Chapters Operation: Friendship Falls
"Drone 18 and 19, are you inside?" the harsh, ethereal sounding voice of Chrysalis whispered. Two changeling drones looked up at a small green portal, lighting up the darkness of Twilight's castle. No other sounds could be heard as the residents of the large crystalline castle were all fast asleep.
"Yes, the dragon was easily fooled by our disguises, and the others were distracted by some magic show on the other side of town." drone 18 replied.
"Exactly as I planned!" Chrysalis hissed.
"Why don't we just attack them now while they're assleep?" drone 19 asked hungrily.
"No!" Chrysalis said in firm tone. "They are too powerful. Continue with operation friendship falls as I instructed. We must find out everything about them, their strengths, their weaknesses, their secrets. Twilight Sparkle is the princess most likely to keep a written record of anything useful to us. That foolish child has been writing reports since the day she was born."
The two drones bowed and continued walking along the dark hallway as the portal disappeared behind them.
"Which way is her file room again? This castle is so big you could get lost in it for days!" drone 19 complained.
"You idiot you were supposed to memorize the layout!" 18 scolded. He pulled a piece of paper out of his saddlebag. "Fortunately I thought ahead. This Princess is so bent up on organization that she made maps of her castle for visitors."
"Ha how stupid is she?" 19 chuckled.
18 facehoofed. "You're the stupid one. Turn right here."
The two drones turned into a new hallway. "I'm not stupid!" 19 argued stomping a hoof. At the end of the hallway a small door creaked open.
"Hide!" 18 hissed. 19 dove around a corner and listened nervously.
"Hey Starlight I heard some noise so I got curious. Is everything alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked with a yawn.
"Oh yeah I'm fine... just wanted to get a glass of water!" Starlight Glimmer replied.
Twilight raised her eyebrows. "But the kitchen's that way." She pointed a hoof in the opposite direction.
"The kitchen... oh oops silly me, I'm still getting used to this huge castle, so easy to get lost here you know?" Starlight shrugged sheepishly.
"I used to feel the same way when I first got this place." Twilight smiled. "You get used to it. Think I'm gonna *yawn* go back to bed. See you in the morning."
Starlight nodded her thanks and trotted a few steps in the direction Twilight pointed. Twilight waved and walked back to her room, closing the door with a small thud. There was a flash as Starlight changed back into drone 18, who grabbed 19 threateningly. "You almost got us exposed!"
19 rubbed his neck with a hoof. "Um sorry?"
"You will be if we go back to the queen with nothing!" 18 dropped his fellow drone and began trotting on their original path again, tiptoeing (hooftoeing?) this time. They both remained silent, following the map's directions until they finally reached a wooden door simply marked, 'File Room'.
18 swung the door open, careful not to let it creak. The room was filled with reading material, with shelves and shelves of albums, books and folders lining the walls. Several filing cabinets were half open, exposing even more papers. "There's so much in here!" drone 19 whined. "How are we supposed to read through all of these?!"
"They're arranged alphabetically you imbecile." 18 sighed. "I'll look under 'W' for weaknesses, you look under 'S' for strengths and secrets." The changelings searched and searched, poring over Twilight Sparkle's collection with little success. After an hour of searching they were about ready to give up.
"We don't have much time... they're going to wake up in another hour or so. Did you find anything?" 18 asked hopefully.
"Well I found this." 19 held up a black book titled, 'Secrets of Dark Magic'.
18 facehoofed again. "The queen is an expert at dark magic! She'd be insulted if we gave her that!"
Drone 19 slumped his shoulders and put back the book. "We can't go back empty hoofed! Do you know what the queen would do to us if-" 18 began to fret.
"What about that?" 19 pointed at small black filing cabinet tucked away in a corner of the room. A white label on it read, 'CLASSIFIED'. "It looks kinda important..." the drone suggested.
His companion cautiously approached the cabinet and put a hoof toward it. 18's black hoof barely got within three inches before he was thrown back with a loud ZAP noise. "It's protected by some kind of magic ward. No doubt one only Sparkle can undo. Well we'll see about that princess cleverpants!" drone 18 reached into his saddlebag again and retrieved a small black chunk of rock.
"How's a rock going to help us?" 19 asked craning his head to see what his fellow drone was doing.
18 brought the rock close to the cabinet, and a blue mist began to flow into the black stone. "This is part of the queen's throne." he explained. "A special stone that absorbs magic, including pesky ward spells." The mist stopped seeping into the rock, and the changeling put the rock back in his bag. "Now lets see what's so 'classified'." He opened the little cabinet, and found only one folder resting inside with an index card taped to the front. Written in red marker, the folder was titled, "Contingency Plans".
19 put a hoof to his chin. "What's a 'contingency'?"
"Something unforseen, usually bad." 18 answered as he turned over the index card to read it. It was written in Twilight Sparkle's neat handwriting, but was marred by the stains of several tears, as if Twilight was crying when she wrote it.
My friends, if you are reading this that means the worst has happened. Either I have gone evil, or I have passed away and one or more of Equestria's former protectors has turned to darkness. Once you read these plans, your opinion of me may be forever changed, and I accept that. This is the ultimate act of betrayal... the sacrifice I am making to keep Equestria safe. Please understand, I couldn't bear the thought that our magic might be turned against Equestria, with no way to stop us. Even if your memory of me is sullied, I hope you at least understand my intentions.
Twilight Sparkle
"Looks like somepony has a little secret!" 18 grinned wickedly. He flipped open the folder and read a few of the pages. "Oh I think the queen will definitely want to see this."
"One file?! You only brought back one file!!" Chrysalis yelled.
18 and 19 looked at each other confidently. "One file is all we'll need." 18 handed the manila folder to Chrysalis.
Chrysalis looked at the file with curiosity and flipped it open to the first page.
My name is Twilight Sparkle. A few months ago, I was sent to live here in Ponyville to study the magic of friendship by my mentor, Princess Celestia. Though I was initially reluctant, I met five wonderful ponies who I hope will be my lifelong friends. Together we defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria, by uncovering the six long lost Elements of Harmony. Afterwards we won countless battles, defeating foes like Discord, Queen Chrysalis and King Sombra, by staying true to our elements and using the magic of love and friendship. Though we eventually had to give up the physical elements to restore Harmony, each of us still has the spirit and power of our element inside us. Most recently, my five friends and I united against Tirek and imprisoned him in Tartarus once again.
However during that battle, I said something that I didn't realize the gravity of until later. "I carry within me the most powerful magic of all!" Sure enough, that rang true and even with all the magic in Equestria at his disposal, Tirek was not able to defeat us. After the initial celebration at my newly granted castle, I was left alone with some time to reflect. During that time, a dark thought crossed my mind. We had "the most powerful magic of all" at our disposal, so powerful that nothing could defeat it. My friends and I used that magic for good, to restore order and bring peace. But the future is uncertain. What if, one day, we used that power for evil?
There are many ways this could happen. Discord was able to hypnotize my friends during out first encounter to behave the opposite of their true selves. The elements didn't work with their new personalities of course, but in the future a cleverer or more sinister opponent may not hesitate to simply make us his or her servants, and force us to use our magic against innocents. Alternatively, an enemy might threaten to hurt someone we love, and force us to use the magic of the elements for malevolent purposes. But the third possibility scares me most of all. What if one or all of us willingly turned to evil, and abused our power? The words of Princess Luna after the dark water incident come to mind: If we were evil and worked together... there was no doubt we'd be unstoppable.
I cannot bear the possibility that Equestria could be left defenseless if it's protectors turned on it. Therefore, with painstaking study and effort, I have compiled a series of secret contingency plans to neutralize each of the most powerful ponies in Equestria, should any of them turn evil, by choice or through mind control. This was not an easy decision to come to, as it violates the trust of many I love and care about. However it must be done, if the good of Equestria is to be insured.
In the event of myself becoming a threat, I have left a series of coded instructions with my friends so that they may find these plans if the need arises. If you are reading this now, and it is our darkest hour... I hope you understand why this had to be done.
Twilight Sparkle
Chrysalis laughed gleefully. "Oh Twilight Sparkle, your darkest hour has just begun !"
Operation: Fading Rainbow
Two months later...
Queen Chrysalis and two of her drones lounged on a wooden bench, watching the citizens of Ponyville go about their shopping in the local market. They had taken on pony forms of course, so that they would be able to observe the town without being bothered. Chrysalis herself had chosen the form of a black unicorn mare with stylish green hair. She lit her horn and levitated a small sheet of paper in front of herself, licking her lips with anticipation. In top left corner was a symbol of a white cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt crackling down.
Name: Rainbow Dash
Age: 22
Height: 4 ft 2 inches
Weight: 170 lbs
Residence: Cloudsdale (previous), Ponyville
Occupation: Weatherpony, Wonderbolt (as needed basis)
Physical Attributes: Sky blue coat, rainbow mane, cutie mark of a white cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt, athletic physique
Titles: Element of Loyalty, National Hero, Wonderbolt, First pony to perform a Sonic Rainboom
Description: Rainbow Dash is a good friend whose loyalty and courage knows no bounds. She was one of my first friends when I came to Ponyville, and has helped me throughout my adventures and missions this past year. Besides her exemplar character and easygoing attitude, Rainbow Dash's greatest asset is her speed, especially while flying. Rainbow's flying skill earned her praise at an early age, when she managed to complete the first recorded Sonic Rainboom in history. Since then her flight skills have only improved, serving us well on numerous adventures and earning her a place among the Wonderbolts. Rainbow also has basic hoof to hoof fighting skills, and has refined them since joining the Wonderbolts.
Possible Counters: Due to her fighting skill and speed, engaging Rainbow in direct combat is inadvisable as she could easily escape or use her agile reflexes to counter any attack. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash's great flying abilities have led her to often display a cocky attitude, believing herself to easily be able to handle a problem or threat while actually completely unprepared. This weakness is further augmented by her laid back lifestyle, and can often lead to Rainbow making careless mistakes. Furthermore, Rainbow Dash's sense of pride creates another weakness. Put simply: she never turns down a challenge, no matter how ill-advised or dangerous it may be.
If one were to expose Rainbow to a magical gas, altering her perception, it would be easy to make her accept a never-ending race with a perceived opponent. She would eventually tire out, and thus be easy to capture and contain as needed. This would be even more effective if the opponent she saw was a pony she already had a past rivalry with, like Lightning Dust for example.
"Careless mistakes ha! This will be the last mistake you ever make Rainbow Dash ." Chrysalis laughed. She turned to her drones. "It's time to put our plan into effect. Drone 51, you know what to do?"
Her drone, who had taken on the form of a red pony with unkempt black hair, nodded.
"Excellent." Chrysalis hissed with a sinister grin. She levitated a small photo in front of the drone's face. "This is the pony you'll be impersonating." He nodded again eagerly. "Drone 29? Take your position. The show is about to begin!" Chrysalis chuckled. Drone 29 was in the form of an innocent looking colt, with large brown eyes and wobbly knees. He trotted into the market place, idling by a small fruit stand manned by a blue earth pony.
Chrysalis' eyes narrowed as Rainbow Dash carefully landed in the center of the market, carrying a small basket for her shopping. She knew Rainbow would show up on this day at this time, as her drones had been spying on Rainbow's routine for months now. Her changelings had always been there in the background, watching. The only time she had to call them back was during Hearth's Warming Eve, as the love magic was just too tempting for her drones to feed on.
She shook herself from her thoughts and watched in anticipation. Rainbow hummed loudly as she trotted from stand to stand, haggling and buying food. Suddenly there was a loud ZOOM, as a blue and gold flash streaked by. Drone 29 took his cue. "Help!" the colt cried. "Thief!"
The shop owner looked at his stand and realized several of his fruits were missing. "Get back here with my fruit you thief!" he yelled shaking a hoof.
A blue pegasus with a gold mane hovered nonchalantly above the market. "Nah I don't think so. Unless one of you losers is fast enough to catch me!" she teased.
Rainbow Dash looked up. "Lightning Dust!"
"Hey there Rainbow Crash ! Still slow on the uptake I see!" 'Lightning Dust' grinned.
"You got kicked out of the Wonderbolts Academy so now you're just a common thief?!" Rainbow yelled, clearly enraged at being called slow. "Give back that fruit now and get outta here!"
"How about a race Rainbow Crash?" Lightning Dust taunted. "I'll prove to everypony I'm better than you once and for all!"
"You're nothing but a two bit crook!" Rainbow flew up into the air dropping her basket.
"Catch me if you can!" Lightning Dust called as she zoomed away. A rainbow flash streaked the sky as Rainbow Dash flew after Lightning in pursuit.
Rainbow had never been angrier in her life. This no good mare had nearly cost Rainbow her dream to be a Wonderbolt with her recklessness! Then she'd surfaced again and helped other villains attack the Crystal Empire and bring back King Sombra. But this time she had the gall to steal from Rainbow's town and thought she could get away with it? No way!
As Rainbow poured on more and more speed, she found herself slowly gaining on Lightning Dust. Nopony, especially a faker like Lightning Dust could outrace her! The closer Rainbow got, she noticed that Lightning dust seemed to be trailing smoke of some kind. "Almost... have you!" Rainbow coughed trying to wave the smoke out of her face. She had no idea what Lightning was up to, but even this smoky stuff wasn't going to save her! The noxious fumes were making Rainbow tear up, so she used her pegasi magic and summoned a large wind to buffet the gas away.
After it had cleared, she saw that Lightning Dust had stopped just a few feet ahead of her. Rainbow slowed her speed and hovered in front of her rival. "I was wondering when you were going to do that. Unfortunately it's too late now." Rainbow felt her vision swim and go fuzzy for a moment. "I knew you'd never inhale enough for a knockout gas to work... but this gas is something cooked up just for you. Lightning Dust explained. "It works even if you inhale the tiniest amount."
When her vision cleared, Rainbow was Lightning Dust standing in front of her with a smug expression. Rainbow dived at her angrily, but all she caught was empty air. "Huh? What the..." Lightning Dust was... everywhere. Rainbow saw Lightning Dust to her right, to her left, in front of her, above her, below her, beside her. They all had the same smug grin, and had the bag of stolen fruits slung over their backs.
"I'm right here Rainbow Dash!" The Lightning Dust to her left taunted. Rainbow flew after her with all her speed, and grabbed for her. Once again... empty air.
"Or am I here?" Another Lightning Dust called.
"W-whatever freaky game you're playing Lightning... I'm out!" Rainbow yelled defiantly. She turned around and began to fly away.
"Then I guess you lose!" Lightning called after her. Rainbow stopped. "Everypony saw me challenge you and saw you accept. If you leave, you forfeit! Even if Princess Twilight catches me with her magic, I still win! Your reputation as the fastest pony in Equestria will be history!"
"You cheated." Rainbow said flatly, still facing away.
"But you can't prove it. Oh sure your friends will say they believe you, they'll say you did the smart thing. But that doubt'll always be there won't it?" Lightning Dust said gleefully. "In the back of their minds they'll wonder: is Rainbow really the best?"
Rainbow flew at Lightning with anger in her eyes. Empty air again. "I AM the best!" she roared.
"Then prove it." the Lightning Dusts said in unison. Rainbow flew at another one, panting. "Slow as usual Rainbow!" "Oops try again!" "How'd a second rate flyer like you become a Wonderbolt?" On and on it went, until Rainbow was barely able to hover, panting with exhaustion.
"I- I'll get you..." Rainbow felt herself slowly sink back to the ground, coming to rest in a lonely meadow. She collapsed, too tired to even move an inch. Lightning Dust, singular, landed beside her. Rainbow's vision was swimming again, as sweat poured down her face.
Lightning Dust seemed to shimmer and turn black. She looked like... a changeling! Rainbow tried to get up but found herself unable to move. Two more black figures trotted up beside her. Rainbow managed to tilt her head up to look at the tallest one. "C-Chrysalis?"
"That's Queen Chrysalis to you. Don't worry, your friends will be joining you soon enough. But for now, they'll want to see their pal Rainbow Dash won't they?" The changeling that had been Lightning Dust morphed into a copy of Rainbow Dash. Chrysalis' horn glowed green. "For now, it's time to say goodnight, little pony." Rainbow saw a green flash and blacked out.
Name: Applejack
Age: 21
Height: 4 ft 8 inches
Weight: 240 lbs
Residence: Manehatten (Previous), Ponyville [Sweet Apple Acres]
Occupation: Apple farmer
Physical Attributes: Orange coat, yellow mane, cutie mark of three red apples, athletic physique, typically wears a brown Stenson style hat,
Titles: Element of Honesty, National Hero
Description: Applejack is a hardworking and dependable friend who is known for her honesty. While she may tell the truth with care and tact, Applejack absolutely refuses to lie, due to her bad experiences with lying as a filly. In fact, her honesty makes me feel all the more guilty for not telling her about this file, but I continue in the hopes that she might agree with my intentions at least.
Besides her honesty, Applejack has several skills and abilities that might make her a difficult opponent. She is an outstanding athlete, despite not competing much professionally (with an exception for rodeo). Furthermore, Applejack has attained powerful hind legs from a lifetime of apple bucking, making her capable of jumping long distances and delivering a powerful kick (which I've been on the receiving end of by accident... it's not pleasant). In addition, she can stay extremely calm under pressure, and often hides emotions like sadness or anger.
Possible Counters: Applejack's impressive physical abilities make attacking her directly impractical. Although her physical defenses are strong, Applejack does have several psychological weaknesses that could make her easy to contain or exploit. As much as Applejack's honesty is a strength, it is also a weakness. Though she may of course simply refuse to answer a question, with the proper interrogation tactics one could confuse her enough that she may accidentally give a truthful answer that could divulge valuable information. Alternatively challenging her honesty may lead to Applejack becoming distressed and likely to slip up verbally or in combat.
However Applejack's greatest weakness is her loyalty to her family. Having grown up on Sweet Apple Acres among several family members, Applejack has a deeply rooted connection to her family, particulary Granny Smith, her older brother Big Macintosh, and most importantly, her little sister Applebloom (see file on Cutie Mark Crusaders for further information). If Applejack were to believe any of her family members were in danger, she would rush to save them without thinking. Her unbalanced mental state would make her especially vulnerable to a trap, however one must be wary that she will be under an adrenaline rush of panic, and may have increased physical abilities. It would be best to lure her into an abandoned area and simply stun her with a spell before she can react.
Applejack wiped her sweaty forehead with a hoof and took off her hat. After a long day of apple bucking, she was really looking forward to some relaxation. Maybe she'd go visit one of her friends if they weren't too busy. She sighed happily and turned around to see two very familiar fillies running toward her in the distance. Sweetie Belle and Scootlatoo stopped in front of her, sweating and panting like they'd run a marathon. "Ain't you girls and Apple Bloom supposed to be studying with Twilight right now?" Applejack asked with a patient smile.
Sweetie Belle shook her head frantically. "Apple Bloom's in danger!" she said in a panicked voice.
"Come again?" Applejack felt worry begin to creep into the pit of her stomach. But then again these fillies were known to exaggerate sometimes.
Scootaloo gulped. "We skipped Twilight time because we really wanted to explore this cool cave we found in Everfree... but then this giant spider thing snuck up on us and grabbed Apple Bloom! We tried to fight it but it almost got us too! Please Applejack we're sorry..."
Applejack didn't bother listening to the rest. She grabbed her lasso rope and began galloping toward Everfree. "Y'all come with me, NOW!" she yelled back. The fillies ran after her as fast as they could. Applejack reached Everfree in 5 minutes flat, but had to wait an additional two for the foals to catch up. "Show me where this cave is!" she yelled. "If anything happens to her..." Applejack unwillingly began running scenarios through her head that she didn't want to see.
After a few minutes Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof. "There!" A small den jutted out of the ground with an entrance only slightly bigger than Applejack herself.
Suddenly Applejack heard agonized screams from within the den... the screams of her sister. She rushed in, desperately looking around the damp, cool cave for any sign of her sister. "Apple Bloom?!!" she called fearfully. Applejack felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She sniffed and wiped them away, still looking for any sign of where her sister might be.
Out of the darkness of the cave, a small shape stepped into view. "Apple Bloom?!" Applejack said cautiously. Sure enough, the form of Apple Bloom trotted into the light, looking almost apathetic. "Ah, ah thought you were in danger... I heard you screaming!" Applejack said with a mix of incredulity and relief. She looked behind her for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, however to her horror she found two black, pony-like insects staring back at her. Her eyes wide, Applejack turned back to her sister. Only now it was no longer her sister, but the cruel eyes of Queen Chrysalis that stared back at her.
"I'm afraid Apple Bloom isn't here." Before Applejack could even move, Chrysalis' horn flashed green and Applejack felt a bolt of magic hit her chest. Instantly she felt herself become limp, and her eyes start to close. Chrysalis laughed. "To think it was this easy all along to defeat Equestria's greatest heroes. Don't worry though, Applejack... we'll be dealing with your sister and her pathetic friends soon. For now, sleep." Applejack's vision faded to darkness.
Name: Fluttershy Breeze
Age: 20
Height: 4 ft 5 inches
Weight: 142 lbs
Residence: Cloudsdale (previous), Ponyville
Occupation: Weatherpony, Veternarian/Animal Caretaker
Physical Attributes: Yellow coat, pink mane, cutie mark of a three pink butterflies, slight physique
Titles: Element of Kindness, National Hero
Description: Fluttershy is an exceptionally kind and caring friend, known for her good heart and gentleness. Her kindness is so great that she was even able to teach Discord the ways of friendship, a feat I thought impossible. Initially, Fluttershy's kindness was counterbalanced by immense shyness, however over time Fluttershy has learned to overcome her natural shyness and become more assertive to point where she can stand up for herself or her beliefs.
In addition, Fluttershy's special talent gives her a magical connection to animals, to the extent that she can even interpret their speech (as long as they are semi-sentient... it is much harder for her to interpret insects or purely instinctual creatures). She tends to easily befriend and control any animal she meets, with the exception of antagonistic animals like the cockatrice. In this case, Fluttershy will use a power known as "The Stare". She will adopt a stern unflinching look and proceed to stare at the target much like a mother would do to a naughty child. This stare quickly evokes feelings of guilt in ponies and animals, and can lead to quick submission. The only being to suffer no ill effects from the stare is Discord, possibly due to his inability to *feel guilt because of his chaotic nature.*
Possible Counters: While Fluttershy herself is not a physical threat, she often has several large animal friends (and a bad tempered rabbit) near her at all times, making direct attack inadvisable. Furthermore, Fluttershy has several "pseudo-weaknesses" that are important to note. While Fluttershy's shyness may seem like a weakness, it is actually very hard to exploit in terms of containment, as it makes her more likely to run and get help. This also makes kidnapping one of her animal friends as bait counterproductive, as Fluttershy will probably get reinforcements rather than run in alone. Another mistake ponies make when dealing with Fluttershy is to mistake her kindness as her simply being naive and gullible. Discord made this mistake, thinking he was exploiting Fluttershy's good nature while in fact she used this as an opportunity to get close to him and instill friendship in his heart. And of course, once she threatened to take her friendship away, Discord had no choice but to fall in line. In short, Fluttershy is much more perceptive and intelligent than she pretends to be at times.
That is not to say she doesn't have real weaknesses. Due to her experiences at Cloudsdale Flight Camp, Fluttershy has a deep fear of rejection. This is most likely what caused her to form closer bonds with animals rather than other ponies. If she were to feel rejected and unwanted by her animal friends, it would leave her both defenseless, and emotionally crippled. One effective strategy would be to place some sort of animal repellent (undetectable to ponies but detectable to the higher senses of animals) directly on Fluttershy's body, either by tricking her into cuddling an animal previously coated with the repellent, or through use of a spell. Either way, it would cause Fluttershy's animal friends to run away in fear, and leave her too distraught to call for help.
"Please Angel?" Fluttershy asked with a note of sadness in her voice. The rabbit turned away at the offered bowl of food and tapped his foot impatiently. Fluttershy sighed. "Okay I'll make you your salad." Fluttershy said patiently. "But you have to eat all of it, understand?" Angel nodded eagerly and hopped away, leaving Fluttershy to her task.
She began gathering ingredients and setting them on the table. "Hmm that's weird." Fluttershy observed as she looked into her kitchen cabinet. "I could swear I just bought asparagus two days ago. Did one of you eat it?" Fluttershy asked in a gentle but slightly accusatory tone. The various small animals crawling around the kitchen vigorously shook their heads. She shrugged "Looks like I'll have to get more."
Fluttershy grabbed a small coin purse from the counter and tossed it into her saddlebag, setting off for the marketplace. As she trotted outside, she waved a hoof at the large brown bear peacefully laying in her garden. "Hello Mr. Bear!" she greeted cheerfully. The bear grunted and lifted a paw in acknowledgment. He turned over on his stomach and yawned, stretching his limbs to relax them. Fluttershy giggled and went on her way. She hummed a melody and trotted slowly, taking her time to enjoy the beautiful late afternoon sunshine.
Her melody was interrupted by a loud barking sound. Fluttershy turned around and saw brown puppy jumping up and down behind her. "Aw!" Fluttershy cooed as she picked up the small dog. "You're so cute!" The dog licked her and rubbed it self against her coat. For some reason the puppy's fur felt strangely sticky, but Fluttershy dismissed it as sweat. "Do you have an owner little guy?" Fluttershy asked the little dog.
"That would be me." a deep mare's voice said. An exotic looking black unicorn with a neon green mane trotted up, looking pleased.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy apologized. The puppy wriggled out of her grasp and bounded back to its master.
"It's fine, he just can't resist love and attention." the mare sighed. "You could say he feeds off it even." She smiled amicably.
The cute puppy barked at her playfully, making an adorable expression with its eyes. Fluttershy smiled back. "I'm glad you have such a loving pet. You know my special talent is communicating with animals... but for some reason I can't understand him. He must be very unique." she complimented politely.
Fluttershy thought she saw a small flicker of panic cross the mare's face. "Oh I'm sure there are more of his kind. Anyway we really must be going. See you later!" The mare waved a hoof and trotted off, the dog following close behind.
Waving a hoof, Fluttershy continued her errand. After buying her asparagus, she trotted home quickly, as she didn't want to leave Angel hungry any longer. Poor Angel wouldn't eat anything until she made him his special salad, and it was important he didn't miss a meal.
As she trotted into her garden, Fluttershy noticed Mr. Bear resting comfortably in the grass, with his eyes half open. As she walked by Fluttershy waved again with a smile. Mr. Bear sniffed twice, and his eyes shot open. He quickly got up into a defensive stance and growled threateningly. "What's wrong?!" Fluttershy asked in alarm. Mr. Bear growled angrily and bounded away into the Everfree forest, leaving Fluttershy feeling hurt. His growls translated to words Fluttershy didn't want to even think about. She didn't know what she had done to upset him so much but she wiped the tears from her eyes and trotted inside. Before trying to find her bear friend she had to make sure the other animals were okay. "Angel?" she called. No response.
She trotted further into her cottage, calling out the names of her animal friends. Pushing open the door to the living room, Fluttershy heard loud squeaks of panic. All her friends hid behind the furniture, cringing away from her. "Please what did I do?" Fluttershy asked, crying. The animals fearfully backed away as she walked further into the room. A small tapping sound behind her caused Fluttershy to turn around. Angel was holding open the door, waving his tiny paw frantically as all the animals in the room ran out. "Angel?" Fluttershy asked tearfully. The rabbit looked at her angrily and shook his fist, hopping out of the room and slamming the door behind him.
Fluttershy broke down sobbing, sitting curled up on the carpeted floor. "B-but why?" she cried sniffling. Nopony cared about her anymore. She had been kind and gentle, had given up everything for her animal friends. But they still rejected her. She'd always be rejected no matter what. What did her special talent mean? She couldn't even make friends with animals, the most sweet, loving creatures in Equestria. Why would anypony want to be friends with her? She was nothing... just a mat to be stepped on... a chair to be kicked aside.
The door slammed open again. "Angel?" Fluttershy looked up hopefully. "Huh? You're that mare from the market... what are you doing here?
The black-green mare leaned casually against the door frame. "I told you I'd see you later Fluttershy."
"Oh." Fluttershy sniffled as more tears rolled down her face. "It doesn't matter. Nopony wants to be friends with me anyway. I-I'm just a loser."
The dark mare grinned and began to change. She grew taller, her horn twisted and warped, her skin became chitinous and shiny, and withered insect-like wings protruded from her sides. "Exactly. Which is why nopony will miss you when you're gone." queen Chrysalis smiled. Through her stream of tears, Fluttershy saw a green flash before she was enveloped by darkness.
Operation: Cracked Diamond
Name: Rarity Belle
Age: 21
Height: 4 ft 4 inches
Weight: 162 lbs
Residence: Ponyville [Carousel Boutique]
Occupation: Fashion Designer, Entrepeneur
Physical Attributes: White coat, dark purple mane, cutie mark of three diamonds, slender physique, long eyelashes
Titles: Element of Generosity, National Hero, Owner and Proprietor of Carousel Boutique and several lines of clothing
Description: An expert fashion designer, Rarity is a focused professional who often tries to balance between friendship and work life. Despite this, I have seen time again that Rarity will always put her friends first and work in their best interests. Rarity possesses many skills relating to her field, including: sowing, a keen fashion sense, noble contacts and friends, negotiation and business acumen. Her ability to make quick clothing allows Rarity to make clothing to adapt to any situation she's placed in, as long as she has the materials. This includes camouflage, disguises and possibly combat suits (though I've never seen her make one).
Far more practical is Rarity's innate ability to sense gems in the surrounding area. She uses this ability to locate nearby gem deposits and enhance her clothing lines. It is important to note here: if using stealth around Rarity, DO NOT wear clothing with any kind of gem or mineral. Moving gems are especially easy for her to track, and such clothing will immediately tip her off that someone else is present.
Rarity also possesses immense lady-like charm and often uses it to deescalate situations, or help a friend. I have never seen her use it in a combat situation, but theoretically she could try and use it to lower the guard of a male opponent. It is something to be wary of. Lastly, Rarity knows some basic self defense, both magically and physically, though she only uses it under the direst of circumstances, preferring to rely on charm and tact to resolve a conflict.
Possible Counters: Direct attack may work, especially with a numbers advantage. Rarity's defensive capabilities tend to be geared toward stalling rather than winning a fight. Unlike Rainbow Dash and Applejack, Rarity feels no injury to her pride in calling for backup and may try to stall for time until help arrives.
An easy way to avoid this tactic would be to lure Rarity out to a lonely area by burying a large number of gems there, and quickly surround her before she can react. Once captured it is strongly suggested to stun or incapacitate her as she has been known to drive previous captors insane with her whining. (This strategy would have made things much easier when the nightmare forces possessed Rarity... I guess that's another reason I need to make these plans. For my friends' safety as much as Equestria's.)
Name: Pinkamena (Pinkie) Pie
Age: 19
Height: 4 ft 3 inches
Weight: 258 lbs
Residence: Ponyville [Sugarcube Corner]
Occupation: Baker
Physical Attributes: Pink coat, pink curly mane, cutie mark of two blue balloons with a yellow balloon in the center, average physique
Titles: Element of Laughter, National Hero
Description: There's only one way to say it: Pinkie Pie is a barrel of laughs. With a natural talent for being funny, Pinkie is able to make anypony crack a smile. Despite her seemingly random actions, Pinkie actually knows her comedy inside and out, having studied all kinds of comedy from physical to running jokes. She is also an excellent party planner, going so far as to have a secret party planning cave with files on everypony's likes and dislikes (albeit far less sinister than these files...). Her life goal is simply to make everypony she meets happy. As such, Pinkie makes sure to befriend every resident in Ponyville, throwing them at least five parties in the course of a year whether they ask or not.
Pinkie Pie has so many talents it would be more practical to list the things she can't do. One particular ability of note is Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense". This ability allows Pinkie to sense events in the near future, and comes in forms of little twitches or feelings on parts of her body. Despite my best efforts, I cannot explain this power in any scientifically sound way. I do have a sneaking suspicion that Pinkie sees alot more than she tells us, but that again is unconfirmed scientifically. She did once mention to me that while she can't see the direct future, she doesn't see existence the same way everypony else does. Before I could get any further explanation, Pinkie went back to her usual random self. Speaking of Pinkie's randomness, I have no idea why but she can seemingly pull random objects like her party cannon out of nowhere. I guess I'm just glad Pinkie is my friend and not my enemy... I shudder at the thought.
Possible Counters: However if Pinkie does turn against Equestria, here are some things to keep in mind. Because of Pinkie's foresight and ability to seemingly defy the laws of physics on a daily basis, the success of a direct attack is highly improbable. It is also important to note that despite Pinkie's carefree nature, she is highly intelligent and can probably anticipate any tricks or traps.
Though Pinkie possesses many powerful strengths, she is still a pony. Which means she has the same weakness everypony has... emotion. On an everyday basis, Pinkie Pie has a veneer of playfulness complimented with an extremely extroverted personality. However we got to take a deeper look at Pinkie's emotional state after she thought we abandoned her and no longer wanted to be her friends. Rather than finding a constructive outlet or new friends, Pinkie sank into a deep depression and began using hallucinating that inanimate objects were her friends. I believe this happened because Pinkie Pie bases her entire purpose on making ponies happy, and without any friends to make happy, she felt her life was meaningless.
Therefore, if Pinkie Pie were made to believe that she made other ponies unhappy in an extreme way, she would simply lose the will to fight and be easily contained. One possibility to achieve this would be to magically fake a fight between two ponies Pinkie cares deeply about, and have them blame her in the end. Another advantage to this method is that Pinkie isn't very good at dealing with serious situations, so this might throw her off from seeing through the magic.
Operation: Dragon's Downfall
This document had to be re-transcribed due to the amount of tear marks on it making it unreadable.
Name: Spike
Age: 13 (in dragon years)
Height: 3 ft 7 inches
Weight: 159 lbs
Residence: Ponyville [Castle of Friendship]
Occupation: Assistant
Physical Attributes: Purple scales, green spikes, bulky physique
Titles: Assistant to the Princess of Friendship, National Hero, Savior of the Crystal Empire
Description: Spike is a dragonling and my loyal assistant. I raised him from an egg, and he's like a baby brother to me. I really didn't want to write one of these for him... he's just a baby dragon. My baby dragon. But it has to be done. After he went on that gem rampage on his birthday... I can't let innocent ponies get hurt if it happens again and we're not there to stop him. So here goes.
As a dragon, Spike possesses many natural abilities of his race. He can breath a steady stream of fire up to 3 feet, and use that fire to send messages to other users of dragonfire like Princess Celestia. Furthermore, Spike has a complete immunity to hot temperatures to the extent that he can swim in lava without any pain or discomfort. Also since his natural diet is gems (though he can sustain himself on normal foods as well), Spike has an exceptionally powerful stomach, powerful enough to even destroy a book of dark magic or grind up solid rock.
Possible Counters: A direct attack would likely fail, as Spike's fire breath is powerful enough to cause third degree burns. While a promise of gems may provide a moment's distraction, Spike is too clever to fall for a "free gems" ploy (because I drilled it into his head to never take gems from strangers!)
There is an alternative way to get his attention... Rarity. Spike has well known feelings for my friend Rarity, though what part of it is a childish crush and what part is actual love I can't tell. How much of it Rarity reciprocates is hard to tell as well, though looking at it practically there is an age gap. However, dragons do age slower than ponies, so soon their maturity gap may not be that different. Who knows? Whatever makes them both happy, I'm all for. Regardless, if he hears Rarity scream, Spike will run to the scene no matter what the circumstance. This could be used to lure him into a trap and contain him as long as needed. If Rarity herself is not available, I have magically preserved recordings of Rarity's scream that will work just as well.
Name: Princess Celestia
Age: ageless
Height: 6 ft 7 inches
Weight: 350lbs (estimate)
Residence: Canterlot [castle]
Occupation: Co-Ruler of Equestria
Physical Attributes: White coat, light blue/green/pink mane, cutie mark of a blazing sun, slender but built physique
Titles: Raiser of the Sun, Sun Goddess, Princess of Equestria, Elements of Generosity, Kindness and Magic (previous), Keeper of the Tree of Harmony
Description: I know this is treason. No, this is worse than treason this is... betrayal. I'm betraying my teacher just by writing this. Am I? As a Princess my duty is to keep Equestria safe... and I just can't bear the thought. A betrayed Equestria, preyed on by its former protectors with no way to stop them. In that mirror world I saw how much pain that Mirror-Celestia caused. She destroyed cities, dried up land, nearly drove an entire world to ruin. I will do my duty as a Princess. I will bear my guilt, if it means protecting the innocent in the long run. If I go down in history as a traitor, then so be it. At least I'll have played my part.
Princess Celestia is one of the two powerful alicorn sisters responsible for ruling Equestria and keeping harmony. Each day she channels her magic to raise the sun, a monumental feat as I discovered when she temporarily granted me her powers during Tirek's rampage. Many who first start studying the arcane arts make the mistake of thinking Princess Celestia holds magic proportional to the sun, in accordance with the proportionality rule of levitation, where "the heavier the object, the more magical power is required". Princess Celestia's (and Princess Luna's) case is an exception to this rule. The Princesses don't use levitation to lift their celestial bodies, but rather they are literally one with them. Each morning Princess Celestia uses her magic to connect herself with the sun, and when she raises it, she feels like she is the sun herself. As she raises her head, the sun rises with her. This innate connection to the sun is what allows Princess Celestia to possess such great power.
Possible Counters: Attacking Princess Celestia directly is highly inadvisable, as she possesses the magical knowledge of ages, and has access to power of the sun itself. Queen Chrysalis was only able to beat her because she had been feeding on extremely powerful love magic for days on end, in addition to her own dark powers. Unfortunately in a crisis situation we may not have the luxury of storing up powerful magic for days. The Princess is a powerful opponent, having the flight of pegasi, the strength of earth ponies and her sun magic. Furthermore in a situation where she is truly outmatched, she has the wisdom to flee rather than fight and with her teleportation abilities she could be halfway across Equestria in seconds. A trick would not work either, as over thousands of years Princess Celestia has probably seen "every trick in the book".
From what I have gathered through research and scientific guesswork, Princess Celestia's abilities as an alicorn rely on her innate connection with the sun and its power. While connection itself could only be severed if the Princess or the sun was destroyed, there is another possibility. If the Princess feared that connection, her powers would be useless. This could be accomplished with a post-hypnotic suggestion of heliophobia. When Princess Celestia wakes, she would believe herself to be afraid of the sun. In fearing the source of her own power, Celestia would be both mentally and magically broken, and able to easily be contained.
Name: Princess Luna
Age: ageless
Height: 5 ft 8 inches
Weight: 300 lbs (estimate)
Residence: Canterlot [castle]
Occupation: Co-Ruler of Equestria
Physical Attributes: Dark blue coat, dark blue mane, cutie mark of a crescent moon in a black sky, slender but built physique
Titles: Raiser of the Moon, Moon Goddess, Princess of Equestria, Elements of Laughter, Loyalty and Honesty (previous), Nightmare Moon (previous)
Description: Princess Luna is a close ally and friend whom I hold deep respect for. As the guardian of the night, Luna is responsible for raising the moon and watching over dreams. Many also speculate that she moves the stars in the night sky as well, however this is just a myth. Luna once told me that the stars are, "sinister things far beyond her control". Just as Princess Celestia's power is fueled by a connection to the sun, Luna's power is granted through an innate connection with the moon.
Besides her control over the moon, Luna's greatest power is the ability to manipulate dreams. Luna uses her powers in the dreaming world to banish nightmares, create shared dreams and teach valuable lessons to her subjects. While in a dream, Luna seems to have the ability to alter reality as she sees fit, no matter what the mental state of the pony in question. Despite this, she does not like to forcefully change her subjects' dreams too much, and instead prefers to let dreams run their course so as to allow the dreamer to explore the underlying issues or emotions that caused the dream. However if Luna were to turn evil, she could easily abuse her dream powers to achieve control over ponies' minds, or even use them as a form of punishment by unleashing horrible nightmares.
Possible Counters:
There are a few important things to note if Princess Luna were to turn against us again, either as herself or as Nightmare Moon.
1) Luna has an extremely direct approach to problem solving, far more direct than her sister Celestia, and therefore would be more likely to use her full power to crush even a small threat.
2) Countering Luna's control over dreams is imperative to defeating her, as she could easily use this power to obtain secrets or influence the weak minded. A properly cast anti magic field would keep Luna out. Alternatively, Discord claims a tinfoil hat can repel Luna's dream magic. Though this information is dubious, he has managed to keep Luna out of his dreams for millennia.
3) There is a big distinction between Luna and her dark form, Nightmare Moon. While both share a body, they each have very different personalities and powers. Therefore, they also have different weaknesses and different approaches need to be taken when dealing with them.
Nightmare Moon:
Nightmare Moon is an alternate personality created by Luna's jealousy and despair. I believe that it is the result of a magically amplified form of split personality disorder, however this is unconfirmed. Though mostly sharing the same powers as Luna, Nightmare Moon also has the ability to augment her spells with dark magic, and doesn't hesitate to do so. A power crazed sociopath, Nightmare Moon feels no emotional connection to anypony, and instead views ponies as expendable tools to achieve her goals. As such, most emotional or psychological tactics are unlikely to work on her due to her apathy for others.
Challenging Nightmare Moon's power or comparing her to Celestia may evoke an enraged reaction, and while this will make her a more dangerous opponent, she will also be more likely to make mistakes. Trickery will probably not work due to Nightmare Moon's thousands of years of experience. Surprise, however, appears to be an effective tactic, as Nightmare Moon seems to expect weaker foes to submit to her power and will be thrown off if they stand up against her. Lastly, as a user of dark magic Nightmare Moon is highly vulnerable to the Elements of Harmony (my friends and I). This should be the go-to method of defeating her as it will immediately turn her back into Luna. However if none of the above options are viable, use the fail-safe method below.
Luna:
Unlike her counterpart, if Luna were to turn against Equestria as herself, there are several psychological weaknesses that could be useful. Above all things, Luna's guilt and fear of betrayal caused by her time as Nightmare Moon are her mental weak points. By making a case that she is betraying those she cares about, one can at least get Luna to reconsider her actions if not abandon her plans all together. Though Luna has forgiven herself for her past actions after counceling, one could still evoke an unbalanced emotional state by taunting Luna about her guilt and her past. If these do not work, use the fail-safe method below.
Fail-safe:
Because Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon is a lucid dreamer with absolute control over her dreams, a post-hypnotic suggestion of selenophobia (fear of the moon) to negate her power would not be viable. However, I have observed that when using her power over dreams, Luna's physical form is immobile and defenseless. For this reason she makes sure that she is in a safe area before entering the dream world.
In a combat situation, it is possible to turn Luna/Nightmare Moon's dream powers against her. I have developed a spell that if used correctly, can force Luna/Nightmare Moon into a dream connection with the caster, rendering her immobile. Once in this state it would be easy to stun or incapacitate Luna/NM as long as needed. Upon her being incapacitated, the dream connection will immediately be severed.
