Chapters Sombra moved out of the shadows. He had received Queen Chrysallis' message, which was sent via changeling. If it were before his recent invasion of the Crystal Empire, he'd be afraid to step out into the light in front of a queen with a horde of changelings to control, but he had power. He had managed to enslave almost twenty percent of the Crystal Empire, making his army equal to hers.
"And your request?" He dropped the torn scroll of paper at her hooves. He felt slightly uneasy there, her sitting in a throne, he standing in front of her like some accomplice or assistant of hers. He stood taller, trying to assert his high status as the current "Lord of The Empire” as he called himself. In truth, all he had done was drive the inhabitants from their homes and claim some as his soldiers. They were currently in training to become his supporters and army. He didn't use his magic this time, for he knew it could easily be reversed by those accursed six ponies, the Elements.
Chrysallis slipped off her throne to stand in front of Sombra. "My changelings have told me you have a growing army,"
"Yes, that is true. But I don't have time for this, so cut to the chase."
"My, my," Chrysallis stared him directly in the eyes, not flinching at his sudden outburst. "Calm yourself, Sombra."
"King Sombra or Lord Sombra will do."
Chrysallis rolled her eyes. "I don't care whatsoever about your rankings. All I know is that you've successfully taken over the Crystal Empire and part of its inhabitants. I want in."
"On what?"
She let out a bellowing laugh. "On the invasions. Think about it, Sombra-"
"Lord Sombra," he growled.
"Alright," she sighed. "Think about it, Lord Sombra, all we can achieve. We can take over all of Equestria if we band together. Our armies united, we can invade every inch of this land that once tried to rid itself of us." She hissed, motioning out the window toward the rest of Equestria. "And get rid of the Elements of Friendship. Especially Twilight," she added, speaking in a hushed voice.
Sombra stepped back and took a moment to think. He nodded. "But know, I'm the leader in this operation since I was the one who took over the Crystal Empire."
Chrysallis shook her head. "I'm putting my own changelings into your army, which means we're equals. Now, I'll meet you at the outskirts of the Crystal Empire with my army, so the members of your own army can't spy and attempt to escape. We have to play it safe for now and can't risk them being prepared."
"Agreed."
Sirens wailed as the bell in Ponyville Square chimed. The school ponies panicked, especially Sweetie Belle, who screamed for Rarity to come save her. Cherilee tried to seem calm as she rushed them into the shelter underneath the school. It was damp and old, with creaking floors made of wood. At least the rest of it was made of steel reinforced by most of Celestia's students who specialized in that type of magic. There were three benches, all parallel to each other.
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo squeezed next to each other, listening to the hoofsteps outside. There were many of them in synchronization, a well-organised army made up of changelings and specially-trained civilians of the Crystal Empire. When the other civilians fled to Canterlot and Cloudsdale, they told of smoke-filled skies and how their family members failed to escape, then were never seen again. Applejack had told Applebloom not to worry because they'd never get to Ponyville, and she wouldn't lie, but here they were.
There were screams and cries for help, then the sound of hoofsteps again. All was quiet, until there was a sob from a mare near the entrance to the shelter.
"Please don't kill me! Just leave me alone!" The voice was muffled, so much so that Applebloom couldn't tell whose it was.
There was a shriek of horror, then the sound of a sharp item puncturing flesh. Applebloom flinched. She shut her eyes and prayed it would be over soon, prayed that Applejack was alright. She could hear everything above them was being destroyed, slightly jumping when the ground rattled with the force of a blow.
The school ponies began to panic once again, but Cherilee told them to be quiet. If the army knew there was a whole group of little fillies and colts down there, they'd storm in and-
It was too late. There were hoofsteps going towards the shelter's entrance. Their heartbeats quickened. Sweetie Belle hugged her friends tighter, hoping they'd think nopony was in there and leave, but she could hear them trying to open the hatch. They walked away, leaving them be.
There was a knock on the hatch door. "Please!" A mare begged. "Please let me in! My foals and I can't find any other place to take shelter and they're coming back! Please open the hatch!"
Cherilee reluctantly opened the hatch, but didn't allow the mare in. "D-Do you have an ID?"
The mare held out her card and her children's. Those were the cards all of Equestria had decided to use after the Triple S Army had formed and they were told there were changelings. It would make sure nopony would be fooled if any tried to fake. Hers was blue, which meant she was from Fillydelphia.
"Amber Song," Cherilee looked it over, quickly reading the rest. "You may come in."
Letting out a sigh of relief, Amber Song brought her two foals into the shelter, putting them on a bench. She looked poor, with a tangled dirt-brown tail and a mud-smeared cream-colored coat, but her lively blue eyes said otherwise. She had a tattered scarf on, which she used to cover her neck and her head, only leaving her face and a few strands of hair to be seen. Her foals were pitifully thin, and so was she. Applebloom didn't recognize her, which probably meant she was one of the Fillydelphia or Manehattan refugees.
They waited down there for a day and a half, where Cherilee had to take out the emergency food supply to feed the children. She tried not to seem afraid, hoping they would follow her example, but she couldn't help but flinch whenever she heard a sound from up above. Diamond Tiara had stopped speaking, Sweetie Belle didn't want to move, Scootalo kept staring at the walls, Silver Spoon preferred to see the world when it was blurry, Cherilee had made a strict routine for herself, and the rest opted to sleep through the days. Applebloom seemed like the only filly who acted alive in that shelter. Except for Amber Song.
She would occasionally look away from her foals to glance around the shelter. She seemed to be getting thinner, her refusing to eat the food supply so as not to be a burden. Sometimes, Applebloom would give her some of her own food supply, and Amber Song would only eat part of it and leave the rest.
Two days. Two days they'd been down there. The food supply was running out and Scootaloo was starting to get uneasy. She was claustrophobic, and wanted to leave the shelter as quickly as possible.
When the bell in the Square chimed, Cherilee opened the hatch and her students rushed out. She made sure none of them left as they listened to the announcement.
"All Ponyville citizens report to the Square," came Twilight's voice over the loudspeakers installed all over Ponyville. "All Ponyville citizens report to the Square." It repeated.
The students lined up and went to the Square, Cherilee pretended to not see the puddles of blood and a huge part of the hospital staff taking the few ponies who were confronted by the army, but were still alive.
At the Square, Twilight stood in the center of a huge crowd with a microphone. "Ponyville," she began, "we have been attacked by the Triple S Army, as they call themselves. Don't worry, they're gone now, back to their base. It is led by King Sombra and Queen Chrysallis, who have fully taken over Fillydelphia and Manehattan, which is why we are currently attempting to build walls surrounding Ponyville and more buildings to take in the refugees and ponies whose homes have been destroyed in the recent attack. The Triple S Army is attempting to invade us as well, but they couldn't get into the shelters. For the few ponies who couldn't find shelter quickly enough, their families will receive a letter and a mourning shall take place. We are deeply sorry for your losses." She looked around, taking a deep breath. "Right now, we need an army. There shall be training and we will recruit ponies, dragons, and griffons to aid us in this battle against Triple S Army. If you are willing to help the cause, travel to Town Hall at dawn tomorrow. This role isn't only for ponies who want to become soldiers, but also ponies who want to help in any way they can. For now, please rest. Goodnight."
Applebloom searched for Big Mac and Granny Smith in the crowd. When she saw them, she looked around. "Where's Applejack?"
"Maybe we'll see her at the farm, now let's get going," Granny Smith was leaning heavily on her cane. Big Mac helped her walk up the path leading to Sweet Apple Acres.
A few hours passed. Granny Smith was getting nervous. She had sent Applebloom up to her room and spoke with Big Mac. Applebloom listened from upstairs.
"It's almost midnight and she's still not home. Do you have any idea where she might be?" Granny Smith asked.
Big Mac shook his head.
"What if they got her?"
Applebloom remembered the voice of the mare outside the shelter a few days before. It was Applejack. Was she dead, killed by the Triple S Army? She hurried downstairs.
"You're meant to be in your room," Granny Smith said, turning to face her.
"I know what happened to Applejack."
Granny Smith and Big Mac stared at her expectantly.
"S-She was right outside the shelter. She was begging for them to leave her alone, but..." Applebloom took a deep breath. "I think... I think they stabbed her."
Granny Smith was frozen for a moment before bursting into tears. "Why? Why would they do that to her? She's gone now and-"
There was a knock on the door. Before anyone could answer, it creaked open. There stood Twilight with a letter held in her magic.
"Princess Twilight!" Granny Smith, despite her old age, rushed to her. "Any news about Applejack? You should know. Is she... gone?"
Twilight shook her head. "Well, the mailpony has a lot of letters to deliver and you were about to be last, but I figured you should know as soon as possible, so I decided to deliver it because Applejack's my best friend and you shouldn't worry," she gave the letter to Granny Smith, who wasted no time ripping it open.
"To the Apple family. Applejack took a spear to the chest, but is miraculously still breathing. She won't be able to move as fast as she used to, but she'll recover. She is currently in hospital under the watch of many trained nurses and will be sent home after she is deemed fit enough to do so. Ponyville Hospital. " Granny Smith read aloud. "Thank Celestia, she's alive," she hugged the letter to her chest, then turned to Twilight. "Thank you, Princess Twilight. We're so glad to hear Applejack's okay."
Twilight nodded, smiling slightly. "Me too. I need to go now. Bye," she closed the door and teleported away.
Applebloom was somewhat at ease knowing her sister was alive, but one thing kept her awake at night: Would the Triple S Army come back to take somepony's life? Maybe somepony close to her? It was possible. What if... what if she went to Town Hall? What job would she receive? Twilight said she didn't have to be a soldier. She could go if she wanted to help the upcoming fight against Triple S Army. Would she save a life? Probably not, but she still decided she'd go to Town Hall, no matter what.
Applebloom adjusted her bow as she sped downstairs and out the door, her ID card in her saddlebag. Granny Smith was up early, looking out across the farm, frowning. "I'd bet the smoke tainted our apples somehow. I'll need to get Twilight to send somepony to check," she muttered.
"I'm going out." Applebloom said.
"Where?"
"Town Hall. I want to help."
Granny Smith didn't seem upset about a little filly trying to assist Ponyville in what looked like a future war. "Wait for Big Mac. He's going too. Just a few minutes."
"But Granny, I'll be late-"
Granny Smith pointed at the sky. Only part of the sun was peeking over the horizon, barely visible. "If anything, I'd bet this counts as before dawn."
Applebloom rolled her eyes as she waited by the door for her brother. "Big Mac, we have to go now or we'll be late to the meeting at Town Hall!" She yelled, trying to speed him up.
It worked. Seconds later, Big Mac was at the door. He strolled past Applebloom, staring straight ahead. Not saying a word, Applebloom followed him to Town Hall, watching the lines of other ponies trotting towards it, all as determined as Big Mac was. All determined to protect Ponyville if Triple S Army struck again.
Inside, Twilight was standing at a podium, the Elements standing beside her. All but Applejack. "Citizens of Ponyville," she began, the microphone making her voice echo, "and refugees from Fillydelphia and Manehattan. We are all here to fight against the threat of Triple S Army. They may not seem as threatening now, only having attacked once, but they will become a threat in the future, I'm sure. If you'd like to become a soldier, meet with Rainbow Dash, who is going to be your leader and trainer. If you want to make clothing for the soldiers, go with Rarity. For helping with supplying our army with food, go to Pinkie Pie. For any other tasks that don’t fit in any of the other criteria, meet Fluttershy, and for ideas for big projects to help the cause, you're welcome to come to me." She stepped off the podium as her friends separated to wait for ponies to find tasks, each with a clipboard and a pen.
Most older ponies met with Rainbow Dash, mostly stallions and members of the Wonderbolts, while mares went to Rarity. A few ponies went to Pinkie Pie, some of them were younger ponies who attended the meeting. Applebloom went with the crowd of young fillies and colts to Fluttershy, begging for a job so they could help Ponyville.
Applebloom saw a young colt with a pale gray coat and a curly, tangled dark brown mane and tail. He held his ID card in his mouth, and Applebloom could see it wasn't the Ponyville purple, but the Fillydelphia blue card. He was probably one of the refugees.
"Please get in a line so I can sign all of you up and assign your tasks," Fluttershy said. She had a headset, which made her sound like she was speaking normally instead of the hushed voice she was actually talking with.
The colt was in front of Applebloom. She leaned to the side slightly so she could read the name printed in huge letters on his ID card: Crimson Strike. She instantly moved back when he turned his head a bit and caught sight of her looking at his card. She pretended to be fascinated with the floor until Crimson was receiving his task.
Fluttershy took a look at his ID card. "This one is for a pair, so maybe you and Applebloom could do it together." She squinted at her clipboard. "But it's quite dangerous, not for young ponies like you."
Crimson turned to Applebloom so she could see his striking crimson-colored eyes. It was as if he was asking her a question: Do you want to do it?
"We'll do it," Applebloom said to Fluttershy, looking at Crimson briefly to see if he was okay with it. He nodded slightly. "We want to help."
Fluttershy stared at them, concerned for a moment. She looked at Applebloom's ID card, then scribbled something on a form. She gave it to Applebloom. "Go to the Square and take this to the stall where Thunderlane is. You know him, right, Applebloom?"
Applebloom nodded as she took the form. "Thanks." She turned and pushed her way through the crowds to get outside. She trotted to the Square and turned occasionally to make sure Crimson was following. He was looking around at Ponyville, which was destroyed, but was right behind her. Without stopping, Applebloom looked down at the form.
Task given to: Applebloom and Crimson Strike. ID cards checked: Yes. Task given: Invaders. Task given by: Fluttershy. Applebloom looked up, confused. "What do they mean by 'invader'?" She didn't mean to say it out loud.
That caught Crimson's attention. Without warning, he snatched the form and quietly read it aloud to himself. He gave it back to Applebloom and shrugged.
Applebloom shoved it back into her saddlebag and picked up the pace, not to leave Crimson behind, but because she knew they'd have to undergo some sort of training. She quickly reached the Square and trotted to Thunderlane's stall, taking the form out of her saddlebag.
Thunderlane read the front. He looked at Crimson. "Refugee?"
Crimson nodded. He took out his ID card.
"Fillydelphia..." Thunderlane muttered and gave it back. He turned and went to the crate he had near the back of his stall with the word INVADERS printed on it. He took out two saddlebags, giving them to Applebloom and Crimson.
"I don't need the saddlebag. I have my own," Applebloom said, pushing it back to Thunderlane.
Thunderlane pushed it back. "I'm not just giving you a saddlebag, I'm giving you the saddlebag and what's inside it. That's what you need. These are durable and are much more suited to the place you're going."
"Where are we going?" Applebloom asked.
"To get into Triple S Army's base, of course. You're invaders , but you have to be sneaky about it. They'll tell you more in training." Thunderlane pointed in the direction of the lake marking the outskirts of Ponyville. "That's where yours will take place."
Applebloom was stunned for a moment. "We have to get into the army's base?"
"They'll tell you more in training," Thunderlane repeated. "Now go."
Crimson turned and walked in the direction Thunderlane had pointed to, Applebloom trailing behind. "Get into the army's base..." she muttered to herself. "That's almost impossible."
Crimson could obviously hear her, but pretended he couldn't. He fell back so Applebloom could lead for the rest of the way.
"What do you think they'll train us do to?" Applebloom asked.
Crimson shrugged.
Applebloom stared ahead at the lake. There was only one pony there, Spitfire, who wore sunglasses and carried a clipboard. She scribbled something onto it when she saw Applebloom and Crimson Strike approaching. "ID cards," she said. She stared at them, then up at the young ponies standing in front of her. "Let's get to training, then. If I'm stuck with you school ponies, we have a lot of work to do."
"Wait, Spitfire, I thought you were going to go with Rainbow Dash. Why aren't you with her?" Applebloom asked.
Spitfire shook her head. "My job is to help train the soldiers who stay. Some will be here to help defend Ponyville while the others will go out and fight. I'll need to make them into great guards, but for now, it's your turn to train. Now come with me." She led them to a small area looking like a tiny army's base. "Pretend I'm part of the Triple S Army. You have to get by me into this room which contains a very important document and can do anything to get in but you can't fight me."
Applebloom stepped forward. "Um, can we get in please?"
"Name?" Spitfire asked.
"Uh, Applebloom."
Spitfire face-hoofed. "No, you have to pretend you're a soldier if you want to get in or else you'll be imprisoned. You'll have to lie!"
"Applejack told me it's better to be honest..."
Spitfire sighed. "It's fine to lie as long as it's for a good cause. You're probably saving lives if you do this, maybe even Applejack's."
Applebloom nodded and stood up straighter. "I'm a changeling disguised as a filly. I even stole this ID!" She took the ID from her saddlebag. "Our leader requires the papers in there and she needs them now ."
Spitfire stepped aside. "That was good, but next time don't just go out and say you're a changeling. You make it way too obvious."
"But I'm meant to be a changeling."
Spitfire nodded. "But if you say it like that, they'll get suspicious. Oh, by the way, you can also say you're a former Crystal citizen. And also, you don't have to do that much talking, just say you want the document. Crimson Strike, your turn."
Applebloom stepped back as Crimson went forward. He dropped his saddlebag and casually walked to Spitfire. He gave her a slight nod and tilted his head toward the door. "Papers."
Spitfire smiled. "That was great, but we need to practice if they ask questions." She stared at Crimson. "What for?"
"Leaders," Crimson kept his gaze steady. "Urgent."
Spitfire didn't stop. "Name?"
Crimson thought for a moment. "Crystal Sword."
"Perfect. Applebloom, this is what you should do. Keep what you're saying short and simple, like Crimson Strike."
Applebloom stared at the door. "When we're invading, what do we actually have to get?"
"Plans. Most army generals keep written plans of their tactics and attacks, so you'll have to get those and bring them back, but you still have to pretend you're Triple S soldiers so they won't kill or imprison you on the spot. It's a tough job, but Crimson Strike got it, so you can too. There will be more invaders looking for separate files, so don't worry about them. Maybe you'll have to say you're changelings, since I don't think they kept fillies and colts as soldiers. I think they put them in prison or died during training, so they'll get very suspicious. Now, in case they sniff you out and get a little hostile, you'll have to learn defense."
"Can't we carry weapons or something?" Applebloom asked.
Spitfire shook her head. "You can't, because they're probably taking the same precautions as we are to make sure no spies get in and will search you. You can take saddlebags, but don't put anything in them. You're only taking them along so you can carry the plans back here, got it?"
Crimson nodded.
"We leave our ID cards here, then?" Applebloom inquired.
"Yes, but they'll be locked away. All of the ponies going to their base, spies and invaders, like you, are going to leave your IDs with somepony at Town Hall, but ask them to show you their ID cards, okay?" Spitfire paused, looking up at the approaching crowd of ponies. When they were there, she addressed all of them. "Let me tell you the plan now. So, you'll meet here with some other ponies and will go to the base, but don't get in all at once and make sure you're in an organised line. You'll separate, but make sure you know where your partner is."
As Soarin flew down and landed beside her, he whispered something into Spitfire's ear.
"Alright," she announced. "Now it's time for defensive practice. If you're a spy, go with Soarin. If you're an invader, stay with me. This will be a long day."
That night, Applebloom went home exhausted. Her muscles ached as she dragged herself up the stairs. Big Mac was still training, and would only come home at dawn. She was to go back to the lake at midnight the next day and would reach Triple S Army's base at around noon, maybe even before that if they went fast, which they probably wouldn't. The vigorous fighting techniques she had to learn made her want to curl up and sleep for a week. At least that made sure she wouldn't mess up, or else she'd have to fight again, but not against Spitfire, against a whole army. One filly versus a full-on army of ponies and changelings.
She threw herself onto her bed with the last bit of energy she had left, bouncing slightly before closing her eyes and welcoming the darkness of sleep.
Granny Smith jabbed Applebloom with her hoof. "Wake up, it's almost noon!"
Applebloom slowly lifted her head. "Let me sleep, Granny."
"No," Granny Smith pushed her up into sitting position and shook her gently. "You still haven't told me about what you'll be doing." She looked concerned. "Is it dangerous?"
Applebloom blinked a few times until her eyes focused on her grandmother's concerned face. "I'll be fine. There'll be plenty of other spies and invaders in the base with me-"
"Base? What base? What spies? What invaders?"
"Well, the Triple S Army base. Don't worry. We learned fighting techniques and all that. All I have to do is sneak in, grab the plans, and get out."
"I'm not letting you, a little filly, go to the enemy's base."
"I'll be saving lives out there, Granny."
"While risking your own! What if something happens to you? You'll be all alone and they'll probably kill you or train you to become one of them-"
"I won't be alone and I won't become one of them. I have Crimson Strike and all the other invaders and spies to help me in there. Granny, I promise I'll be okay."
Granny Smith stared into Applebloom's eyes. "Wait till your brother's awake. I'll bet he has something to say about all this." Shaking her head, she slowly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Applebloom sighed, then settled down to doze off once more.
The door was flung open.
"Triple S Army!" Applebloom screeched, panicked as scrambled off the bed in a mad attempt to get away. When she ran into the wall, she stopped and heard no warning sirens or bells chiming. She turned to look at the doorway. There stood Big Mac and Granny Smith. "Oh."
"No." Big Mac said.
"What?"
"You're not going."
Applebloom looked him right in the eye, the way she saw Scootaloo do it whenever she wanted something. "I am. I'm going and you can't do anything to stop me. I'm saving lives if I do this."
"You're too young."
"Spitfire said that's why I should do it! If the plans are in some heavily guarded area they won't let me into, I can just sneak in through a window or something. I'm going to help save Ponyville and probably the rest of Equestria if I do this, just like you. Whether you like it or not, I'm leaving the house tonight. I'll be back by next week, I promise."
Granny Smith frowned as she stepped in front of her. "You're not leaving this house!" She slammed the door shut, and Applebloom heard the click of the lock.
Her heart sank. She was already signed up to be an invader, but what if she didn't go? Maybe somepony would replace her, but she didn't want to be replaced. She wanted to help. She wanted to prove she wasn't just a helpless filly and could actually do something. She was going to go no matter what, but would need to rest if she wanted to make it. She curled up on her bed, and closed her eyes. She remembered Applejack, probably in the hospital, unconscious. Was she in pain? Was she thinking about Applebloom just as she was thinking about her? Was she going to live? Of course she was. If she could survive a spear impaling her chest, she could live through a few days in the hospital until she fully recovered. After all, she was under the care of Ponyville's best doctors and nurses.
"Hang in there, Applejack," Applebloom muttered to no one in particular. "I'll see you soon."
Applebloom pulled her window open and looked out. The apple trees were covered in moonlight and all was quiet. She grabbed her saddlebag and sat on the sill for a while. It was a few minutes to midnight, so she had to be quick. She stared down. It was quite a fall, but she'd live if she jumped. Maybe she'd get a headache or maybe a broken hoof, but she'd survive. "For Applejack and for Equestria. she muttered to herself, closed her eyes, and slid off.
She fell headfirst, stifling a scream of pain when she landed. She stood up, still dizzy, and bolted into the trees. She swerved to avoid hitting them, her vision still somewhat distorted, and picked up the pace when she felt midnight was only seconds away. Before she exited Sweet Apple Acres, she plucked a few apples from the trees and stuffed them in her saddlebag, then continued. She slowed when she saw a large body of water and allowed herself to stop and rest. She blinked a few times and approached Spitfire and Soarin.
Spitfire was staring at her clipboard and at the group of ponies in front of her. "Alright, we're all here. Let's move out." She flew ahead and the group followed, marching along in two lines.
They walked to the train, where Spitfire nodded at the conductor. "Spitfire and Soarin, taking out invaders and spies."
The conductor nodded back. "Access granted."
Spitfire turned to the group. "This is where you're all on your own. It'll take you to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, where they've made their base, but make sure they don't know who you are and what you're doing in there, got it?"
Everyone nodded as their boarded the train, Spitfire and Soarin writing something on their clipboards when they saw each one.
"Good luck." Soarin said as the train's doors closed.
Applebloom sat next to Crimson, who was staring out the window. "This is weird, isn't it? It's been barely a week since their attack and here we are, about to infiltrate Triple S Army's base."
Crimson said nothing.
"Not much of a talker, are you?" Applebloom asked. "Well, my friends say I talk enough for almost all of the ponies in Equestria, so I guess that means you too."
Silence. There were a few chatters from the others, but other than that, it was quiet.
They marched to the border of the Crystal Empire in sync, trying not to show how frightened they were. Without a word, they split up into two groups: Invaders and spies. They hid their saddlebags behind some rocks before going into the base's front entrance.
"One single file." A changeling guard said.
"Name?" The other, a crystal guard, asked.
"I-I'm..." a mare at the front began. "I..." she immediately froze up.
The first guard looked her over. "You don't remember your name?"
"I do," the mare said quickly. "I just need some time..."
The crystal guard wasted no time enveloping her in his magic. "Where are you coming from?"
"I... was stationed in Ponyville."
The crystal guard stared her straight in the eyes. "You're obviously too weak to leave the base. Have you finished your training?"
The mare squirmed in his magical grip, obviously trying to free herself. She tried to flap her wings, but couldn't. "I-I haven't, but I was told I should go with my team..."
The changeling stepped forward. "Which group are you? Tell us or else."
Nopony said a word, except for Crimson, who was oddly calm.
"We weren't given an official group name," he began. Applebloom stared at him. It was the first time he'd said more than a few words at once. "We're newly-trained, but are completely loyal to the army. We were sent as spies in Ponyville and have come back to share our findings. The ponies are planning to flee, but we are not sure where."
"Newly-trained, huh?" The crystal guard put the mare down. "Explains the nervousness. But why are some of you so young? I'd expect most of you to have died during training. It is quite brutal."
"Brutal to weed out the weak," Crimson replied. "Which we are not. We're the best of the group, which is why they let us go on a mission only a day after training."
"You require an audience with Lord Sombra?"
Crimson nodded. "Yes."
"Okay, you need to tell us your names, though." The changeling looked at the mare. "Do you remember now?"
The mare trembled under his gaze, shrinking back.
Crimson took a few moments to think. "Her name is Shimmer Heart. She doesn't remember much of anything before training started, like most of us. But I have the best memory here, so I remember for them."
"Not all of them can have such a terrible memory." The crystal guard looked at Applebloom. "Tell us your name."
Applebloom tried to look confident as she thought of a name for herself. If she was a crystal pony, what would her name be? It had to be related to crystals somehow, or describe her. “Magenta Ribbon." She said.
The crystal guard nodded and jotted something down on his clipboard. "Alright, what's your name, little colt?"
"Crystal Sword." Crimson said.
"Okay, you three can go." The guard nodded to the mare, Applebloom, and Crimson.
Crimson gave him a slight nod before calmly walking past him, Applebloom and the mare following.
"Thank you," the mare whispered. "I thought I was done for."
"No problem," Crimson replied. He looked at the mare. She was also from Fillydelphia and he’d seen her before. “Sky Mist.”
Applebloom stared around her. The houses had been turned into prisons and training facilities. The skies were covered with gray smoke and everything didn't glimmer the way it was meant to. It was as dull as the sky. Ponies, the skinniest Applebloom had ever seen, were slowly walking past, chains clasped around their necks. Guards followed, holding onto the ends of the chains. A stallion was dragging his hooves to one of the prisons, a changeling guard close behind.
Crimson led the way to the Empire’s center, where the shimmering palace Princess Cadance lived in was turned into a replica of Queen Chrysallis’ hive. Looking at it sent shivers down Applebloom’s spine.
Once they were in, Applebloom and Crimson set off to find the plans, leaving Sky Mist to find her own document. Crimson didn't know where he was going, but pretended he did. He stopped at a door with a pair of guards in front of it. "Do you have any idea where the attack plans are?" Crimson asked.
"Why do you need 'em?" A guard stared him up and down.
"Lord Sombra ordered us to find them. It's urgent ."
The guard looked at the other, who nodded. "You must be new soldiers, right? The plans are down the hall. Take the first left you see. Then there's a door. Lord Sombra should've given you the keys."
"What keys-" Applebloom immediately stopped talking when Crimson glared at her.
"Thank you. We'll get going now." Crimson turned and hurried down the hall, Applebloom following. "Let me do the talking." He whispered. "You just need to keep your mouth shut."
Applebloom looked at her hooves. "Sorry," she mumbled as they turned left.
In front of them was a huge green door. Crimson tried to push and pull it open, but it wouldn't budge. It was locked. He looked around, pushing at the walls and sighing when nothing worked. "Spitfire should've known it'd be well-protected," he muttered to himself. "Hey, here's an idea: Try to make yourself useful!" He hissed, turning to Applebloom.
Applebloom walked around until she felt something shift below her hooves. It was some kind of hatch. She began to jump up and down, Crimson staring at her in confusion. It soon broke, allowing Applebloom to fall down. Crimson wasted no time leaping in after her. It was a winding tunnel that made them slide down. It twisted and turned, then propelled them upwards. Applebloom hit the panel of wood above her, knocking it out of the way. She climbed out to see they were inside the room.
"You did it!" Crimson exclaimed, still keeping his voice down. In the center was a round table with scattered papers all over its surface. He began looking over each one.
"I saw someone break into the room!"
They froze. "Quick, hide!" Applebloom whispered, ducking under the table, Crimson doing the same.
"Really?" Another voice said. "I knew I should've covered up this tunnel. It was useless and now possible spies have gotten in through it! Let's have a look." The door was unlocked and creaked open. There stood Queen Chrysallis and the guard who stood at the entrance to base.
Applebloom pressed herself closer to Crimson, looking for some kind of assurance they wouldn't be found. Immediately, Queen Chrysallis crouched down and stared at them. "Who are they and how did they get in without being apprehended?" She pointed at them.
The guard look down. His eyes widened. "They're the new soldiers. They were even signed in, see?" He stared at his clipboard. "Magenta Ribbon and Crystal Sword."
"Let me see!" Queen Chrysallis boomed, snatching the clipboard away. "You fool! None of the ponies here are named that. I know for a fact." She threw the clipboard at the guard's face, pulling Crimson and Applebloom out from under the table with her magic.
Applebloom trembled. "W-We were..."
"Silence!" She bellowed. "Little pony thieves," she spat, "trying to steal our plans. This is a death sentence, but I'll be merciful and imprison you. That way, you'll simply starve to death, which is much less painful, isn't it?"
A stallion poked his head in. He heard Queen Chrysallis' voice all the way from the entrance to the hive. He stared for a moment, then sped off.
Author's Note
I know I sort of rushed through some parts but it was because I figured it would be too long if I drew out the scenes too much and the rest of the story wouldn't really be affected if I took out a few paragraphs.
Two Flightless Fillies
Scootaloo had recently heard of what had happened to Applebloom and that colt named... Wait, what was his name? She asked herself. All she knew was that he had crimson-colored eyes, but that was about it. She strolled past the train station, where many thin, almost starving, ponies stood. She looked at one filly who stood all alone on the edge of the platform, then, when the filly looked back at her, they made eye contact.
The filly had a tangled golden mane with a cream-colored coat, accompanied by wings as tiny as a newborn foal's. She had nothing for a cutiemark.
Scootaloo stared as Fluttershy, one of the Guides, checked all of their cards, allowing everypony to pass except for the filly. "Card, please." Fluttershy said.
The filly turned her gaze to her hooves.
"Card." Fluttershy repeated, a little louder, thinking the filly couldn't hear very well.
The filly tried her best to look Fluttershy in the eyes. "I... I don't have it..."
Before Fluttershy could respond, Amber Song, another one of the Guides, interrupted. She was looking much less skinny and healthier than before when she had entered the school's shelter and had become a Guide, a very dedicated one, so she could assist refugees still coming to Ponyville. The old scarf she had worn a few weeks when Scootaloo had seen her was replaced by a much newer, scarlet one. Her card was pinned onto it, showing her name in big, bold letters. "No card? Did nopony tell you to keep it with you at all times? For security reasons, we'll have to detain you."
"B-But I swear I'm not a changeling!" The filly blurted out. "I'm a normal-"
Amber Song's piercing gaze cut her off. "We can't prove it for sure, so we'll have to make sure you can't hurt anypony. We won't kill you," her voice dropped to a whisper, "but we will if our tests prove you are one."
The filly froze, then began to sob. "I'm not a changeling, I promise!"
A sympathetic look was on Fluttershy's face before Amber Song immediately turned to glare at her, then it was gone.
Without thinking, Scootaloo jumped onto the platform and stood in front of Amber Song and Fluttershy. "Wait," she ordered, then turned back to the filly. She studied her eyes. "She's not a changeling. Princess Twilight Sparkle said changelings have an unnatural green gleam in their eyes no matter what. Her eyes look normal."
Amber Song didn't seem to hear her, because she simply stared at Scootaloo. "Before you say things like that and expect us to believe you, we'll need to see your card."
Scootaloo then realized: She left her card in her saddlebag in a random alley when she was looking for shelter from the rain and had taken a short nap. Now that she had stepped in, she would be detained as well.
Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. "Do you... have it?"
Scootaloo slowly shook her head. "I... don't."
Not waiting to hear any more, Amber Song nodded to the pair of guards waiting by the platform: Big Mac and Cloudy Sky, a Manehattan refugee. "They need to be detained and tested on for changeling DNA in the Testing Center," Amber Song said, pointing at the two fillies frozen in shock. "Take them away."
Big Mac and Cloudy Sky didn't waste a second. They grabbed the two fillies and restrained their wings, walking alongside them and making sure they couldn't get away. They went to Town Hall, opening a door and descending the dimly lit staircase. Guards were at every single corner. Big Mac and Cloudy Sky went through a scanning machine, then took the two into a white room with walls that lit up, two big white pillows and a thick glass wall blocking them off from the rest of the world. There were plenty of other detained ponies in there, with signs above their cell doors with things like Ready for Testing , Undergoing Testing and Requires Second Test along with the occasional Testing Finished .
The almost-invisible glass door was locked, trapping Scootaloo and the filly inside.
"T-Thank you for trying to help me," the filly said.
Scootaloo forced a smile, even though that wasn't really the thing any pony would do when they were detained. "No problem-"
There was a loud scream of agony. Scootaloo pressed herself against the glass to see it was from a mare in the cell across from them crying out as many needles jabbed at her and electricity zapped her. The sign above her cell was Undergoing Testing . Many drops of blood fell onto a small metal disk which was taken by the machine. When the sign changed to Requires Second Test , the mare looked up at Scootaloo with dull eyes.
Scootaloo had heard that if you zapped a changeling with electricity, it would change back to its default form, and that was exactly what was going on. There was another ear-piercing shriek. Again, it was because of testing. She turned away, not wanting to see anymore. It looked like it hurt.
There was a ding as Scootaloo and the filly's sign changed. Undergoing Testing. The white room turned gray as what seemed to be huge metal needles came out of the walls. One had two metal disks. It placed them in front of Scootaloo and the filly.
The filly stood up and tried to fly away, but she couldn't lift off the floor.
Scootaloo screamed as the first zap of electricity came, hitting her in the chest. Needles jabbed at her sides. There were many, but not enough to to make her bleed to death. The drops of blood landed on the metal disk. Her wings instinctively unfurled and began to flap vigorously, but they were quickly restrained. She turned to look at the filly, but she was shrouded with smoke. Did part of the machine break down? No, it was obviously working since Scootaloo could still hear her screaming in pain. What if the machine was just malfunctioning, but still able to continue? Maybe that was it.
After many long minutes of testing, the metal disks were removed and the machine folded itself at the joints and went back to the hollowed out parts of the walls. They turned back to white.
The filly flopped down onto her side, exhausted. "Can't they find a less painful way to test us?"
Scootaloo gasped for air. "No," she forced out, then looked at the filly. "You didn't tell me who you were."
"You didn't ask."
Scootaloo narrowed her eyes. "You don't know who you are? That sounds a little shifty..."
The filly faked a laugh. "I'm..." she looked around, Scootaloo staring at her suspiciously. Did she just attempt to save a changeling earlier? But both of them had passed the first test, so she couldn't be part of the Triple S Army. "Bright... Light... I'm Bright Light!"
Scootaloo slowly nodded, trying to pretend she didn't suspect anything. "Okay, well I'm Scootaloo."
"No!" Somepony yelled as a loud siren sounded.
Bright Light raced to the glass to see a changeling pulled out of his cell and dragged away by many guards. Her eyes widened.
Scootaloo stayed back, glaring at Bright Light. Was she afraid of something? Maybe she was afraid of being killed if she was discovered. Was Scootaloo sharing a cell with a changeling ? That smoke was probably a hint: There were smoke soldiers, maybe even smoke and changeling soldiers, and maybe Bright Light had created that cloud to cover it up when she was transformed back into her original form. But why didn't the siren sound? From what Scootaloo had gathered, it sounded when it detected a changeling, and nothing happen when Bright Light was tested.
Simultaneously, all of the cells' walls went dark. Twilight's voice came through a speaker: "It is now time to sleep. It is mandatory and sleeping throughout your tests is not tolerated."
Many ponies lay down on the pillows to rest while the other more rebellious ones would make obnoxious noises, refusing to go to sleep. The unicorn guards, who were the only ones walking around, would zap them using their horns and drain their energy, forcing them to doze off.
Scootaloo, the obedient filly she was, lay on her pillow and watched as Bright Light sat in front of the glass wall. "Bright Light," she hissed. "Didn't you hear the announcement? You have to sleep."
Bright Light turned to Scootaloo. "No I don't. What can they do to me? If I'm proved to not be a changeling, they have no right to do anything to me." She replied, speaking as if she didn't care if there was a guard there or not. She received an energy-draining spell from the guard and let herself fall to the cold floor.
When the guard wasn't near their cell, Scootaloo went to roll Bright Light to a pillow so she could relax comfortably. Bright Light wasn't fully asleep. She was actually wide awake. "It'll take a lot more than that to make me sleepy," she whispered, trying not to get Scootaloo in trouble.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and gave Bright Light a weak punch to the shoulder. "I'm going to sleep. Maybe you should do the same." She sat on her pillow and rest her head on her front hooves. She hadn't eaten all day, but at least the pillows were soft.
The lights were turned on. Most ponies woke up, but for the heavy sleepers, there was a very loud announcement from Twilight. "It's time to wake up. Sleeping during tests will not be tolerated. It's time to wake up. Sleep during tests will not be tolerated." She repeated.
Scootaloo stood up and stretched, yawning. Bright Light was already sitting by the glass wall, glaring at passing guards. They glared back.
There was another ding . Scootaloo shut her eyes, bracing herself for another test. The long metal needles came back along with the disks. It held her in place as it seemed to find a place to poke which wouldn't harm her much. The test was shorter than before, probably since they took as much blood as possible from each jab and zapped with only a few jolts of electricity. Again, there was a cloud of smoke covering Bright Light. Guards stopped to stare at her, then said something about the machine malfunctioning.
Scootaloo was surprised training hadn't killed her. With having blood taken out of her to being electrocuted, it was a miracle she had survived. Maybe it was because Twilight had created the tests not to kill. But still, the changelings would be killed to keep Ponyville safe. She lay on her pillow, resting but making sure to not fall asleep. It wasn't allowed. There was another ding from the sign.
Bright Light ran to the glass door and strained to look at their own sign. "Extensive testing!?" She exclaimed.
"What?" Scootaloo stood up to stare up, slightly tilting her head upwards. "Why?"
A guard stopped upon seeing their sign. He opened their cell door, a mare coming to stand beside him. They took Scootaloo and Bright Light down the hall.
"Where are you taking us?" Bright Light asked.
The stallion didn't bother to look at her. "Extensive testing."
"We don't need extensive testing!" Bright Light said.
The mare replied this time. "We've found something strange in somepony's blood. We're not sure exactly who it is, but we know it's one of you. Scientists were baffled by this and even had to call in Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Who's that?"
The stallion stared at her, turning his head quickly. "One of Princess Celestia's students, Princess of Friendship, and one of the most intelligent ponies in Equestria ."
"Oh." Bright Light thought of what to say next. "So, what did she do to become princess?"
"Everything." The mare said, turning a corner and briefly looking down at Bright Light. "She saved Equestria multiple times and I'm shocked you haven't heard of her."
Bright Light remained silent.
Scootaloo stared ahead, watching the guards walking around and occasionally staring at them before going around a corner. She tilted her head upwards as they stopped in front of a door. Doctor's Office . At first, she was confused, then, when one of the guards knocked on the door, she knew what was going on.
Derpy, Doctor Hooves' assistant, opened the door. She stepped aside to allow them in.
Scootaloo had heard of the inventions Doctor Hooves had created with the help of his assistant, and the Testing Center was probably one of them. He was currently sitting at his desk, staring at papers, frowning.
"Something strange is going on, Derpy," he scribbled something on. "You see, I received a report telling me a machine is malfunctioning when its blueprints are exactly like the others, which are working just fine!"
Derpy cleared her throat.
Doctor Hooves looked up to see the guards standing there with the two fillies. "Oh, my apologies, I didn't know you were here." He stood up. "Oh, these two from cell 2A. The one where the machine is releasing smoke and where we've found something strange in the blood." He stared at them. "Which is why you require extensive testing..."
"We don't need extensive testing," Bright Light protested.
Doctor Hooves ignored her. "As we reuse the metal disks, I cannot make sure some blood from past ponies isn't still on there, after all, our cleanings are quite brief," he made a motion with his hoof, then, simultaneously, the guards moved to the door, Derpy carried both fillies to two stools, and Doctor Hooves put on gloves and picked up a syringe. "So that's why we just need to make sure."
Scootaloo flinched as the syringe was pushed into her shoulder. She felt the faintest pressure as blood was taken out of her. When it was pulled out, Doctor Hooves put the syringe on the metal tray Derpy was holding and took the empty one. He repeated the same process with Bright Light, but she was squirming so much, one of the guards had to hold her still.
Derpy had put a piece of tape on Scootaloo's syringe so she knew which was which, then she put the blood onto a microscope. She had trouble looking at it properly, so she put on the specially-crafted glasses she was given when she and Doctor Hooves began work on the Testing Center. "Nothing strange here," she used a cloth and a spray to wipe the blood off, then put Bright Light's on. She gasped. "What... is this ?"
"What is it?" Doctor Hooves used the microscope to stare at it. "It seems to be a mix of many different things..." he looked up at Bright Light, who was frozen in shock. "You'll have to stay. Your friend can go."
Scootaloo turned to see Bright Light's desperate expression as she was dragged out by the guards and led through the many halls, which was more like a labyrinth than a well-organized Testing Center. Despite her suspicions about Bright Light, Scootaloo vowed she'd go back for her. It felt like they had a connection, even though they barely knew each other.
"Do you live in a camp?"
"Huh?" Scootaloo blinked a few times.
There was only one guard leading her out, the mare. "I said, do you live in a camp?"
Scootaloo slowly nodded.
"With your parents?"
Silence.
"Do you live in a camp with your parents?" The mare paused after each word, thinking Scootaloo was too retarded to understand her otherwise.
"They've passed on."
"Oh. I'm... sorry for your loss." The mare was speaking normally now.
Scootaloo shrugged. "It's okay, I barely knew them."
They stopped in front of a desk near the exit. The stallion looked over to see Scootaloo. "Where are you from?" He asked.
"Ponyville."
He took a purple card from a drawer. "Name and age, please."
"Scootaloo, and I'm eleven."
He wrote it on the card. "Where have you lived and where are you currently staying?"
"Ponyville Orphanage and now the Camp for Ponyville Residents."
He nodded. "Alright, then." He slid the finished card across to Scootaloo. "Don't lose it."
"I won't." Scootaloo took it and climbed up the stairs back into Town Hall. She walked back to the camp, which would have taken less time if she still had her treasured scooter. Sadly, she couldn't take it into the school's shelter and had found it, broken and unusable, in an alley. It was the last thing she had to remind her of her parents. She stared up at the sky, which was a dull gray because of the smoke. Celestia's sun refused to shine through.
Near the entrance, there was a pair of soldiers. Scootaloo showed her new card and went through the gate. The camp wasn't a building because there wasn't enough time to make one, but many tents. There was a much bigger tent in the center where they had their meals and the entrance to the underground bunker.
She trotted to the smaller tent beside it, which was for supplies given to the ponies for free. "Saddlebag, please." She told Berry Punch.
"I thought you already had one, Scoots," she said, finding a small one in the back of the tent. Everypony knew each other, as they had lived together before the Triple S Army made their first move.
"Lost it,"
Berry Punch gave the saddlebag to Scootaloo, and she put her card in it. "Where were you these past few days? You didn't stop by to say hello."
Scootaloo would usually walk around camp with Sweetie Belle and would stop to talk to Berry Punch. "I lost my card and my old saddlebag, so I had to go to the Testing Center. I was trying to help this other filly, and we ended up sharing a cell."
"Is it true what they do there? Do they electrocute you until you're halfway dead and then draw blood so you pass out?" Berry Punch asked.
Scootaloo thought for a moment. "They just zap you a few times and poke you. It hurts, but it won't kill you."
"Good to know," Berry Punch released a relieved sigh. "My sister was sent there and I've been worried she'd come back with one hoof in the grave."
Scootaloo looked around. A few ponies moping around their tents and Sweetie Belle waiting outside a dull green one. It was the tent for young fillies. When they made eye contact, Sweetie Belle motioned for her to come over.
"Looks like you should get going." Berry Punch said. "See you, Scoots, and don't get into any trouble."
Scootaloo turned back to her. "I won't. Bye." She trotted to Sweetie Belle, who rushed to hug her.
"Where were you?" She asked. "Everypony was worried when you didn't come home, especially Rainbow Dash when she came to check up on us. I told you not to go out-"
"Wait, Rainbow Dash visited?" Scootaloo made a point of being in the camp whenever Rainbow Dash said she'd be around. She came to see how things were going on behalf of Twilight every week on Saturday, but it was a Thursday.
Sweetie Belle nodded. "She said she was too busy training recruits this Saturday, but she wanted to see us and Wednesday was the one day she was free to come by."
"Was she worried about me?"
"She was, and then when I told her you were out in Ponyville, she left. She came back and told me somepony said you were okay. When I asked where you were, she didn't say. Where were you?" Sweetie Belle repeated.
"I was in the Testing Center. It's where they zap you and poke you with needles so they can see if you're a changeling or not,"
Sweetie Belle looked at the ground. "Applebloom would've hated that. She's scared of being near Rarity's work station because the needles are everywhere ."
"I miss her,"
Sweetie Belle stared into Scootaloo's eyes. "Do you... do you think she's... still alive?"
Scootaloo didn't answer for a while. "I... maybe she is. We wouldn't know."
"I wish we stopped her from signing up. Maybe if we were with her, we could have told her it was too dangerous."
"We weren't allowed to sign up anyway. I went to Rainbow Dash but she said I wasn't allowed because I was too young. I couldn't even go to Fluttershy, even though Applebloom is only a few months older than us."
"I sometimes help deliver fabrics from the trains to Rarity, but that's it."
Scootaloo tried to change the subject. "Isn't it weird how trains are still bringing in refugees when their attacks happened months ago?"
Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. "Rarity told me it was because some ponies are still hiding there and are sneaking around town to get to their train stations, but it's really hard because their towns are much bigger than Ponyville and there are still some Triple S Army soldiers there." She opened the flap to the tent. "It looks like it's going to rain, so we should get inside."
"It always looks like it's going to rain and it always rains. Every single day." Scootaloo went inside.
"So today isn't an exception." Sweetie Belle followed.
Inside the tent, there were two other fillies: Dinky Doo and Silver Spoon. They were both sitting on two of the mattresses they were provided with, leaving the other two empty. Scootaloo's was the way she had left it, with the blanket crudely folded on top of it. Dinky Doo was sitting on hers, practicing her magic by levitating her folded blanket in the air. It hovered above ground before she attempted to make it go higher, then her horn fizzed and it was released from her magical aura.
Silver Spoon rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, about to say something, but stopped. She always did things like that, preparing to deliver a rude insult, but saying nothing. It was because Diamond Tiara had gone to Manehattan for a week, but didn't come back, even though it had been two weeks.
The rain against the tent's roof made for some type of soothing music as Scootaloo rested on her mattress.
"Where were you?" Dinky Doo asked when she noticed her.
"Testing Center," Scootaloo replied.
Silver Spoon glanced in her direction, then looked away.
Scootaloo closed her eyes as Sweetie Belle explained everything to them.
"Wait, why did you go?" Dinky Doo inquired, turning her attention to Scootaloo.
"Tried to help this filly. Her name's Bright Light and she was at the train station. She was pegasus, with wings too tiny for her body. I guess I wanted to help because she was like me in a sense. I shared a cell with her, but she had to stay because she had something weird in her blood."
Silver Spoon stared at her, obviously interested, but said nothing.
"So you two were friends?" Sweetie Belle wrapped herself in her own blanket.
Scootaloo nodded. "I was suspicious of her before, but it felt like we had a connection. I... I want to go find her and bring her back."
"You want to sneak into a heavily-guarded facility?" Silver Spoon blurted out. "Are you insane? Is she even that important?"
"I'm happy you care," Scootaloo was silent for a bit. "But I just feel guilty leaving her behind. Being trapped with her in that room, for even a day, I felt responsible for her. Rainbow Dash taught me that even when you barely know a pony and feel a special connection, you should stick by them and be loyal. After Applebloom, I don't want to leave anypony alone. I just want everypony to be safe, no matter who they are."
Sweetie Belle gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand," she whispered. "But how will you get in?"
"Simple. I lose my card again and get caught by somepony, then I find Bright Light and get her out."
Sweetie Belle hesitated. "But what if something happens?"
"They can't harm innocent citizens," said Scootaloo, "especially a filly. I promise I'll be back soon."
Dinky Doo stared into Scootaloo's eyes. "Have you ever thought that Bright Light may actually have something wrong with her? You said she had something weird in her blood. Maybe she's a crystal soldier and might hurt or... kill you if you set her free."
"Crystal soldiers' coats are shiny, but hers isn't. Also, she was on a train from Fillydelphia." Scootaloo thought for a moment. "You know, I heard in Fillydelphia, they have new cures for diseases and that's why there's something in her blood. It could just be a vaccine or something."
Everypony was silent.
"I think she'll be fine without you, Scoots. If it is a vaccine, they'll find out and let her go. You don't have to go."
"What if they don't know?" Scootaloo protested. "What if something happens to her and they kill her. If I don't at least try to help, an innocent filly could be killed."
Scootaloo woke up early the next morning. She had convinced them she should go and see if something was wrong there. She took her saddlebag and went to the entrance. A different pair of guards were standing there. They stared at her.
"Sorry, you can't go out." One of them said.
Scootaloo frowned. "Why not?"
"There is a security check scheduled soon and everypony must be in their residence." The other responded.
Scootaloo looked around and saw a small hole near the chain-link fence. "Oh, alright." She trotted back towards her tent, then ducked behind it. She slowly made her way to the gap, making sure the guards weren't looking. The chain-link fence was reinforced with magic, but the ground beneath it wasn't. The hole was quite tiny, but Scootaloo was able to squeeze through. It was like a little tunnel leading to the other side. Scootaloo knew the guards would realize she was missing soon, especially after they had just seen her, so she had to act fast. She took shriveled flowers and put them in her saddlebag. If there was something strange in Bright Light's blood, if she put something in her own, she'd be taken to her.
The streets were empty. Dropping her ID card, she rushed to Town Hall, where there were guards everywhere. They looked at her. "I lost my card!" She yelled.
One of the guards, Cloudy Sky, took Scootaloo into the Testing Center underneath Town Hall. She sighed. "Again?"
Scootaloo nodded. "Wait, can I go straight to Doctor Hooves? I think there's something going on and I'll have to be back at camp soon, right? I think they're worried."
Cloudy Sky looked at her, curious, but said nothing. "Yeah, your parents are probably worried about you."
Scootaloo didn't bother to correct her. "They probably are."
Soon they were back at the Doctor Hooves' office. As Cloudy Sky explained to Derpy, Scootaloo looked around for any trace of Bright Light. She saw that behind the Doctor's desk was a door with a small glass window. Scootaloo could see Bright Light's silhouette through the window. She just had to ask about her and then they'd be done with it.
Cloudy Sky went outside as Doctor Hooves directed his attention to Scootaloo. "You again? That's very suspicious. You couldn't lose your card that quick."
"Oh, by the way, is something wrong with my friend Bright Light? I'm sure she's normal. After all, Fillydelphia is trying out some new vaccines." Scootaloo said quickly.
Derpy prepared the testing materials.
"I know they are and they've been kind enough to send us some samples so we can make sure. None of those samples are in your friend over there. Now, no more questions." Doctor Hooves picked up the syringe.
"Wait!" Scootaloo ran to the other side of the room. She leaped onto the desk, pretending it was her ineffective wings, and broke the small window. Derpy rushed to stop her, but wasn't wearing her glasses and crashed into a wall.
Scootaloo jumped off and hid underneath the desk with a shard of glass in her mouth. She located where her blood was drawn the previous time and cut herself. She took the many shriveled flowers and rubbed it on. The few times she had visited Zecora, she had been told that if she mixed many flowers together, they'd be almost unrecognizable and would become a foreign batch of molecules, even to the most high-tech microscope.
She put the flowers back into her saddlebag and crawled out from under the desk. "S-Sorry. I was trying to get onto a stool, but I lost control of my wings."
Doctor Hooves sighed. "Derpy, help her get on. We'll fix the window later."
Derpy put her on the stool. "Alright."
As planned, Doctor Hooves put the syringe in the same place as the previous time. When it was put under the microscope, Derpy gasped.
Doctor Hooves stared at it. "It's a mixture of too many things to determine what exactly it is." He glanced up at Scootaloo. "Put her in the room with the other filly."
Derpy nodded, taking Scootaloo and putting her into the room with Bright Light. She shut the door and locked it. "I'll go get another pane of glass."
Doctor Hooves nodded, still staring at the microscope.
"Scootaloo?" Bright Light whispered. Her mane was shorter and her coat was significantly duller. Scootaloo didn't even want to know why.
Scootaloo turned to Bright Light. "I'm here to rescue you. I don't think there's anything wrong with you, okay? I'm going to get you out of here."
"How? You're trapped in here with me." Bright Light said.
Scootaloo froze. She hadn't thought that far. "I don't know how..."
Bright Light stared at the window. Doctor Hooves was too focused on the microscope and Derpy was out of the room. "I need you to fly out and get the key. If the doctor attacks you, hit him with something. Then we'll escape."
"W-Wait, I came here to get you out by explaining that you aren't a changeling, not by hurting ponies. Harming innocent ponies isn't right."
"Scootaloo, please. If you don't I could be killed. We could both be killed."
"Why do you want me to hurt somepony? Is it because you're really a changeling and came here to spy on us? You're just here to kill us all! Did I come to save you for no reason? Should I have left you here to die?" Scootaloo's thoughts were scattered.
Everything was slightly darker. Doctor Hooves disappeared and Bright Light laughed. "Oh you poor little filly. Your brain is consumed by chaos. You can't even think straight can you?" Her voice changed as she stood on her hind legs.
Scootaloo couldn't find any words. "That voice..."
In front of her stood a draconequus. Her hooves were tied together and Discord loomed over her.
"Why, hello, little filly." He cackled.
Scootaloo's eyes widened in shock. "I thought you..."
"Well, since you won't be able to tell, I think I'll explain it all to you. I've been aching to boast about it to someone for the longest time." Discord formed a knife out of thin air. "You see, I was offered something more than friendship. I was given the ability to help lead an army and be granted shape-shifting powers from Lord Sombra and Queen Chrysallis. I'd hate to betray Fluttershy like this, but I couldn't simply pass up this opportunity! You know, I was about to spare you and imprison you in our base, but we already have bait for one of the Elements and I'd like to get Rainbow Dash using a different technique."
Scootaloo knew she had no use for this information, but if she did survive, she'd want to know everything. "Bait?"
Discord sat her upright and moved behind her. "I think you know her. It's that little filly named Applebloom. We're going to use her to bring Applejack to us, then we kill her."
Scootaloo gasped at the slightest pressure on her right wing. "W-What are you doing?"
"For every question you ask, I'm going to cut off one body part. You asked two questions so far, so say goodbye to your wings, my dear."
"No! Please don't. I'm begging you!"
Discord laughed again. "You don't even need these. They're too small for you to use. All your life you've been as useful as an Earth pony and now you're going to be an actual Earth pony."
Before Scootaloo could say anything more, Discord sliced off her right wing. She cried out in pain. Discord repeated the process with the other wing.
"Why?" Scootaloo wailed.
Discord, still holding the bloody knife, stood in front of her. "That was another question. But before I finish this off, I think I'll explain our plans since there's been nobody else to tell and I simply cannot keep it to myself. We'll get all the Elements, and imprison them. The reason we won't kill them is because Lord Sombra would like to have his fun with them first. I don't think our plan consists of killing all ponies in Equestria. If we would, who would we rule over? Sadly, you're one of the unfortunate little ponies who has to die for my amusement." He traced a line across her neck. "Oh, it's so satisfying to finally tell someone."
Scootaloo already knew she wouldn't survive. "A-Are you going to stab me?"
Discord laughed once more. "No, little filly. I'm going to leave you to bleed until you die. Rainbow Dash will catch wind of this and the silly pony will lead her army into battle with us. Your little army will be vastly outnumbered and we'll catch her, maybe even Twilight if she's one of the generals."
Scootaloo could already feel the life draining out of her. "You... won't get Rainbow Dash. She's too strong to be imprisoned by some changelings and a few crystal guards. You kill a defenseless filly instead of a trained guard because you're too weak to win against them, chaos powers or not." She envisioned how Rainbow Dash would talk in her situation.
Discord looked offended, but didn't lash out. "You know what, I think I want you to die a little bit quicker."
Scootaloo gasped right before she was stabbed in the neck. The last thing she saw was Discord staring down at her almost-lifeless body.
Three princesses sat around the large circular table, a few guards surrounding them. They were all donning protective armor.
Princess Celestia gazed at everyone in turn. "The Triple S Army grows stronger every single day because they have the ability break the minds of more captives and turn them into their loyal soldiers. We cannot let this continue. Ponies alone cannot fight this threat, so I have called upon almost all Equestrian inhabitants including dragons and griffons. Does anypony else here have any suggestions that will aid us in this battle?"
Twilight Sparkle timidly raised a hoof as if she was still a filly in a classroom. Celestia moved slightly to face her, then her gaze turned gentle, as if she was dealing with a young school pony. She felt that Twilight was still her pupil, even though she was now a princess, and had enjoyed tutoring such a bright filly.
Of course, those happy days were gone now, especially with Rainbow Dash, one of the army generals, becoming more aggressive towards almost everyone, including her friends. She was turned bitter with the loss of Scootaloo at the claws of an intruder who had managed to sneak in right under their thorough security measures.
"Yes, Twilight?" Celestia nodded to her.
Twilight put her hoof down. "Well, I think I should get Twilight and Sunset. From what I've heard, humans have many weapons for self-defense as a substitute for magic and if we get our hooves on some of them, we have an advantage, especially if we bring Twilight. She's bound to know more about human technology than any one."
She was met with confused whispers and stares.
Twilight wanted to explain everything , but there wasn't much time. The meeting between the royals and the guards would be over in only half an hour and there was still much to discuss. "In the human world, there's a human counterpart for everyone, including me." She said quickly, then turned to Celestia. "What do you think?"
Celestia was about to reply when the balcony doors were opened by a pair of guards. A cloaked silhouette flew onto it. As they stepped into the light of the room, Twilight saw it was Princess Cadance, levitating a sleeping Flurry Heart.
Twilight gave a slight nod as Cadance sat herself down next to Luna. She would've given her a hug if it weren't such a formal gathering. Luna quietly explained to Cadance what they had been talking about as Celestia turned back to Twilight.
"I think it's a great suggestion, but the mirror is located in the Crystal Empire and it is under the Triple S Army's control. I am worried for your safety as we've received word that they're planning on capturing you and all of the other elements. It would not be safe for you to travel there," Celestia's voice remained even, but her eyes betrayed her immense worry and the stress of having to lead in such conditions.
"Maybe if I use a temporary transformation spell that turns me into a changeling? I can just take the train to the edge and-"
Celestia shook her head. "The Triple S Army has found out about the station so close to its base and destroyed it entirely, killing almost all of this week's invaders and spies. They've also begun to patrol the outside of their base more frequently and..."
"They wouldn't be able to see through my disguise, though. I could give Sunset and Twilight a specific time and get out of there in minutes . We'd have a huge advantage and they'd never know about any of it."
Celestia turned to everypony else. "Raise your hoof if you are on board with this suggestion."
All of the guards raised there hoofs, along with Luna. The only pony who seemed unhappy with the idea was Cadance. She gently rocked Flurry, which made Twilight think she wasn't paying much attention, but she could see the alicorn glaring at everypony else.
"Cadance, may you please explain why you are against Twilight's suggestion?" Celestia asked.
The princess' cold gaze turned to Twilight. She immediately stopped rocking Flurry. A chilling silence filled the room before Cadance spoke up. "Do you know how dangerous it is there? They're ruthless , not hesitating to kill anypony if they don't give the answers they're looking for. They go straight for the most important pony, who, in my case, was me. They had no problem murdering all of my guards..."
Nopony said anything as Cadance began to sob. Luna put a hoof on her shoulder, and looked to Celestia.
"We apologize for what you had to go through, Princess Cadance," Celestia began, a hoof on her heart.
Cadance met Celestia's unblinking gaze, her eyes blurred with tears. "And the ponies I've lost!" She seemed to have forgotten her manners. "Maybe if you just locked Chrysallis and Sombra up in Tartarus, none of this would've happened! I'd still have my empire and all of my citizens wouldn't be slaves!"
There was a long silence.
"My apologies, Cadance, but it isn't that simple..." Luna began.
"No! I want to hear none of it! You were born an alicorn and have years of experience leading Equestria, yet you still can't stop yourself from throwing petty little tantrums and getting yourself stuck on the stupid moon!" Cadance yelled. She was about to continue, but Flurry Heart began to wail. She directed her attention to the tiny foal as nopony dared to speak.
Luna looked taken aback, about to fling an insult at Cadance, but instead she cleared her throat. "Please, allow me to excuse myself...." She stood up, glared at Cadance, and trotted out calmly.
Twilight shifted in her armor uncomfortably. It restrained her wings and was much to tight, yet Celestia insisted she wear it. Of course, she didn't complain, even though she had had trouble walking all the way to the Meeting Hall.
Celestia was silent for a moment before speaking. "Twilight, you may travel to the Crystal Empire as long as you make sure to not draw attention to yourself and take the necessary supplies. I'll accompany you tomorrow night." Then she stood up. "Meeting over." She then hurried out of the room, remembering she'd need to lower the sun to make way for Luna's night.
The guards made a straight line walking out, then separated in different directions. Twilight, still sitting in the Meeting Room, stared at Cadance. She hadn't seen her since the wedding and hadn't communicated with her in any way since then. She was curious to know why Shining Armor wasn't there, him also being one of the leading guards.
"Um, Cadance?"
Cadance looked up, glaring at Twilight with dull, slightly darkened eyes. "What?" There was an edge to her voice.
"Oh, I just wanted to ask why Shining isn't here...."
Cadance was silent before she began to sob uncontrollably. She hugged Flurry tightly as she broke down.
Twilight's eyes widened. "N-No... Is he... Is he... Gone...?"
Looking up, Cadance wiped a few tears with her hoof. "Thankfully, no." Her voice was flat and monotonous. "But he was severely injured when he protected Flurry and I from the horde of changelings. I'm just glad he's alive."
"W-What type of injuries does he have?"
Cadance thought for a moment. "A broken leg and severe damage to his skull. Those are the worst of his injuries, at least."
Twilight froze up as she processed this information. If his skull injury was as bad as she thought it was, it meant he'd probably have memory loss or would be unable to use his magic. Maybe even both if he was unlucky. "Where is he?"
"The guest room right next to the staircase on the third floor," Cadance said. "But I don't think you should go there. He's with the doctors right now and they said they shouldn't be disturbed-"
Twilight shot up and flew out the doors. She glided down to the third floor and took an immediate left. She burst in, slamming the doors shut behind her.
"We asked for no disturbances!" A pegasus mare with a purple-blue coat and a short, turquoise mane hissed.
Beside her, there was an old stallion with graying hair and many wrinkles. He turned around slowly as Twilight entered.
The third doctor didn't seem to react. He took more rolls of bandages from his suitcase.
From what Twilight could tell, the pegasus was one of the doctor's assistants, as she looked only slightly younger than the alicorn princess herself. The old unicorn stallion must have been the professional while the Earth pony was probably the pegasus' trainer or something along those lines.
He turned around to see Princess Twilight hovering in front of them and glared at the pegasus. "What do you think you're doing ? She's a princess , Violet Bouquet. She's actual royalty and is also Shining Armor's sister!" He whispered, obviously frustrated. He turned back to Twilight. "My apologies, Princess Twilight." He stepped to the side, allowing Twilight to walk up to the bed and see her brother.
Shining Armor was conscious, but slightly dazed. There was a bandage covering all of his head except for his face. He was probably completely wrapped in bandages underneath his blanket too, reminding Twilight of Applejack when she had visited the hospital a few days ago. "Why's everything so blurry...?" he murmured. "Where am I...? Why can't I move...?"
"Shining? Are you alright?" Twilight asked.
For a long minute, he didn't respond. His unfocused eyes stared at the ceiling.
"Shining?" Twilight clapped her hooves, which seemed to grab his attention.
"Who's 'Shining'?"
Twilight's blood ran cold. "You're Shining. Don't you remember?"
Shining slowly shook his head.
"Tell me, what do you remember?"
Shining paused for a moment to think. "Well, I saw tons of ponies running, and so I just... Did something and hit the ponies we were running from with something that came from my head... I think...."
"Go on," Twilight urged.
"And then something hit me. I don't remember what happened after...."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. She was slightly confused, but understood the main idea. But why would he describe him blasting the changelings with his magic the way he did? How did he not know what the changelings even were ? "Do you remember anything from before that? Like any ponies you've met? Any place you've visited?"
"I remember this place called Canterlot... I think I was a guard or something there...."
Twilight stared into his eyes. "Do you remember me ?"
Shining's mind drew a blank as he slowly shook his head, then winced and went back to staring at the ceiling.
"You don't remember me? Shining, I'm Twilight, your sister. You were one of my best friends when I was little. You do remember me, right?"
Shining glanced at her, then he completely ignored her.
Twilight remembered something random Rainbow Dash had said almost two months before. She had said it was nonsense and definitely wouldn't work, but seeing Shining there, not even knowing who he was, she decided it was worth a shot.
Twilight sat on the stool by Shining's bed, a three thick books on her lap. One was a family photo album while the other was a scrap book. Rainbow Dash had mentioned exposure to images could bring back memories, but Twilight wasn't sure it'd do the trick, so she also brought a spell book.
She levitated the family photo album in front of Shining and opened it to the first page. It was a photo taken in the hospital with Twilight Velvet holding onto a wailing foal, a young Shining Armor leaning over the bed next to Night Light. "Remember this?" She asked.
Shining simply stared at it, then yawned.
Sighing, Twilight flipped the page. Half an hour later, and she was barely a quarter through the photo album. Shining had grown bored and dozed off, snoring gently.
Twilight decided to read her spell book. There wasn't a way to fully restore all memory, but there was a way she could get into Shining's mind and project images of major events, much like how Luna controlled dreams. It may jog his memory, and bring back at least the main things he'd need to remember.
She knew there was a possibility to get it wrong, after all, getting into a pony's mind while they were sleeping and manipulating their thoughts and dreams was Luna's nightly task and required strong and trained magic. In the spell book, it also mentioned every attempt went horribly wrong. To get her brother back, Twilight was willing to take the risk.
"Alright..." She whispered to herself, standing at the foot of Shining's bed. Her horn ignited as she took a deep breath. She was an alicorn now. She could handle it. They'd both be fine.
A spark came off Twilight's horn. She furrowed her brows in deep concentration. What seemed to be a thin piece of glowing, white thread wrapped around her horn, then touched Shining's forehead. More of the threads wrapped around Twilight and connected her to Shining. After she was completely encased in pure white, there was a blinding light, and she disappeared.
Twilight glided through the darkness before seeing a small white dot not too far away. Upon coming closer, she saw it was Shining Armor, simply standing there. "Shining!" She yelled out to him. She was quite excited to see him. It meant she had officially gotten inside his dream and everything was fine for the time being, at least.
He didn't react.
Twilight sighed and flew down to him, landing at his side. She closed her eyes to remember exactly what she had to do when inside his mind. She had to do the same thing she had to get inside, then whatever she thought of would be put into Shining's mind, and there was a chance he'd store them as memories if she did it right. The process was straight forward enough.
Igniting her magic once more, the princess' forehead was connected to her brother's. She thought about the pictures in the scrap book and photo album and also the spell book to remind him how to use his magic. All seemed to be going well until a dark thought invaded Twilight's mind.
What if Shining had been captured by the Triple S Army? They'd teach him their twisted ways and he'd become loyal to them and only them. They'd use him as a spy, and nopony would suspect a thing. They'd use him to get close to Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Flurry, and even Twilight. They'd all be gone and Triple S Army would gain complete control over everything . Equestria would become a terrible place and nopony would be able to do anything . He'd be on the wrong side.
Without her realizing it, Twilight's thoughts overlapped the memories she was trying to give him. He did store those as his actual memories, thinking he was only sent there to do exactly what the Triple S Army wanted: Get rid of the alicorns.
Twilight disrupted her current train of thought and stared at Shining, concerned. She had broken her concentration as she was thinking about the terrible world they'd live in if Shining was a Triple S Army soldier, so she assumed it hadn't gone through.
Activating her magic, the princess was once again enveloped in white. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she was back in Shining's room. Yawning, she took her books, opened the door, and quietly trotted out into the hall, making sure to lock the door behind her. She was quite proud of herself, managing to pull something like that off. She flew up to the fourth floor and entered the room Celestia had prepared for her a few days ago. Her castle had been destroyed during the first attack and was beyond repair.
She put her books on the bookshelf, making sure they were in their proper place before going to shut the door. One of the safety precautions was to lock their doors. There was meant to only be one key for each room, and the owner had to carry it around with them at all times. Twilight opened the hidden compartment in her armor and levitated her key out. She locked her door, took off her bulky armor, and flopped onto her bed, exhausted.
Twilight jolted awake at a high-pitched scream. It was directly above her, where Cadance's room was. Instead of unlocking the door and going up the stairs, Twilight rushed onto the balcony and unlocked the latch. She flew up onto Cadance's balcony, finding the door unlocked and open.
Inside, she saw the most unimaginable thing. Cadance was passed out on her bed while Shining had just stabbed Flurry, her blood staining the floor. Twilight stared at her brother, seeing he had ripped off the majority of his bandages, some still hanging off of him. Not noticing her there, he continued to place Flurry beside Cadance and wrap them both in many blankets. With a cruel smile, he stabbed his wife through the blankets, her shriek of pain muffled by the many layers. Blood seeped through as he went on to give her many wounds, then left her to bleed out.
Twilight stood there in shock. She was too surprised and horrified to move. Guards had gathered at the front door, but couldn't get in the locked room. They had all went separate ways to find another way in, except for a single guard, who stayed. Shining unlocked the door and the young stallion stepped inside, probably fresh out of training.
"Wait, no!" Twilight yelled. The stallion stared at directly at her, which was a fatal mistake.
After locking the door, Shining barreled into him from the side, then pinned him down. He stabbed the guard in his neck, which was not covered by his armor, before stepping off him to stare up at Twilight.
Before he could do anything to her, the princess took off, flying up to the highest rooms in the palace, the ones belonging to the princesses. Luna was lowering the moon, having not been able to her the screams from that high up. She tilted her head to the side, seeing Twilight approaching.
"Princess Luna! Shining Armor, just... He just..." Twilight landed in a heap on the balcony, still exhausted. She had barely gotten two hours of sleep and now, this. She paused to catch her breath. "Shining Armor stabbed Princess Cadance, Flurry Heart, and one of the new guards."
Luna looked shocked, yet skeptical. "He can't. He's in bandages and his doors are locked."
"B-But I saw him! Look, I'll show you," Twilight struggled to lift herself off the ground, but managed to glide down to Cadance's balcony, Luna following close behind. The bodies were still there, cold and lifeless, where they had been earlier.
Luna's eyes widened. "W-What..?" Still in her protective armor, she trotted confidently into the dark room. She turned the lights on to see there was no trace of Shining Armor. "It couldn't have been him. He's not here. It must've been somepony else...."
"No... It was him. Wait, let's check if he's in his room," Twilight suggested. She shivered as a cold breeze ruffled her feathers. Celestia's sun was peeking over the horizon, finally managing to break through the clouds of smoke that had blocked it for many days.
Luna got to Shining's room first. The lock on his balcony door had been badly broken and couldn't even do its job anymore. She stepped inside and turned on the lamps. Sure enough, he wasn't there. Blood-stained bandages were everywhere and his blanket had a few red drops on it from his still-healing cuts and wounds.
The lunar princess gasped. "W-Where is he...?"
Twilight examined every inch of his room. Many guards came in to further investigate and Celestia herself was there. The doctors confirmed Cadance and Flurry Heart had bled to death and there was no way they could do anything about it.
Finally, after a few hours of searching the palace for any trace of Shining, Celestia insisted Twilight go to rest. "From what I've heard, you haven't gotten much sleep. Since you'll be sneaking into enemy base, you should go to your room too rest."
Twilight nodded, yawning. "Wait, but before I go sleep, I need to tell you something...."
"What is it, Twilight?" Celestia asked.
Twilight stared down at her hooves, remembering what she had thought about when in Shining's dreams. How she had injected their terrible training methods into his mind. "I-I... I entered Shining Armor's dreams, then I accidentally changed his memory, so he thinks he's part of the Triple S Army now. I was thinking about how they train their soldiers, and I...." She trailed off. "It's my fault. I'm sorry, Princess Celestia. I made a mistake and now three ponies are dead... Shining's officially gone and...." She began to sob. Her brother, sister-in-law, and her niece were gone because of her.
Celestia moved forward to give Twilight a comforting hug. "We all make mistakes, Twilight. We just have to learn from them. Go rest now, and don't worry. I'll handle everything."
As Celestia flew back to Cadance's room for further investigation, Twilight dragged herself back to her own, too tired to fly. She hadn't had time to go back and put on her armor earlier, as she was too busy following Celestia all around the palace. Without it, she felt vulnerable and afraid. She sped up and tried her door. It was locked. Of course it was, she had never gotten to un locking it in her haste to find the source of the screams. Those were Flurry's screams. The screams of a young foal whose life had been taken by a monster Twilight herself had created.
Twilight cleared her mind of those thoughts and managed to hover a few inches off the ground, flying out through the large, opened window beside her room. She landed on her balcony and pushed the door open. Her eyes widened in shock. Her room had been turned upside-down, with all of her cabinets open as well as many of her books with pages torn out. She wondered who would have searched through her room like that, but she didn't have to guess. On one of her bedposts, there was a piece of a bloody bandage.
Too exhausted to clean up or even push a few books off her bed, Twilight flopped onto the sofa in the corner of her room. She used her magic to lock her balcony doors, and dozed off.
There was a knock on Twilight's door. She pulled herself off the sofa, looking out the window to see the moon rising. She looked through the peep-hole in her door and saw Celestia staring back at her. Celestia's eyes were a full magenta, not tinted a light green.
Twilight opened the door. "Hello, Princess Celestia,"
"Hello, Twilight. Are you ready?" Celestia asked, stepping inside and locking the door behind her.
Twilight's eyes widened. She hadn't even prepared! How could you forget something as important as preparation, Twilight?! She mentally chastised herself. "H-Hold on." She rushed around the room, putting her spell book and dagger in her saddlebag along with a few bottles of water and slices of bread.
Celestia levitated something out of her pocket. "Take this. It's a Communication Amulet, so you can contact me."
Twilight took it in her own magical aura and examined it. "How do I use it?"
"Just infuse it with your magic and you should be able to talk with me telepathically." Celestia explained.
Twilight took a deep breath and did so, then clasped it around her neck.
Can you hear me?
Twilight gasped. It was Celestia's voice inside her head.
Yes. Can you hear me?
Celestia nodded. "Good, it works."
Twilight put on her armor, but leaving the helmet.
"Did you contact Sunset Shimmer?" Celestia asked.
Twilight looked around and saw the journal at the foot of her bed. She picked it up and flipped through it, scribbling a quick note on a blank page. She put it and her quill in her saddlebag as well, which was getting quite crowded. "Y-Yes."
"Good. Now, let's go." Celestia unlocked the balcony door, the chilling night air filling the room. "We're behind schedule." She flew into the sky, not bothering to wait for Twilight.
Twilight hurriedly put her saddlebag on and followed Celestia. "Wait, Princess Celestia, how are we going to get there without being seen?"
Celestia didn't respond. She soared higher into the sky, up into the sky, before plummeting down, heading for the gates to the castle, where two guards were stationed. She landed behind the guards and opened a latch behind a building that was barely big enough for her to fit through. She motioned for Twilight to follow her inside.
"Where are we?" Twilight whispered.
"The Tunnels. They were constructed when we caught wind of the Triple S Army's impending attack, just in case. It's only to be used for emergencies, but I suppose this counts as one." Celestia explained.
Twilight looked around. The Tunnels were illuminated by flickering yellow-green lights and had signs almost everywhere, telling you the direction of each town. There were shelters down there, already stocked with food, water, and medical supplies. She stuck close to Celestia, listening for any sign of danger. All she could hear was her own heart beat and their hoof steps.
"It's alright, we're safe." Celestia said.
"B-But where are the guards? We're not safe." Twilight scanned the area, looking for any signs of danger.
"Wait." Celestia's ears twitched. "Stay here. I'll be back." She rushed off in the direction of Ponyville.
Twilight stood there and waited. She felt vulnerable without the princess protecting her. It wasn't like she didn't know anything about self-defense. If she was ambushed, she had nowhere to run. Even the signs wouldn't be much help, as most of them were smudged and barely legible. As she examined the sign closest to her, she heard signs of a struggle nearby. "Huh? C-Celestia...? Is that you?"
Silence.
"Celestia, is something wrong?" Twilight wanted to move toward the sound, but she was frozen in place, her limbs trembling in fear.
Suddenly, Celestia appeared again. "Oh, don't worry, my dear Twilight, everything's fine."
"What was that noise?" Twilight asked. She stared at Celestia, who looked refreshed , like there wasn't an army planning on invading soon.
"It was nothing. Now, it's getting late." Celestia faked a yawn. "Let's sleep in one of these little rooms here." She unlocked and opened the door to her right, stepping inside. She sat on one of the beds, motioning to the one beside it. "Come on, Twily. Don't be scared."
'Twily?' Had Princess Celestia called Twilight 'Twily?' Still, Twilight lay down on the bed, pretending not to be suspicious.
"Goodnight, my darling student." Celestia stared at Twilight, as though expecting her to fall asleep first.
Twilight glared back up at Celestia. There was a green glint in her mentor's eyes, barely noticeable, but it was there . Twilight scrambled to her hooves and ran as fast as she could.
Author's Note
Okay, so I've decided to split it up into two parts because it's getting way too long and you were probably on the verge of being bored to death. Part Two is on its way!