The Shadows Our Presences Cast

(Music Plain, Campground)

“Because where can they be!?!” Fruit scream, ripping the place apart looking for any sign of the missing ponies. The rest of them were really worries but Fruit Flower was on the point of insanity. She was running back in forth, acting like her hind was on fire. Rarity was now watching with the rest of the group as Fruit Flower was going into full panic mode.

“We are all worry about Pinkie but she can handle herself. I’m sure Sky Watcher will be fine too.” Rarity said, trying to calm Fruit down.

“You don’t understand.” Fruit said, almost hyperventilating. “If the Holiness find out that I let some pony wonder…”

“I thought your teacher was all about peace?” Starlight pointed out and Fruit turn quickly where she stood. “Or is there something you’re not telling us?” Fruit was painting then collapse on the ground.

“I lied.” Fruit said. “She not about peace or caring. She is a monster and she planned to kill all of you. I was supposed to just keep you distracted and I would be sparred.” Fruit started to cry. “I am no student, I’m a prisoner. We all are. Ever since she came in power.”

“What are you talking about?” Rarity asked, now more worry.

“She talking about what I feared.” Starlight said, walking closer to Fruit. “She not a peaceful leader, she’s a tyrant. She got a strangle hold on these plain and she not willing to share. There never was an alliance, was there?” Fruit shook her head, letting tears drop to the ground

“No, it a trick.” Fruit said wearily. “It how we find out how advance a plain is and if we should take over. If any of the princesses are alive, they are killed off by assassination so no pony will question. All those who try to resist end up being imprison or worst. My sister and I try to stop it but…”

“Your sister? What happen to your sister?” Starlight asked.

“Part of my punishment. I was given a new name and force to know what happen to her. How she was broken and how much Compassion is willing to do to enforce her law.” Fruit said, now in a tired and dreary voice. “You have to understand something about her.”

“What I understand is we have to get out of here.” Record Keeper interrupted. He was standing in the corner, listening to them all talk. “You tell the princesses all about how evil Compassion is after we aren’t on her home turf. First thing we need to do is find Pinkie and Sky Watcher. Do you have any idea where they could be?”

Fruit shook her head and started muttering to herself, something about remembering what she like. Record Keeper groan and started rub his head.

“Well, unless there a party we don’t know about.” Record Keeper said aloud, causing Fruit eyes to light up. She turn to the group.

“I think I know… oh for all that holy, why there?” Fruit cry to the sky. “I have a good idea where they might be. But it possible the worst place in this plane to be.” Rarity started packing the tent back up as quickly as possible.

“Then we have hurry.” Rarity said, throwing everything she can into her bag. “Who knows what horror she is being put through?”
(Inside the Rebel Bar.)

“This…is…AWSOME!” Pinkie cheered as another electric guitar solo began. Sky Watcher had to agree, this was pretty amazing. The bar seem to compose of rock, heavy metal and nu metal music. The beats were infection and the songs were compose of some the most interesting lyric she ever heard and she been to party were Vinyl Scratch was DJ. Sky was rocking her head back and forth while Pinkie was somehow holding a torch, swaying with the music.

“Dude, cool makeup.” A pony to Sky left shouted over the loud music. She look to see two ponies that they were sitting next to were looking directly at Pinkie. One of them had a bowl like cut of black hair while the other had long blond hair. They both seem to have the slimier mark on them, of a stallion running in a field.

“You totally look like one of the holy warriors.” The other one said and they both slap their hooves together and made a weird gestor. Sky ignored them and Pinkie seem to not hear them. The two continue to talk and walk away. She swore she heard them say something of it not being a costume and telling a bouncer. Sky decide to continue listen to the song playing, which seem to about rising a phoenix. She was pretty sure that those two weren’t going to cause any problems.
(Twilight’s Plain, Outside the portal.)

“I spy with my little eye.” Spear guard said as he look around, trying to take his mind off the boring job of watching the portal.

“Is it my arrow in your eye because if you don’t shut up, it will be.” Crossbow growl. Ever since the Tirek’s death and the failure that was their duty, the two were resign to being a part of guards watching the portal. And since they were demoted, they were watching it in the middle of the night while the rest sleep.

Spear sighed and started to count the stars when they heard a crackle from behind. Both of them turn to see a pony come out of the portal with a large box strap to his backpack. Spear pull out his spear while Crossbow started walking backwards to the warning bell.

“Wait!” Swift Vision said. “I need to talk to Princess Luna. Please tell me she nearby.”

“Like we will tell you!” Crossbow shouted, inching closer to the bell. “For are we know, you are some kind of spy or assassins.”

“Yeah, like we will tell you that the princesses are at the Crystal Palace until the alliance is decided on.” Spear shouted. Crossbow groan and mouth at Spear, “You moron.” Swift started to do the math then slap his chest. A loud, high pitch whine was heard and the side of the backpack split open and to metallic wings pop out.

“Thank you!” Swift yelled as his wings blasted him into the night air and flew until he disappear from sight. The two stand in silent for a minute then Crossbow pick up a rock and threw at Spear’s head. It thud and Spear cry out in pain.

“What was that for!?!” Spear cry out as he rubbed were the stone hit.

“Can you do anything right!?!” Crossbow shouted. Spear look at little downtrodden and turn away so Crossbow wouldn’t see him tearing up.

“My mother wanted me to be a baker.” Spear said, starting to choke up.

“Not the baker story again!” Crossbow cry out.
(Music Plain, Outside the Rebel Bar)

“So, why is this place dangerous?’ Record Keeper said, looking at the dilapidated building. “Unless it’s fear of tetanus.” Fruit sigh sadly and turn to the group.

“Don’t let the building fool you. This used to be my home a long time ago, before Compassion decided to turn it into the Music plain. I remember time of being in my treehouse and paying hide and seek with my friends. How I miss those days.” Fruit said, rubbing the dirt. Rarity walk behind her and started to pat her back.

“May I ask, what was your old name?” Rarity asked, calm as ever. Fruit look her in the eye and start to tear up. Rarity brought her closer and in brace her in a hug. “It okay. Your safe, it okay.”

“You don’t get it.” Fruit said, pushing Rarity gently off her. “I’m never going to be safe. You think that you can stop Compassion because she’s evil and you’re good? It doesn’t work that way anymore. We all lose the concept of good and evil when we traded our mortals for comfort. I was once naïve enough to think that we can go back to ways things were and I made mistakes that cause me almost everything. My friends, my family and my home. THAT IS HOW THEY GET TO YOU!” Fruit was now on full rant mode and the group was scared some other pony was going to hear her.

“THEY PROMISED YOU PEACE AND HAPPYNESS! THEY SAY THERE GOING TO MAKE EVERY THING RIGHT BUT IT ALL LIES!” Fruit was calling into the sky and slamming her hoof into ground. “I TRY TO STOP HER BEFORE AND I LOST MY TWO BEST FRIENDS TO HER. ONE OF THEM IS A COMPLETE PYSCHO WHILE THE OTHER IS JUST AS BAD AS COMPASSION.” Fruit collapse on the ground and just sobbed. “I never wanted any of this. I just wanted my life back.” Rarity walk over to the sobbing Fruit and sat down next to her.

“I can never understand what happen to you or what you been through but I will tell you this. If you give up, you will lose everything. You will lose what you wanted to keep and you won’t even know it.” Rarity said softly. “The reason we fight is not because we want to go back to the way things were. We fight for what we love and the ponies we swear to protect. We stand by our morals and our beliefs not because we were taught to but because we know deep inside that it right. Only those truly twisted would take words of peace and turn them to weapon of war.” Fruit started to laugh and stand back up.

“It kind of make sense now.” Fruit said, mostly to herself. “You have no idea what your about to walk into.”

“Maybe not.” Starlight said. “But right now, what we need to do is go in there and get our friends out before things can get worse.”

“Oh, things are going to get worst.” Fruit said, applying the secret knock to the door, thanking all that is holy that Music told her it. “You just don’t know it yet.”

(Twilight’s Plain, Crystal Palace.)

Cadiance was looking over the kingdom with Flurry heart resting on her shoulder and thinking about what happen over the last twenty-four hours. She now was the hosting the other princesses in cased a portal deal goes south. She look at the mirror that lead to the so called other world that Sunset was in and sighed. “I missed when you were the only portal.” She said out loud to no pony and look back to the night sky. She notice a shooting star cutting across and thought it was pretty…until she notice it was heading right for her.

“Why did I think this was a good idea!?!” Cadiance heard from the star as it came crashing down to the ground, smashing into the room and bouncing off the walls. She casted a spell on it to hold it to find out it wasn’t a star but a unicorn strap to what think was some kind of rocket with a vest and was carrying a crate.

“Who are you?” Cadiance asked, watching as he struggle to stay still.

“I’m on an important mission to save your plain.” Swift said, trying to turn off his jetpack. “Please tell me that Luna is here because I’m kind on a time limit, oddly enough.”

“She’s here but why would I take you to her?” Cadiance asked, keeping the spell on lock down.

“You know the last pony to ask me that end up being really helpful so let’s keep that going.” Swift pointed out. “I’m here because the five you send are in danger and soon all alicorn will be next. So tell me where she at, please?”

“She working on some magic with her sister in the throne room.” Cadiance said. “Here, I’ll let you go.”

“No, wait!” Swift started but end up shooting across the room by his rocket again and bouncing off the wall until he hit the floor with a thundering crash. Flurry Heart awoke by this and made a giggle as an ash cover Swift slowly got off by the ground, dizzy. “I think it ready for testing.” He said loopy and collapse on the ground.
(Music Plain, Inside the Rebel Bar.)

Starlight and the gang walk into the bar, smelling the smoke and beer choking the air. They saw some pony on stage wearing a black trench coat and small sun glasses. He was sporting a couple of piercing and his hair was neo green and camo color fur of black and blue. He walk over to a mic and turn it on with a sound of feedback.

“Alright, let give it up for Five Feather Wing Touch and there hit song, “Under and over it.” Our next song is a crowd pleaser, give it up for, “Welcome Home.” By Colt and Creek.” The pony yelled and the band behind him started to play a few note of the song.

“Of course this song is playing when I come.” Fruit said. “Look, we need to find your friends and get out of here.” They look in the crowd of ponies and realize that this task might be a little harder than they thought.

“It going to be almost impossible to find them in this crowd!” Starlight Shouted over the music. “There must be over hundred ponies in here. How are we going to…” Before she could finish the question, a loud cheer came from deep in the crowd and the group turn to see Pinkie and Sky Watcher crowd surfing.

“This is the best party ever!” Pinkie cry out as she head their way.

“Well, that was a little too easy.” Record Keeper said as the two land right in front of them.

“Oh my Goodness, you all made it.” Pinkie said, embracing both Fruit and Rarity in a bear like hug. “This place got so many new songs that I’ve never heard of. There was this one about getting sick and then one about slipping out the back and…” Pinkie was cut off when Fruit yank her down to they were face to face.

“That is what we need to do.” Fruit mutter in her ear. “We need to get to some place safe.”

“Oh, they sang about this place being an asylum.” Pinkie cheered. “That means we’re safe, right?”

“That not the kind of asylum I was talking about. Just star heading to the door.” Fruit said. The group slowly start weaving around the crowd and heading towards the door. Fruit turn to make sure the group was following and when she turn back around, she ran into another pony.

“Hey, watch where you’re…” Fruit start but the words died in her mouth as she who she ran into. “No, you’re supposed to be in jail.”

“Aw, I missed you too, Sweetheart.” Razorback said, carrying a pack full of some black armor. “I would love to stay and chat but your dance card is about to be full.” Before Fruit could respond, Razor slip into the crowd and disappeared.

“What did she mean by that?” Rarity asked, not noticing the crowd was suddenly turn to surround the group.

“I think she was talking about this.” Sky said, pointing to the fact that every pony was looking at them, with daggers and clubs. The music was still playing but the cheer of the crowd, was gone replace with a low grumble. Several of the stronger ones were edging closer to the group and not look at all friendly.

“Who let the traitor in here?” One of them growled, keeping his club raised with magic. The group try to back away but were surround on all sides.

“Any chance we can fight our way out?” Record asked, looking from dagger to club.

“Well, seeing as I’m the only one with real fighting experience, I’m going to say no.” Starlight answer. “And I don’t think talking an option but we got to try.” Before she could start though, a loud bam! Came from behind the mob, causing them to drop most of their weapons. A voice shout out over the mobs surprise shouts, a voice that sound really familiar to Pinkie and Rarity.

“Who causing trouble in my bar!?!” A female voice ring out and the mob parted to allow the owner to see the group. The group watch as a white unicorn with a Mohawk hair style of pink and purple. She was holding on of the metal pipe they saw earlier but it was double barrel and had some kind ridge slider that was pull back, causing a tch-tch sound.

“Well, if I had to bet who would have come crawling to my bar, I wouldn’t have guess you in a million years.” She said, walking towards them. Rarity was the first to speak.

“Sweetie Bell?” She asked and the unicorn laughed out, along with every pony else in the bar.

“Oh, dear sister.” The unicorn reply. “I haven’t been called that in decades. MY name is Rebel Bell and now I must ask you a question.” She lower her magic so her weapon was pointed directly at them. “Why shouldn’t I kill you all where you stand?”