkie Pie, who was simply staring off into space, Twilight felt a knot in her stomach.

These ponies weren’t her friends. There was only one race she knew of that could do this so easily.