Exiled unto Dawn

Chapters

Nightmare: Part 1
Nightmare: Part 2
Pegasus: Part 1
Pegasus: Part 2
Orders: Part 1
Orders: Part 2
Orders: Part 3
Orders: Part 4
Nightmare: Part 3

Nightmare: Part 1

The snow storm had appeared out of nowhere, lashing the road and making it hard for the one traveler to see. High speed winds sailed through the dense woods. If the traveler had been persuaded by superstition, she would have curled up in a ball in the first visible cave and waited until morning to resume her march. Just because she soldiered on did not mean she did so willingly.

Within the folds of her cloak, Twilight Sparkle kept warm through an ingenious combination of a simple heat spell and her own rage. The multiple snowflakes that landed on her evaporated in an instant, leaving her in a perpetual steam cloud that only served to sever her from the real world. Nevertheless, she pointedly kept her eyes forward, refusing to even look back at the road she had walked. It would inevitably point skyward, to Canterlot, the place that she had just been politely exiled from. Just the thought of the city was enough to make her jab the ground a little harder with her staff, incidentally pushing all of the snowflakes away for a brief second before they swarmed her again.

“For my own protection,” Twilight muttered to herself. She hadn’t intended for the words to sound so venomous, especially when they had been spoken by her beloved mentor, but since she was alone, she saw no need to apologize or correct herself. “I was born in Canterlot. I know all of the dangers of living there. Does she think the time I spent under her personal tutelage excluded me from being a target?” Twilight’s staff crackled with energy. Instead of releasing the charge, Twilight twisted the spell and fired a brilliant, purple lance into the heavens. She was surprised to hear that she had let forth a terrifying shout in the process and felt her face heat up.

Shaking her head, she said, “I just want to get this over with and go home. That is, if I can still call Canterlot my home. The Princess made it sound like I would never return.” A flicker of light caught her eye and she stopped walking. Squinting, she saw the lights again. “This must be the end of the road,” Twilight said and readjusted her pack. “Ponyville. I hope I don’t have to get too comfortable here.”

Ponyville was a name that Twilight had barely heard whispered in Canterlot’s cold, stone walls. On the rare chance that the little town was brought up, it was usually at the cost of its dignity. There were the rumors and stereotypes that the Canterlot nobles joked about while eating their fine cheeses and sharpening knives at frequent dinner parties. Twilight, being the reclusive, impatient, ill-mannered scholar that she was, did not care for much of what the nobles said. But after being subjected to their views for so long, Twilight could not help but harbor the old stereotypes in the back of her mind.

As she approached the gates, a tired and cold guard got to his feet. Unlike the resplendent armor of the Canterlot guard, the man approaching her was wearing a heavy tunic with a chainmail shirt underneath. His chest was emblazoned with a strong looking horse, a symbol that Twilight saw as fitting but demonstrative of a lack of originality. The man looked like he was freezing, which perplexed Twilight. After a lifetime of living in the high altitudes of Canterlot, she thought the night would have been pleasant. She only kept the heat spell active because the prospect of hauling a wet cloak was not appealing. He stood, looking Twilight up and down, undoubtedly coming to his own conclusions. “What’s your business here, traveler?” he finally asked.

“I am Twilight Sparkle, the envoy from Canterlot.”

The guard’s eyes widened, but his frozen face betrayed little emotion. “Ah, been told to expect you. Right this way, m’lady.” The guard turned on his heel and unlocked the gate.

Twilight’s eyes, on the other hand, widened because of the guard’s ineptitude. As she walked through the gate, which the guard reluctantly locked behind her, she wondered why she hadn’t been challenged. For all the guard knew, she could’ve been an assassin who just happened to know a little tidbit of information. Or maybe the guard had received an accurate description of her, another part of her mind whispered. Now that reason had prevailed, Twilight felt the accumulating stress melt away and she looked around her temporary home.

Ponyville was much more airy than Canterlot. She stood on a wide avenue lined with cobblestones and illuminated by torches. The wall prevented most of the snow from coming in, but what got through was not enough to smother the feeling of warmth that radiated from the town. Twilight set off in search of a place to finally sit down. Celestia had acquired a room in the town’s library for her, a small attempt at repaying Twilight for having to be there in the first place. Unfortunately, Twilight had no idea where the library was, and arriving at night was not the best way to find people for directions. She looked at the different signs hanging off of the buildings as she walked past. Considering that she was on the main street through town, she was bound to find an inn.

Applejack only ever needed one pint to warm her up. She would nurse the cup, taking sips when she had to. A seat by the fireplace didn’t hurt either, a faint steam rising from her leather armor and cloak. No, she was a simple girl. She didn’t have to drink the rest of the patrons under the table like a very specific pair that she was pointedly ignoring. She stretched her legs closer and failed to restrain a yawn. Yup, time to get goin’, she idly thought and emptied the rest of her cup. Groaning, she sat up and was reaching for her crossbow when the door opened. It’s too late for a regular to just get here. Curious, she turned to look over the padded backrest of her chair.

In the doorway, attracting the attention of everyone present, stood an irate, young woman. No one had given her more than a moment’s notice and they had soon returned to their own activities. Applejack kept her eye on the new arrival. She saw how the woman had scanned her surroundings for a split second before walking to the bar, where she ordered a glass of wine and carried it to an empty table.

Applejack leaned back in her chair and sucked her teeth. Of course she was curious. It wasn’t often that Ponyville was visited by some sort of mage, a fact that was apparent through the woman’s staff. Applejack looked at the chair next to her, which contained her silent companion, Fluttershy. “So what do ya think?” Applejack asked.

Fluttershy looked up from her glass of wine. As Applejack had expected, Fluttershy had only taken a few sips of her drink after the hours they had been there. “Oh, um,” Fluttershy began, turquoise eyes darting around the room, afraid to have ignored something Applejack had been talking about. When Applejack motioned to the traveler, Fluttershy managed, “Oh. She looks a little… mad.”

“Y’think she’s up to no good?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

Fluttershy shook her head but her pink hair stayed in place. “No, I don’t think so. Or, at least, she doesn’t mean to be.”

“Doesn’t mean ta be?” Applejack asked, unsure of what Fluttershy said. In response, Fluttershy merely pointed to the newcomer, who was receiving a welcome party from a certain Rainbow Dash. “Ah dangit,” Applejack said and hauled herself out of the comfortable chair.

The inn had carried a sense of warmth that the rest of the town did not posses. To begin with, there was a roaring fire. Twilight looked over the crowd for a bit, trying to find someone eying her with malice but finding only indifference. The blonde woman by the fireplace looked at her the longest, most likely out of curiosity. Twilight walked to the barkeep and ordered some wine. After a long journey through raging winds, she felt like she owed that much to herself. She carried her wine to an empty table and opened her pack to retrieve a book.

When she looked up again, she was beset upon by a woman with a curious set of hair. “Hey there, how’re ya doin?” the woman asked from the other side of the table. Twilight could see the glow on the woman’s face and decided to ignore her. “I’ve never seen ya in here before, but I bet ya heard o’ me. Rainbow Dash, at yer service,” she said, extending a wavering hand across the table. When Twilight didn’t respond, Rainbow said, “Hey, what’cha readin?” When her hand touched the book, Twilight slammed her hand down on the tome and raised the other to Rainbow’s face. Within her palm was a small fireball, usually ineffective at that strength, but more than enough to blind the merry Rainbow if Twilight fired.

All of the joy in the tavern was gone. Twilight repressed a shiver, afraid of what the locals might do if they saw any weakness. She didn’t doubt her abilities to fight off a drunken mob of farmers, but if she was going to stay in the town, she didn’t want to burn any bridges on her first day. The shock was gone in Rainbow’s clouded eyes, replaced with something else. Anger? Excitement? Twilight didn’t want to stay to find out. She levitated some coins out of her pack and placed them on the table. In a rush, she scooped up her book and left the inn in as dignified manner as possible.

“Oh, she’s not getting’ away that easily,” Rainbow snarled as soon as the newcomer was gone. She was almost out of her seat when Applejack had gotten close and punched her back.

“Pinkie,” Applejack said, not slowing down to apologize. “Give her a knife show.”

Pinkie hopped off of her stool, barely containing her giggles. She positioned herself in front of Rainbow and pulled out three throwing knives. Without warning, she threw them into the air and started juggling. “It sure has been a weird night, huh Dashie?” Pinkie asked innocently.

“Not now, Pinks!” Rainbow yelled. Applejack had slipped through the door, which meant Rainbow had to go if she wanted vengeance. She put a hand on the table to get some leverage, but a knife landed between her fingers.

“Silly Dashie,” Pinkie said, effortlessly adding a new knife to her routine. “You know this takes a lot of concentration. Why, if you keep moving like that, I might throw a knife out of the window!”

Dash tried to glare at Pinkie, but maintaining eye contact with that smiling sprite was enough to make her anger drain away. With a groan, she leaned back in her seat, resigned to watching the show.

Applejack knew her plan had succeeded when Rainbow hadn’t stormed past her with daggers drawn. She didn’t know why she had done what she did in the tavern. The beer might have played a small part, Applejack thought, even though she knew it was a lie. Perhaps she just needed a good reason to punch Rainbow. She chuckled at the thought. But Applejack knew that it all came back to curiosity. Who was this newcomer? Applejack ruffled her cloak, hating the fact that she had to get away from a warm fire.

Fortunately, the mage hadn’t gotten far. She wasn’t walking at a fast pace, as if she was sure no one would follow her out of the tavern after her spectacle. Applejack tailed the mage to the fountain at the center of town before speaking.

“Y’all have a strange way of sayin’ hello,” she drawled.

The mage turned around, alarmed. Applejack maintained her easy smile, even though she was wondering if she would be dodging a spell soon. The mage relaxed when she didn’t see any weapons. “Right, that. I’m just a little tired from the road, I guess.”

“Travelin’ makes ya want ta throw fire into someone’s face?” Applejack asked. She kept her tone light and walked closer, but she saw the mage wince at her words.

“It’s been a stressful day, to say the least.”

“We all have those. Name’s Applejack,” she said and extended her hand.

The mage let out a breath and took Applejack’s hand. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, envoy from Canterlot.”

Applejack let out a low whistle. “That’s a bit of a walk,” she said. Twilight nodded and shifted her weight. Noticing the stretching silence between them, and Twilight’s piercing gaze, Applejack asked, “Do ya have a place ta stay?”

“Oh, yes. I’m to stay in the library, but I don’t know where that is,” Twilight said. Her voice tapered off at the end.

“The library? That’s not too far. Here, let me show you,” Applejack said and headed in the direction Twilight had been wandering in.

They had walked in silence, although Twilight could tell Applejack was brimming with questions. There had been traders on the road who talked of Canterlot as if they had found some magical paradise. Considering that they were only out for money at the end of the day, Twilight couldn’t blame them for sucking the coffers dry from underneath some idiot noble. With a sigh, Twilight tried to keep herself grounded in the present. After all, she didn’t know why Applejack had followed her out of the inn.

“Alright, here we are,” Applejack happily declared. Twilight looked at the library. It was a tree. Inside, a few candles still burned, and Twilight had the odd notion that it must look better during the day. She turned to Applejack, unsure of what to do next.

“Uh, thanks? To be honest, Twilight had been expecting some sort of trickery. Applejack was armed and potentially dangerous. The fact that the journey had ended outside of the library and not in some dark alley surprised her. Unsure of what to do, she levitated a few gold coins into Applejack’s hand, who looked at them with a raised eyebrow.

“You don’t have ta pay me,” she said and tossed the coins back.

Twilight caught them before they hit the ground. “But I thought th—” she began but Applejack interrupted.

“No charge. It wouldn’t a been very nice if I just let ya wander the streets on a night like this. Although if ya really want ta give me your money, I s’pose we could get a drink sometime,” Applejack said with a wink.

“What? But I almost burned someone.”

Applejack waved that aside. “She had it comin’. But it’s late, and I should really get home myself. See ya tomorrow.”

“Uh. Sure,” Twilight said to Applejack’s back. She was taken aback by the ranger’s hospitality and she hoped that life outside of Canterlot wouldn’t become a game of shadows. Before she could think too much about her time in Ponyville, the trials of the day had finally caught up with her. She was too tired. Everything could wait until the morning.

Just because Twilight was ready for the day to be over didn’t mean the day was done with her. The inside of the giant tree was full of runes that prevented the numerous torches from burning down the library. The runes were old and faded, she noted with a frown. She resolved to fix them later. The building had the welcoming smell of old books, as was to be expected. What Twilight didn’t expect was the person snoring at the librarian’s desk.

She examined the youth as she approached. He couldn’t have been more than thirteen years old. His head was pillowed by his folded arms and he was busy accumulating an impressive puddle of drool. She frowned when she didn’t hear anyone else. Surely there was a proper librarian around? Twilight cleared her throat, but the youth didn’t stir. “Wake up,” Twilight said.

The kid blinked and picked his head up with visible effort. “Huh? We’re closed,” he slurred and was already trying to go back to sleep.

“Then you did a terrible job locking the doors.”

“Waitin’ for someone. Mayor’s orders,” he grumbled.

“What a coincidence,” Twilight said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “I am Twilight Sparkle, envoy from Canterlot.”

That got the boy’s attention. He bolted upright in his seat, his face suddenly wrought with nerves. “Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be so rude, it’s just so late and I’m not used to staying open so late!” Twilight had the feeling that he was going to rant, so she held up a hand to stop him.

“Who lets a boy stay up this late? Where’s the librarian?”

“Oh, that.” The boy looked down and idly brushed some drool off of his purple sleeve. “Mr. Breezy used to be the librarian, but he got crushed a few weeks ago when the archives fell on him. I’ve been running the library ever since.”

Twilight stammered an apology for bringing a potentially touchy subject up. “I was told that there is a room available for me?”

The boy shook off his anguish. “Oh yeah, I have the key right here! Let me show you the way!”

Twilight had to admire the boy’s energy. Back in Canterlot, most of the youth were too afraid or apathetic to be of any use. She found herself warming to the spirited boy.

“Here’s your room,” he said once they arrived at the top of the stairs. He unlocked the door and opened with an unnecessary flourish. The room must have been cold, because the youth shivered. Twilight didn’t feel a thing with her heat spell active. “Would you like me to stoke the fireplace?” he asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I just want to get some sleep,” she said and headed into the dark towards the bed shaped lump by the window.

“Oh, alright. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Sweet dreams!” the boy called before closing the door. Twilight had already disposed of her cloak and pack before realizing that she hadn’t asked for the boy’s name. She shrugged. If he was going to be around tomorrow, she could ask then. For now, she only wanted to sleep.

A tall woman encased in ebony armor walked towards the border. Her eyes shone with malice, each step full of rage. Her body was hunched over, though she felt no chill. Behind her, the stars followed as dutiful as an army. In her hand, she clenched a sword, one full of cracks lined with blue magic. When she walked over the border, her tireless march ceased. Her porcelain features cracked into a mockery of a smile, and she laughed.

Nightmare: Part 2

Applejack had thought the morning would be a peaceful one. She woke up at her usual, early hour to do her regular patrol around the outlying farms, making it a point to avoid the Everfree Forest. Despite the chill in the air, the mere thought of the Everfree sent a chill to her core. There just wasn’t anything right about that place. The land itself was twisted by some magical experiment gone wrong. Applejack’s sharp eyes drifted over the bastardized stretch of land and she spat before continuing her patrol. Finding nothing out of place, and noting with satisfaction a few rabbits caught in her traps, she walked home with a spring in her step.
After leaving the rabbits at home for her sister to prepare, Applejack turned around and departed for the library. Halfway there, she realized that she had forgotten to take off her weapons. Years of familiarity had often left her wearing them at inopportune times. Rarity still pestered her about bringing her axe to one of her fancy dinners. With a shrug, she kept walking. Better safe than sorry, right?
As if some spirit was agreeing with her need for caution, the wind carried a strange sound that was not part of her morning routine. Applejack paused to listen and thought, was that a scream? Suddenly glad to be armed, Applejack set off at a sprint, blowing past a guard that was sitting on a barrel eating an apple. She rounded the corner and saw a crowd forming around the front of the library. “Outta my way!” she yelled and barreled through the crowd. Seeing the ranger charging forth, the townsfolk hastily parted.

Applejack ran into the door, axe in hand, and stopped dead in her tracks. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but what was before her certainly wasn’t it. Blushing at her dramatic entrance, she slipped the axe into her belt and turned to face the crowd. “Nothing’s happening. It’s just Spike throwin’ a fit,” she offered with her usual smile.

If anyone else had said that, the people would’ve demanded more information. But this was Applejack speaking, and no one had any reason to doubt her. Besides, it was a well known fact that she couldn’t lie to save her life, something that was proven the few times she tried to play cards. The crowd immediately dispersed and Applejack headed back into the library.

“Alright, they’re gone. Now why’re you screamin’ your head off?” she demanded.

“I’m sorry, AJ, I couldn’t help it,” Spike said, his face beet red. “It’s just that she’s been like this all morning! She’s destroying my work!”

“I am not doing anything wrong!” Twilight huffed from behind a shelf. “I am putting all of the books in their proper places.” Each word was harshly enunciated and Applejack saw Spike wince as if each syllable was a new stab wound.

“But they were already in their places!” Spike whined.

“Putting all of the books on the shelves based on color and size is not an effective way to run a library!” Twilight retorted with a tired groan. Applejack had the feeling that the argument had been going on for a while.

Applejack looked at Spike and saw that the boy was visibly upset about Twilight. Tears were already beginning to gather in his eyes. She let out an explosive sigh and made her way around the shelves. When she found Twilight, she said, “Alright, Twilight, let’s get out of Spike’s hair for a bit.”

“What do you mean? I’m not leaving until this is all fixed!” Twilight’s purple hair was a mess, and her voice sounded like it was on the edge of panic. Books were flying above her and into the shelves. It made for an impressive sight.

“You’ve got all night for that. Now c’mon, daylight’s burnin’ and I’m gonna show you the town.”

That got Twilight’s attention. She levitated the books into a giant stack and rubbed her eyes. “I am supposed to see the mayor today,” she groaned.

Applejack smiled. “Well why don’t you go get cleaned up and we’ll head on out.” Twilight weakly nodded and made her way up the stairs, ignoring Spike as she passed. Spike didn’t seem to notice as he was hugging Applejack in an instant.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” he said.

Put off by the sudden affection, Applejack put her hand on his head and gently pushed him away. “Now, Spike, it wasn’t anythin’. I didn’t kill a manticore.”

“It sure feels like it! She’s been all over the library already, making fun of everything I’ve done around here since Mr. Breezy.” Spike choked a bit at the mention of the deceased librarian. “I don’t know if I can take it. How long is she going to be here?” The sad look in Spike’s eyes made Applejack’s heart break.

She put her hands on his shoulders and waited for him to look her in the eye. “How ‘bout I have a bit of a talk with her. Maybe get her to realize how she’s been treatin ya.”

“You can try. I’ve been at it all day and she just ignores me,” Spike huffed and crossed his arms.

“She might listen to someone her own age.” An idea suddenly formed in her head and she grinned. “I’ll try to keep her busy all day, so how about you lock up when we go and you see if Rarity needs some help,” Applejack said with a wink.

The mention of his dearest crush made Spike smile and he gave Applejack another hug. With a sigh, she patted his head and waited for him to let go. If this was any indication, Applejack was going to have a long day ahead of her.

Twilight had to admit, Ponyville was a nice place. The warmth she had felt last night wasn’t the result of her emotions running wild. The town was full of well-mannered, friendly people and she was glad that the stereotypes were baseless. Applejack had been an amazing guide, and everyone seemed to acknowledge her presence in some way, but Twilight could sense something was off with her companion. Despite the fact that they were standing side-by-side, she could feel the ranger’s eyes boring into her.

“Is there something on your mind?” Twilight asked, hoping her voice didn’t sound too irritated.

Applejack licked her lips and acted like she had to think. “Now that ya mention it, I s’pose there is somethin’,” she drawled. With a nod of her head, she steered them to the side of the road. Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, she said, “Had a little talk with Spike this morning.”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. Something in the ranger’s eyes pinned her to the spot. Twilight told herself that she shouldn’t be nervous. “Is that so?”

“Mhm. He said y’all didn’t treat him too well. Made him pretty upset, though he’d never admit it.” Twilight shivered. To hear Applejack’s serious tone after knowing nothing but her friendly drawl made her forget that she was a talented mage. She had magic, she shouldn’t be afraid! But she was. Applejack took Twilight’s silence as a cue to continue. “Y’see, I’m from Ponyville. Born and raised. Y’ve seen how folks are around here. Now I might be a little biased, but I’d say we’re pretty civil around here.”

She pushed off the wall and Twilight involuntarily stepped back. “I know you’re new, and I’ve never been to Canterlot, so I don’t know how things are up there. But when y’come down that mountain, y’gotta understand that you’re not dealin’ with rocks anymore. We’re people, and we’d like to be treated like it. You understand?”

Twilight nodded once. “I should think about others and not just myself,” she squeaked.

And just like that, Applejack flipped back to being her friendly self. “There ya go,” she said and patted Twilight’s shoulder. “Now c’mon, I know ya gotta see the mayor.”

Twilght followed the ranger with her head down. She didn’t realize how terrible she was around others until then. In Canterlot, everyone had acted that way. As if sensing how she had acted, Applejack said, “Although you made Spike mad, that library really did need to be organized.”

The town hall was the tallest building in Ponyville. The town’s flag flew proudly on its spire while several, bright pieces of fabric decorated the otherwise bland exterior. Twilight had asked if there was a celebration, but Applejack just let out a sigh and said no. Before Twilight could ask for an explanation, the doors flew open.

If Twilight didn’t know better, she would have wondered if the giant mass of fabric leaving the hall was some sort of monster. But she wouldn’t have done that because she had spent months reading about the creatures in Equestria. So instead of conjuring a fireball, she raised an eyebrow and looked at Applejack.

When the mass was in front of them, Spike’s head appeared around the other side. Seeing his savior of the morning, he brightly called, “Hi, Applejack!”

“Feelin’ better?” she asked with a chuckle.

“Mhm. Rarity’s been redecorating the hall because these banners are ‘too tacky.’” He shrugged despite the mass in his hands. “I don’t know what’s so bad about these, but at least I got away from that witch.”

Twilight cleared her throat and Spike’s eyes widened. Looking around his cargo, he saw a suddenly irate mage glaring at him. “Oh, uh, hi Twilight!” he said with nervous enthusiasm.

Before Twilight could say anything, Applejack said, “Now, Spike, I already had a little talk with our friend here about manners. Do I have to do the same for you?” Spike shook his head. “Good, so now we’re all friends,” Applejack concluded in a tone that brooked no argument. “Twilight here has to see the mayor, so you get goin on your chores, alright?” Spike nodded and, with a rushed farewell, took off.

Twilight frowned at Applejack. “I could’ve been spoken for myself.”

Applejack smiled. “Sorry, bad habit.” Twilight tried to maintain her frown, but to her annoyance, found that she couldn’t. Shaking her head, she climbed the steps into town hall.

Rarity was never one to brag too much about her own accomplishments because it was dreadfully unbecoming of a lady. A majority of her deeds were also illegal and would get her a cozy cell if she mentioned them, but no one had to know about that. Standing in the middle of the town hall, she had to stop herself from patting herself on the back for successfully updating the decorations. Of course, she didn’t do all of the work, but Spike had already departed.

Spike. Rarity’s joy was taken down a notch at the thought of the young boy. He had told her about his dreadful morning, although she expected a bit of hyperbole had crept into his tale. Not like she could blame him, being seen as the victim can be very beneficial. The door opened suddenly, and Rarity was torn from her thoughts.

Turning around, she saw Applejack and, if Spike was right, Twilight Sparkle, the envoy from Canterlot. Rarity felt a small smile tug at her lips, her mind already running through every little rumor and snippet of information she had heard of Equestria’s capital. To see someone from the place, in the flesh, it was nearly overwhelming. Rarity was almost about to faint on a convenient chair before she realized that the envoy was already gone, leaving her alone with Applejack.

“You were too busy seein’ stars there, Rare,” Applejack said.

Rarity chuckled. “Maybe just a little. But it looks like someone has made a new friend.”

Applejack shrugged. “Dunno ‘bout that. More like I’m keepin’ her outta trouble. She almost toasted Rainbow last night.”

“Oh,” Rarity said in a low tone. Years ago, a more innocent Rarity would’ve said she would never associate with such brutes. She couldn’t say that now, of course, she knew Rainbow Dash of all people. “What else do you think of her?”

The ranger took a deep breath and was silent for a moment, keeping her eyes on the doors Twilight had gone through. Finally, she said, “She’s a good person deep down, I think. I don’t know how much that Canterlot lifestyle affected her, but give her some time an’ she’ll come around.”

“Hm. That’s pretty deep, coming from you, but do you think someone from Canterlot of all places will stay here for long?”

“What’s that s’posed to mean?”

“Don’t get me wrong, darling, Ponyville is a nice place, but it’s no place to spend your days. I see this as a stage in life, where I will go to the stars and reach my destiny in Canterlot!”

“I guess that’s why you’ve been tryin to knick my wallet ever since I came in.”

Rarity let out a delicate laugh and put a slender hand on the ranger’s broad shoulder. “You flatter yourself too much, dear. But if I did want your money, you would never have noticed it was missing.” As Rarity spoke, she walked around Applejack in a slow circle, a teasing smile on her lips.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Applejack said. “Y’know Fluttershy misses ya.”

Rarity’s breath caught in her throat. “That,” she hissed, “was a low blow, even for you.”

Applejack grinned. “I don’t see what the problem is. All ya gotta do is come down to the old tavern instead of your fancy froufrou party.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe I will.” Now that an awkward silence filled the air, she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to talk to this Twilight Sparkle and scrape her brain for everything about Canterlot. On the other hand, she would have to stay in the hall with Applejack. She held her breath until the count of ten before saying, “The usual time?”

“Eeyup.”

“I’ll be there,” Rarity said and moved toward the door. She stopped and, looking over her shoulder, added, “And be sure to bring your new friend.”

Twilight walked through the streets in the few remains of sunlight. A guard was doing the rounds with a torch in hand, stopping at the occasional lamp post to make sure it was lit. Businesses were closing and people were either going home or to one of the few taverns in town. Applejack had departed, but not before inviting her to a few drinks.

The gesture was nice, but Twilight had no intentions of going. Her conversation with the mayor had left a bad taste in her mouth. Instead of gaining answers, as she had hoped, Twilight had to sit through the same, boring sort of meeting that was only held for the sake of the mayor holding onto her power. It was a common practice in Canterlot, and Twilight’s old habits told her not to drink any of the tea the mayor offered. When Twilight had, with great reluctance, told the mayor about the “great evil” Celestia had predicted, the older woman just looked shocked.

Now confused and hurt that her mentor had pushed her aside like trash, Twilight headed to the library for one of her most favorite and important past times: research. The road back wasn’t too long, but any time in silence was enough for Twilight’s restless mind to settle on the evening with the princess.

“You’re sending me away,” Twilight had said. It took all of her strength to not drop her tea cup as the news settled in. Given the number of books and scrolls scattered about, any spilled liquids would have dire consequences.

Princess Celestia watched her student’s reaction without emotion. “Only because I trust you, Twilight. All of the signs point to Nightmare’s return. If I leave now, Canterlot will destroy itself, and Nightmare will not conveniently come to me. Not in the beginning.” Celestia stood up from the table and walked towards the window.
Twilight watched her mentor’s shoulders rise and fall, waiting for her to say something. The princess had entered Twilight’s chambers in the middle of the night talking about a myth that no one had ever heard of. It sounded too convenient, to Twilight’s paranoid fueled instincts. “What do you mean, princess?” Twilight asked, sick of the silence.
“In a few days, Nightmare will make her way back into Equestria. She will stop in the Everfree forest, where she will take her seat of power, and she will launch on a conquest that won’t end until I am dead and you are her slave.” Celestia spoke in a long-winded rush and waited for Twilight to digest the information. “You must go to the town of Ponyville, for it will be her first target. Go there, warn them, bolster their defenses, and defeat Nightmare while she is still weak.”
Twilight blinked and set down her cup. “Princess, I’m not sure I understand. Who is Nightmare? Why haven’t we ever heard of her before?”
Celestia was before her in an instant. Twilight involuntarily gulped and felt pinned to the spot underneath the princess’s gaze. “Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,” she began, her tone commanding, “do you trust me?”
“Absolutely, princess,” Twilight replied with a nod.
“Then you must go tonight. Travel light and make haste. I believe in you, my student,” Celestia said and put her hand on Twilight’s head. Twilight’s body was suffused with warmth for a moment while she packed her essentials. The warmth turned to rage the second she was out of the city gates.

Nightmare maneuvered through the Everfree forest, despite her long absence. Some things never changed. Her heavy steps crunched through the light layer of snow. When the forest suddenly ended and she stepped into a large clearing, she knew she had gotten to the heart of the forest. In the middle of the gnarled, twisted trees, the many monsters and hostile land lay the most deceitful patch of ground in Equestria. Nightmare raised her blade so that it caught the moonlight and smiled for the second time since her return.
“I am back, my most loyal subjects. Come back to me once more, and fight by my side!” she yelled. The abyss that floated behind her expanded and took the shape of a tornado as she channeled her magic. Her sword broke apart along the irregular, blue lines in the blade, each white shard revolving slowly around her body. The spell completed, Nightmare’s blade re-forged itself and she brought it down onto the frozen ground.
A second passed.
Then the corpses emerged.

Pegasus: Part 1

Two weeks had passed since Nightmare attacked the small town of Ponyville. The damage the town sustained from the undead army had been repaired, although the families of the few slain defenders were still in mourning. The remains of the army had been collected by the Canterlot guards, where they were taken back to Canterlot and given the rest they deserved.

Twilight leaned back in her chair and yawned. An orb of light floated above, a spell she had long since mastered when she found that the spell had saved her from bothering with candles during her late night research sessions. And how the last night been interesting! She rubbed her eyes and blinked, trying to focus on the words in front of her. This was nothing, she told herself. She had spent days without sleeping. On the other hand, her mind was quick to remind her, she had never digested copious amounts of alcohol before. If she closed her eyes for too long, she could feel the room spinning and did not look forward to climbing up the stairs to get to her sweet, comfortable bed. Reluctantly, Twilight closed the book and stood slowly, taking time to acclimatize herself to the new sensation.

The room shifted slightly and a wave of heat rose to her face, but she could do this. She could climb those stairs! She was Twilight Sparkle, star student of Princess Celestia, one of the six who vanquished Nightmare! Stairs would be no challenge! Emboldened by the mental pep-talk, Twilight staggered to face her foe. Too much time sitting had left a terrible cramp in her leg, but there was no time to get caught up on the small stuff. Lightly slapping her face, she stared down the stairs and took the first step to bed.

Twilight woke up feeling like she had licked a skunk. Coughing and smacking her lips, she rolled out of her bed and fell to the floor. The dull pain she had started with suddenly became acute. Holding her forehead, Twilight screwed her eyes shut and resolved to never drink again. Although she wanted to crawl back into bed, Twilight knew that she had to get up eventually. Before thinking of the consequences, Twilight forced her legs underneath her and stood up. “A small victory,” she muttered and staggered out of the room.

The stairs were not an issue now that Twilight was coherent. She looked at the desk that still had all of the books she had been using the night before. Either Spike knew that she was going to resume her work or he was just putting it off. Grateful that she wouldn’t have to start over, she quickly scanned the passages to see if she retained anything.

“Good morning, Twilight!” Spike said cheerfully. After looking at her disheveled appearance, he said, “Did you just get up?”

“Yes,” Twilight groaned. “It was… a rough night last night.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked. “You just went out with Applejack when she came over.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the youth’s ignorance. Would he understand if she told him that the ranger had taken her to the tavern to meet with the others? Maybe he would, but she couldn’t think of a witty retort when she had a pounding headache. “Yeah, I know. And I’m not going to do it again,” she said, massaging her temples.

“Why not? You sounded like you had a lot of fun when you came back.”

“Spike, do you have any tea? My head feels like it’s going to split in two.”

“Of course! Give me a bit and I’ll bring it out!” Spike said energetically before vanishing into the back. Twilight had learned that Spike loved to cook and would take any chance he got to show off his skills. She genuinely liked the boy, but part of her requested the tea so he would be quiet. With Spike gone for the moment, Twilight laid her head down on the desk, basking in the precious silence.

The silence was shattered when the door flew open. Twilight’s eyes shot open and found Rainbow Dash standing there. As always, the fighter was dressed in her black armor with golden inlays. The plumes on her helmet brushed against the top of the doorframe as she strode in confidently. “Hiya, Twi! What’re you up to?” she asked in a tone that did no favors for Twilight’s head.

“Hi, Rainbow. My head hurts.”

Rainbow made a show of thinking. “Ah, got a hangover, eh? Y’know, where I’m from, there’s only one way to get rid of that!”

“And what would that be,” Twilight groaned, but she was eager to be rid of the nausea.

“It’s easy! All ya gotta do is drink some virgin’s blood,” Rainbow grinned. “So, if you want to feel better, I guess you could just stay in here all day. You’re bound to get a paper cut.”

Twilight stared blankly at the fighter, who looked like she was barely containing the humor she found from her own joke. When the realization dawned on Twilight, she narrowed her eyes at her guest. Rainbow’s raucous laughter made her head feel like it was going to explode. “Oh ha ha,” she deadpanned. “You’re a real joker. Did you ever think of becoming a jester?”

Rainbow ignored Twilight’s sarcasm and looked at the books. “What’re ya reading?”

“I’m looking for ways to bleed annoying guests dry.” Twilight’s head fell back to the desk with a muffled thump.

“Oh, that’s easy! All you gotta do is stab ‘em right here.” Rainbow demonstrated by viciously poking Twilight’s sides with her fingers. Twilight jumped at the sudden contact. “Or here!” Another poke. Despite herself, Twilight found herself giggling as Rainbow found a ticklish spot, which the energetic fighter gladly attacked.

Spike had walked back into the room with a teapot and coughed politely. “Am I interrupting something?”

Rainbow was at his side in a moment. “Hey, Spike! Is that for me?” she asked innocently, pointing at the tea.

“Actually, it’s for Twilight. She has a pretty big headache.”

“I’m right here,” the mage grumped.

Rainbow ignored her. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I gave her a fool-proof way to get rid of whatever ails her. Speaking of which,” she looked over her shoulder and yelled, “I don’t hear any pages flipping!”

Twilight groaned. “I hate you.”

A steaming cup of tea was placed next to her head. The mage immediately drank it, letting the warm drink suffuse through her body. She felt her headache lessen and was about to thank Spike when she saw that the other two were giving her odd looks. “What did you do to this?”

“Nothing,” Rainbow said, making sure to inject her voice with as much sugar and good intentions as possible. “It’s just that you just drank my cup, and I might’ve had some back wash in there.” Spike said nothing, but he was wearing a very forced smile. Twilight looked at the cup in horror, and as soon as she did, the others broke out laughing. “I was just teasing, Twi,” Rainbow said between laughs. “But you should’ve seen your face!”

Twilight glared daggers at the fighter. “Is there a reason behind all this or are you just trying to make me miserable?”

Rainbow looked hurt. “Y’know, you’re nicer when you’re drunk.” Twilight didn’t respond, preferring to see if she could immolate Rainbow with a look. “But I just wanted to see if you wanted to do anything. The others are all busy, and I’m kind of bored, and it’s not like you have much to do right now.” The fighter had the decency to look ashamed as she spoke. Spike rolled his eyes and excused himself. Twilight knew he was probably going to Rarity’s.

“What did you have in mind? You look like you’re going to war.” Twilight felt her irritation slipping. The fighter was too good at making people feel better.

“Exploring!” Rainbow’s eyes lit up at the thought. Twilight rolled her eyes, not sure of what else she could have expected. “There’s this great place around here called Ghastly Gorge. It’s full of caves and I can’t wait to see what’s there. Except I don’t want to go alone because the last time I went, I might’ve been caught in an avalanche,” Rainbow finished with a blush.

Twilight looked at the fighter with incredulity. She had been in an avalanche and she was embarrassed? The mage wondered if Rainbow had a death wish. “As fun as that sounds, I was doing some research last night. Your constant boasting about your heritage made me curious,” Twilight said.

“Constant boasting? I might’ve been talking a lot, but I didn’t say anything about Cloudsdale.”

Twilight tried to imitate Rainbow’s voice. “I’m gonna show you how we do it in Cloudsdale! I’m the drinking champion of Cloudsdale! This place doesn’t have any good Cloudsdale wine, only this watered down piss. Cloudsdale, Cloudsdale, Cloudsdale! Do I need to go on?”

“I don’t sound like that.”

“Anyway, I didn’t know much about Cloudsdale, so I looked into it. It’s all very fascinating,” she saw that her friend was becoming bored and decided to get to the point, “and I found a spell that gives a person wings for a day.”

That got Rainbow’s attention. “Wings? Really? Can you cast it?” She was nearly hopping with excitement, and the sound of her armor still hurt Twilight’s head.

“Technically, yes,” Twilight said, flipping through a book until she found the spell. “This claims that it is the spell that gave Thunderstomp the ability to go to the clouds and release the rain that Equestria sorely needed in the drought of 83.”

Rainbow grabbed Twilight’s shoulders and spun the mage around. Her smile reached from ear to ear and Twilight found the sight to be unnerving. “And an amazing, talented mage like you can cast it no problem, right?” she asked.

“Like I said, yes?” Twilight was whipped out of her seat by the fighter. The room spun while she got her bearings. “I’m guessing you want to be the test subject?”

“Uh huh.”

“You’re not going to leave me alone until I cast it.”

“Yup.”

Twilight hated to give in to Rainbow’s demands, but she was curious to see what would happen. With a heavy sigh, she picked up her new staff that was resting against the table. Her hands glowed with the power of her magic, all of her focus on the amethyst embedded within the head of the staff. When the spell was complete and the staff was ready to fire, she looked at Rainbow one more time, eyebrow raised. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this!” Rainbow confidently yelled, lowering her shoulders and ready to take the shot.

Twilight took a deep breath, lowered the staff at her friend, and fired.

Pegasus: Part 2

Twilight wasn’t proud to admit it, but when she cast the spell on Rainbow Dash, that was the first time she second-guessed herself. She had done her fair share of spell slinging in the twisted corridors of Canterlot, but that was completely different. The people there were either hostile and refused to stand down or they were young servants like Spike, called in during a lesson to perform the respectable role of practice dummy. In those situations, Twilight performed anything from fireballs to ice walls with no emotion other than boredom showing on her face. Now that she was using a spell on someone she begrudgingly cared about, she caught a flicker of doubt in the back of her mind.

She cast the dark thoughts aside. The book had been in great condition and the spell was written perfectly. Nothing could go wrong. Rainbow, for better or for worse, was in no danger.

When the bright light from the staff was extinguished, Twilight heard metal falling to the floor. She blinked a few times, rubbed her eyes, and stared at what she had created.

Panic.

Twilight didn’t acknowledge her friend, who still carried that eager smile she had barged into the library with. She completely shut her mind in fear. What went wrong? She kept asking as her eyes scanned the text. Something went wrong, I’m a terrible person. This is badbadbadbadbadbad!

“Twi? You’re making me nervous. Did something go wrong?”

Twilight had to bite her tongue before she screamed yes. This gave her a few more seconds to see that the spell had been cast perfectly. Technically, it gave Rainbow the wings she desired, but there was no sign of the subject being changed so… drastically. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face her friend.

Rainbow looked at her pleadingly. She had maintained her posture, head lowered, ready for a fight, but it was clear to Twilight that she only held that pose because she was scared to move. Her clothes, armor, and weapons lay strewn around her, a fact that Rainbow undoubtedly noticed if the blush was any indication. Twilight opened her mouth, closed it, and tried to speak again. “No, the spell was a success.”

“That wasn’t very convincing, Twi,” Rainbow deadpanned.

“Well it was,” Twilight shot back defensively. “I just wasn’t expecting… this. I’ve never dealt with shape shifting before.”

“Shape shifting?” Rainbow asked slowly.

“I was trying to give you wings. What else could it be called?”

“Enough stalling, Twi. Your eyes look like they’re going to pop. Just tell me what’s wrong. I can take it,” Rainbow said, lowering her tone and expecting the worst.

The words that Twilight desperately wanted to yell, you’re a small, winged pony, died in her throat. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked to the back of the library. There, on the kitchen counter, was a handheld mirror that Rarity had given her as a gift, although Spike probably got the most use out of it. With that in hand, she walked back and presented the mirror to her equine companion.

Rainbow eyed the mirror suspiciously. If Twilight learned anything about the fighter, it was that Rainbow didn’t like the way Rarity covered everything with gems. Or maybe Rainbow was just nervous to see what she had become, and for that, Twilight couldn’t blame her. Rainbow finally lowered her posture and reached for the mirror.

When the hoof appeared in her vision, she jumped ten feet into the air. “Twilight, what happened to me?!” she yelled, pupils shrinking to pinpoints as she held the pair of forefeet in front of her.

Twilight raised her hand defensively, the other still gripping the staff. “The spell was perfect, Rainbow, but no one wrote that you would change into a pony, let alone one with wings!”

Rainbow’s head snapped up at the mention of wings. She looked over her shoulder and saw the two blue wings flapping on their own. She was flying. All fear vanished from her eyes in a second and she was happily zipping around the library, a faint rainbow trail being left in her wake. Her laughter could undoubtedly be heard outside, so Twilight locked the door with her magic, unable to tear her eyes from the spectacle. Rainbow landed with a loud thump, nearly fell over, and quickly righted herself, eyes shining with glee. “Twi, this is so awesome! I gotta try this outside!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Twilight said. “Do you have any idea what sort of commotion you’ll cause? You’re not leaving this library until the spell wears off!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen,” she said and trotted to the door. She tried to get out by using her hooves, but she couldn’t get a grip on the handle. Frustrated, she gingerly opened her mouth and used her teeth to undo the lock and head out. Twilight was too fascinated by watching a pony use their mouth to open a door to interfere, and when she came to, Rainbow was already gone. “Rainbow Dash, you get back here this instant!” she yelled as she ran outside. She desperately scanned the sky for her friend, but all she saw was the rainbow trail.

Flying. She was actually flying. Sure, Rainbow never expected that her childhood dream would someday come true but now that it had it was awesome! She felt the wind dance in her hair and play over her new, fur coated body. The wings flapped tirelessly, and Rainbow kept pushing them further. She wanted to go faster, faster, FASTER! Her eyes started to burn and she narrowed them into slits. Part of Twilight’s nagging stayed with her, specifically the fact that Rainbow only had a day with the wings. And if Twilight was concerned that people would see her, well, she would just go higher!

Rainbow looked down on Ponyville, unable to contain her mirth. The sensation of flying was just too much, and she found herself laughing. She wished it would never end. Perhaps Twilight would be willing to cast the spell again, although that seemed unlikely unless the mage made her agree to some ironclad set of rules. Rainbow gagged at the thought. She liked the town’s new librarian as much as the next person, but something like flight couldn’t be dictated! It was meant to establish freedom! She looked around and, against her expectations, frowned.

There was no one up there for her to share the experience with! Rainbow righted herself and tried to cross her forelegs. The position wasn’t comfortable and she let her hooves dangle towards the ground. She furrowed her brow and wondered who she could bring. Twilight would probably still be mad. Applejack would either be in the forest or at the library, which ran the risk of running into an irate mage. Fluttershy would probably go crazy if she saw a new animal friend. Rarity would complain about her hair and the speed. That only left… Rainbow sighed and began her descent.

The first obstacle did not come in the form of a mob of citizens hell bent on purging the world of a flying, talking pony. Sure, there were stares and she had been besieged by three curious girls, but she only had to rear up to get them to go away. If they saw the bored look on her face, the girls would probably have stuck around. No, the hardship did not come from anything that she expected. She, Rainbow Dash, was stopped by a door.

Pinkie was oddly chaotic on the best of days, but Rainbow knew the bard kept a tight schedule. That meant that she was inside Sugarcube Corner, the building with the offending doorknob, making some sort of delectable pastry. Rainbow raised her hoof again and fumbled with the door. Nothing. She did, however, manage to make some scraping sounds on the wood, so maybe someone had heard it. When no one came, she looked around, saw no one watching, and leaned in. She tentatively took the knob in her teeth, making sure not to let her tongue touch the metal, and twisted her neck. In the back of her mind, she realized she would have to do this with every door, including the one to her own house.

The door finally opened and Rainbow smiled before trotting in. The sound of hooves on wood definitely drew the attention of Mr. Cake, one of the owners.

“Whoa, there, get out!” he yelled, stepping out from behind the counter to stand in front of Dash.

“What, why?” she asked.

Mr. Cake took a startled step back, raising his lanky arms in front of him. He recovered surprisingly well. “Because this is a bakery and I’m not letting a pony in here! Now come on, get out!” his voice still carried a sense of authority, but Dash knew he was uneasy dealing with a talking, chromatic, winged pony.

Dash ground her teeth and took a step back. After the ordeal with the door, she had expected a free ride. She could easily blow past Mr. Cake, but it didn’t seem like a good idea to antagonize her friend’s employer. If she worked for Mr. Cake, however.

Once she was successfully corralled out of the building she had spent so much time getting into, Rainbow plopped down on the ground. So she couldn’t get to Pinkie. Was there anyone else who worked on their own?

“Dashie?”

Pinkie’s voice nearly made Dash jump into the sky. When her heart settled down, she looked at her friend. Pinkie was surprisingly bleak, a far cry from the girl’s love for colors. She wore a brown dress with a white apron. A white bandana kept her wild hair out of the way. She looked like she had dumped a bag of flour on herself.
Dash gave her a grin. “Want to go flying?”

Pinkie’s blue eyes managed to grow larger. Without hesitation, she hopped onto Rainbow’s back and the two were off.

Below, a guard reported hearing strange giggles coming out of nowhere and clouds of flour. He also swore that he saw a rainbow at night. When he told this to the captain, Big Mac rolled his straw to the other side of his mouth and told the guard to take the next day off.

As Rainbow had thought, flying with Pinkie was much better than flying solo. The sun had descended too soon and it was getting harder to see, effectively ending their flight. She had dropped Pinkie off at Sugarcube Corner, where the bard had given her a warm hug and her sincerest thanks. Rainbow could feel the bruise forming from that hug. The day had been great, but now she was back to squaring off with her nemesis: the door.

Rainbow held back a groan and leaned in. She bit the doorknob and twisted her neck at an uncomfortable angle, waiting for the door to open. When it did, she stepped in and kicked the door shut with her hind leg.

The familiar sight of her home hardly registered with her as she walked to her kitchen. One thing did shine out to her, however. She paused and regarded one of her swords. “Oh no,” she groaned, “I left my gear at the library!” Rainbow considered breaking in, but if anything, Twilight would be waiting for her. She knew she couldn’t avoid the mage forever and she would have to go over there to apologize. The fact that she was sure Twilight wouldn’t return Rainbow’s gear on her own gave her more incentive. She resolved to go to the library as soon as she woke up. With that sorted out, her mind drifted to something else.

Rainbow caressed her sword’s hilt with a hoof. It wasn’t one of her favorites, but she knew everything about the weapon. She tried curling her hoof around the handle, letting out a yelp when the blade slipped and fell to the ground. After a few more tries, Rainbow managed to cradle the sword, but there was no way she would be able to swing it effectively. She groaned and, driven by curiosity, gripped the sword with her teeth. It tasted terrible. She grimaced and spat the sword out. After putting it away, Rainbow yawned and looked at the kitchen again.

All of the flying had really made her hungry, but it also made her tired. Another yawn came forth and she decided to eat later. She saw that her bedroom door was closed and collapsed on the spot. The floor wasn’t comfortable, but Rainbow was soon fast asleep and dreaming of flight.

When Rainbow entered the library, she fully expected to be assaulted with containment spells and lectures. However, the only person around was Spike, and he was telling her to get out. She stared at him, bored and waiting for Twilight to appear.

As if on cue, Twilight came out from the back of the library. The mage looked at Rainbow with a look of annoyance, but thankfully said nothing. Twilight walked over, her staff making a light thump on the floor with each step. Spike was still admonishing Rainbow, saying that he had just cleaned the floor and that ponies had no business in a library.

“I’m sorry, Twi,” Rainbow said, her voice making Spike jump.

“Rainbow Dash? What happened to you?” Spike asked, carefully poking her.

“It’s a bit of a story,” she said with a smile.

Twilight said, “You pressured me into casting a spell on you and took off.” Rainbow winced at the mage’s monotone voice. “But I shouldn’t be surprised that any of this happened,” she added with a sigh.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “You’re not upset?”

Twilight shrugged. “Why would I be? You wanted to fly and you didn’t hurt anyone.”

“You sound upset,” Rainbow said, ignoring Spike playing with her wings.

“I suppose I do. It doesn’t concern you. You have ten minutes of flight left, make it count.”

Rainbow’s heart was already soaring. Only ten minutes? That wouldn’t be enough time to properly scour the sky. She looked at Spike, who was looking back with wide eyes, and smiled. With a toss of her head, she motioned for him to climb on, which he eagerly did.

Unwilling to risk a crash landing outside, especially with someone on her back, Rainbow flew around the library. Thankfully, the ceiling was rather high and she had plenty of room to fly. Both of them giggled uncontrollably for nine minutes, but each pass caused Rainbow to look at Twilight, who was staring at them with the best poker face Rainbow had ever seen. When she saw Twilight raise a hand, Rainbow reluctantly descended, much to Spike’s displeasure.
On the eleventh minute, Rainbow doubled over and bit down as her body started to glow. Spike yelped and jumped away as if she would explode, a fate that she would rather avoid. Actually, Rainbow had no idea what was going to happen. What if she would explode? Would Twilight have casted the spell on her if that’s what waited her at the end? Rainbow hated to admit it, but she was scared. No, not scared, she was nervous. That sounded better.
Rainbow was too concerned with making herself sound good to herself to notice that the transformation had already taken place. She looked at Twilight’s back, the tips of her friend’s ears a bright red. Spike was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow felt her heart quicken and looked at her hands. “I’m normal again!” she yelled and ran to Twilight, scooping the mage up in a hug.
“Stop it, Rainbow!” Twilight squeaked as the fighter spun them around. “Rainbow, put me down! Rainbow, you are naked!”

The seven of them met at the tavern that night. Twilight stared at the glass of water she had ordered, unwilling to become inebriated again. Watching Pinkie take a long swig made her stomach churn. Rainbow sat across from her, dressed in her black iron armor once again and happily eating some bread. Spike had managed to persuade Twilight to let him come, and was sitting next to Rarity and listening to her every word. Twilight took a sip of water and noticed the rose eyes staring at her from across the table.
“Thanks again, Twi,” Rainbow said.
Twilight waved a hand. “That’s the sixth time, Rainbow. You’re welcome.”
Rainbow propped her head onto her hand and raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”
There it was again. Twilight sighed and looked around. Pinkie had joined Rarity and Spike’s conversation while Applejack and Fluttershy were playing darts. They were as alone as they were going to get in a tavern. She leaned closer to Rainbow and lowered her voice. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
Rainbow frowned. “Because I’m your friend?” she asked as if stating the most obvious of facts.
“And what if I told you that everything is fine?”
“Then I’d say that you’re lying. Just like the past five times.” Rainbow folded her arms and leaned back. “So since I’m your friend, you’re going to tell me what’s bothering you.”
Twilight lowered her head and sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, but just then Applejack appeared. “I think Fluttershy’s done for tonight. Either of you wanna play?” she asked.
Twilight gave Rainbow a look before saying, “I would love to.” She got out of her chair and followed Applejack to the dartboard. She felt terrible for stringing her friend along, but she hoped the fighter would let the issue drop. Twilight kept her focus on the game and the ranger, forcing herself to have a good time. A pair of rose eyes bored into her back for the rest of the night.

Orders: Part 1

Fluttershy heard someone knocking on her door the second she woke up. The intrusion, though unpleasant, which she would never admit, was not why she got out of bed. No, only someone who knew Fluttershy’s sleep schedule, which she held rigidly and involuntarily, could have such timing. There was only one person in Ponyville that would know. The urgency of such a visit dispelled a few of the less than pleasant thoughts Fluttershy harbored in those waking moments.

After putting on a large, yellow dress that disguised her sculpted frame, Fluttershy walked down the stairs to answer the door, mindful of the animals that scampered about. As she expected, Rainbow Dash stood on the other side.

“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Rainbow said, walking past Fluttershy and collapsing onto a couch. The furniture groaned at Dash’s weight, but Fluttershy knew her friend was unwilling to part with the black iron armor that she constantly wore. After all, adventure and peril could be around any corner. Besides, Fluttershy was more concerned about her friend’s mannerisms instead of her couch. She noticed that Dash didn’t sound tired at all, suggesting that the fighter had been awake for some time. “Ever since yesterday, Twilight’s been acting all weird. Whenever I ask her about it, she doesn’t give me an answer. It’s really annoying me.”

Fluttershy frowned. “I’m sure she has her own reasons,” she offered, walking into her kitchen to make some tea. The couch’s relieved sigh told her that Dash had gotten up and followed her.

“But it could be something really important! Who knows what could be at stake!” Rainbow flailed her arms manically. “Last time she acted like this, Nightmare attacked! Ponyville could be in some sort of danger!”

Dash’s excited yelling certainly woke Fluttershy up more than any tea could. “You sound rather eager.”

“Eager? I’m gonna climb the walls in a moment if something doesn’t happen soon!”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “But you just spent a whole day flying.” Surely even the most reckless of characters would want to take a day off after experiencing the unbridled freedom of flight? Dash had gone into great detail the night before at the tavern and even Fluttershy was a little jealous.

“And it was amazing!” Rainbow Dash paused, wary of the fact that she was about to go on another flying rant. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

Fluttershy nodded but said nothing. Dash had come to her many times in the past, usually at inconvenient hours, to get something off her chest. The tea was done and Fluttershy poured out two cups, offering one to Dash before walking back into the living room.

The couch groaned again at its armored burden. Fluttershy watched Dash take a long sip. She wondered why the fighter hadn’t said anything. Usually these sorts of conversations would only exist so Dash could comfortably say that she doesn’t talk to herself. When she did talk, Fluttershy almost jumped.

“What could it be?” Dash murmured.

“Um, Rainbow?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t see why you’re so interested in Twilight’s business. Whenever someone else is acting different, you usually shrug it off.” If only she could be so forthcoming with the rest of her friends. But she knew Dash the longest, and the slight crankiness from having to put up with this conversation made her want to get to the point.

“No I don’t. I try to cheer them up.”

Images of Dash beating a merchant into a pulp because he had sold a rotten bag of tomatoes flashed before Fluttershy’s eyes. The fighter had a weird way of making someone happy. “Have you tried asking Twilight?”

Dash snorted. “It didn’t work the first few times.”

“So it might be something personal.”

“Or it could be important to the safety of everyone around!” Rainbow exclaimed. At least she flailed the arm that wasn’t holding the tea.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her friend’s behavior. “Do you not trust Twilight?”

The question caught the fighter off guard. “What do you mean? I never said that.”

“But you think she wouldn’t tell us if we were all in danger.”

“And who knows if she would? You saw her when we were fighting Nightmare. The girl could’ve taken out that whole undead army. What if it’s something that she can’t stop, like, like the earth is gonna turn inside out and we’re all gonna die? If you knew something like that, would you tell everyone or would you let them live out their happy little lives in ignorance? It’s sick, Fluttershy! We deserve to know!”

Dash had put the tea down and was pacing the room, visibly upset. After revealing the core of her friend’s agitation, Fluttershy took a sip of tea and composed herself. “I’m surprised at you, Rainbow Dash. You still don’t trust Twilight, or at least respect her enough to share with us. I know she has only been here for a little over two weeks, but think of all she has done. To begin, she stayed in Ponyville to help rebuild after Nightmare, she helped Pinkie at Sugarcube Corner, she modeled for Rarity, and she was just here a few days ago to assist me with some housework. Applejack also says nothing but good things about her and you trusted her enough to cast a spell on you. If she’s not telling you something, it must be because it isn’t your place to know.”

Fluttershy was surprised at how harsh her voice had sounded. An apology bubbled in her throat, but she knew that Dash had to learn. The fighter looked at her friend in shock. Few could say they had been lectured by Fluttershy, and even fewer of that number were humans.

“It just annoys me,” Dash said. “Whatever has her thinking so much has to be something big, so why won’t she tell anyone?”

Fluttershy shrugged, unable to think of an answer that would satisfy her friend. “I did think Twilight was a little distant last night, now that you mention it. But you have to respect her privacy. If she needs our help, she will come to us, although it is nice of you to be concerned for her.” It wasn’t perfect, but Fluttershy’s words managed to make Dash look a little reflective.

“I guess you’re right,” the fighter conceded. Dash knocked back the rest of her tea and thanked Fluttershy for hearing her out. When Fluttershy was alone, she finished her own drink before starting her daily chores. Dash was at the back of her mind, though, and she hoped that the fighter wouldn’t do anything rash.

Orders: Part 2

Applejack walked down the cobble path to the library. The ranger was in high spirits, though she was hard pressed to understand why. Her morning patrol in the woods had been uneventful. The worn paths had led her to the same, wonderful sunrise over Ponyville plenty of times before. None of her traps had caught any game, but that had only been a minor inconvenience. There were plenty of stores in town to get more food from, and the ranger did not lack funds to help support her family. The more that Applejack thought about her morning, she could only come to one conclusion: the day had been mundane. So why was she smiling?

Applejack paused in the middle of the street as a new thought struck her. Why was the ranger trying to understand why she was happy instead of living in the moment? “Pinkie would be ashamed,” the ranger muttered, shaking her head.

“Applejack? Is something wrong?”

The ranger nearly jumped at the softly asked question. “Dang, Fluttershy, have you been takin’ lessons from Rarity?” Applejack asked, making sure to give her friend a warm smile to know she had been joking.

“Oh, did I startle you? I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said.

Applejack’s smile wavered at the apology. “It’s fine,” she said. “Serves me right for driftin’ off like that.”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “Um, is something wrong? I mean, if you want to talk about it, that is.”
“It’s nothing, just something silly that’s been on my mind.”

“Oh. Well, if you’re sure it’s not important, I wouldn’t want to pry,” Fluttershy said. Seeing the large woman’s shoulder slump, Applejack almost felt like she had committed a sin for denying her friend a chance to help.

Applejack sighed and licked her lips. “I’m just wondering why I’m happy right now,” she said. The admission sounded silly to her, as if it was something so slight that it didn’t deserve to be mentioned.

Despite the ranger’s self-consciousness, Fluttershy perked up. “Your happiness isn’t ‘something silly.’”

“When you think about it as much as I have, it is.” Applejack could tell that Fluttershy was going to ask other, probing questions, which would lead to a conversation that the ranger didn’t want to endure. Deciding to change topics, she asked, “So what’re you doing out here? You don’t usually shop ‘til the weekend.”

Fluttershy examined Applejack, raising a pink eyebrow at the question. The ranger put on a large smile. “I had to pick up some more tea. Rainbow came by this morning and I made some for her.”

“Awfully early for a visit,” Applejack said and crossed her arms.

“Oh, it wasn’t any trouble. She was very bothered about Twilight.”

Applejack uncrossed her arms. “What about her?”

Fluttershy was silent, but the ranger could tell that her friend wasn’t retreating into herself. She was trying to find a way to explain herself. “Are you on your way to the library?”

“Yup.”

“Oh, good. Then, if it’s not too much trouble, could you keep an eye on Twilight? I’m sure there’s nothing wrong, but Dash was very concerned.”

“You want me to spy on Twilight?” Applejack asked slowly.

Fluttershy looked as if the ranger suggested that they burn down an orphanage. “Heavens, no! I just want you to make sure Twilight is okay. Dash made it sound like she is in some sort of trouble.”

Applejack ran a hand over her face. “Well, I guess I could do that. I don’t know if I’ll get anything out of her, though.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Fluttershy said, “but thank you, Applejack. This will be a weight off of Dash’s shoulders.”

“I never thought Dash would be the concerning type,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Where is she now?”

“Knowing her, she probably went to sleep as soon as she got home. You know how she is,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, loud and lazy.” Applejack ignored Fluttershy’s look of disapproval. “I better get to the library then, just to see if Twi’s alright. Are you going to the tavern tonight?”

Fluttershy said that she would not be attending, as she didn’t like going to the tavern as often as the rest of her friends. Applejack knew that she could have continued the conversation, but she nodded and said her farewells to her friend. The concern showed to Twilight’s well-being caused Applejack to feel uneasy, and she wanted to resolve any problem as soon as possible. As the two parted, Applejack set off to the library once more, her smile replaced with a frown.

Golden Oaks library was a curious establishment. As far as anyone knew, no other town could boast that their library was a tree. Why the founders of Ponyville thought that a tree would make for a fine establishment for the housing of literature was lost to time. However, the novelty was enough to draw travelers in to the flourishing town, which brimmed with its small town charm and other experiences that would have been overlooked.

Applejack had seen the library enough times to become desensitized to its charm. Why, then, was she drawn to the place? She looked at the tree, eyes tracing the familiar twists and turns found in the bark, as if the answer to her question could be found there.

The tranquility was shattered when Spike ran out of the door. The young boy looked as if a pack of Timberwolves was chasing him. His eyes were cloudy and wide, his clothes looked like he had thrown them on while he ran, and his hair was sticking out in every direction. He focused on Applejack and ran to her, wrapping one of her hands in both of his to pull her towards the library.

The morning had taken a turn for the bizarre, to be sure. Applejack put a firm hand on Spike’s shoulder and forced the boy to stop. When he finally focused, Applejack said, “Breathe, Spike. Whatever it is that’s got you all riled up isn’t gonna get you now.”

The youth nodded, taking a moment to collect himself before turning back to the ranger. When she was sure Spike wouldn’t snap again, she slowly asked, “What’s going on?”

“Twilight w-went out early this morning. Said she had something t-to do and wouldn’t talk about it.” Spike started shaking, and Applejack gave his shoulder a slight squeeze. “She was gone for about an hour or so. She came back and, and she went into her room. Just now Rainbow Dash arrived and… and she started screaming. Saying stuff about how the world is in peril and how Twilight kept everything in the dark. I got scared, so I just ran out to get some help and that’s when I saw you. Please, Applejack, you gotta do something!” Spike’s eyes were starting to fill with tears, and his voice had wavered no matter how hard he tried to control himself.

Applejack felt a chill encase her heart. “They still inside?”

Spike nodded.

“Alright. How about you go over to Rarity’s for a while? I’ll deal with this.” Spike nodded again, the thought of his crush instantly perking him up. He gave Applejack his thanks and set off running.

When the youth was far enough away, Applejack took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. The door to Golden Oaks had been so inviting a few moments ago.

Twilight Sparkle was tired.

She was physically tired, as she had forsaken sleep in the name of her duties.

She was emotionally tired, as the duties had felt unnecessary.

Last, but by no means least, she was tired of Rainbow Dash.
The mage had barely registered the fighter’s presence at first, preferring to shuffle up the stairs to her bedroom. Unfortunately, Dash couldn’t take the hint that Twilight wanted to be alone and followed her. After much ranting and gesticulation, Dash had figured that she was being ignored. Twilight was content to sit in her chair and stare out of the window, although she longed to be in her bed again.

Dash had put her hands on Twilight and gruffly turned the mage around, forcing her to look into the magenta eyes that were a shade darker than the face they rested in. Twilight found herself unable to care about her friend’s requests for glory and the end of the world. She just wanted to sleep and pretend that she hadn’t just set a carriage on fire. A carriage full of people that she didn’t even know, people that only deserved to die because of a slip of paper. Did they know that they had been judged? Probably not, or else they would never have set out on a morning ride across the country. The people would have stayed in their homes and set up fortifications. Who were they, anyway? Who had she been sent to kill?

Dash had fallen silent, but not out of respect for the mage. Her head was tilted towards the bedroom door. Twilight heard it, too, a heavy pair of boots climbing the stairs. That could only be one person, and she couldn’t help but smile.

The steps ended in front of the door. “Twilight? Are you in there?” Applejack asked. Hearing the ranger’s voice caused Rainbow Dash to let go of Twilight as if the mage was made of fire.

Forcing the words out, Twilight said, “Yes, Applejack.” She paused, lavender eyes drifting over to Dash. The fighter shook her head, but the message she tried to relay wasn’t clear. “Feel free to come in.”
Dash froze, staring at Twilight as if the mage had just sentenced her to death. The door creaked open, and Applejack stepped in.

The ranger paused in the doorway, taking a moment to look over the two occupants in the room. Her eyes fired venomous daggers at Dash, who tried to shrug off her discomfort. Then she looked at Twilight, and her eyes softened. “Everything alright, sugarcube?”

“Of course it is,” Dash said, earning herself another glare. “We were just talking about—”

“You can stow it,” Applejack said. “I heard it all from Spike. You got some nerve, crashing into one of your friends’ house and interrogatin them like they were some sort of spy! Now get out of here before I really lose my temper!”

Rainbow wanted to challenge Applejack, Twilight could tell, but the fighter clenched her teeth and stared at the ranger. After a minute, or maybe more, Twilight lost interest, Rainbow scoffed and walked out of the door, leaving her with Applejack.

Applejack let out a breath and pointed with a thumb to the door. “What’s with her?”

“She thinks I have to tell everyone everything about my life,” Twilight deadpanned, summoning just enough energy to move to her bed.

“I doubt that she wants to know all that,” the ranger chuckled, taking her place in the chair Twilight just left. “It has to be important to get through that girl’s skull.”

The mage could see what Applejack was trying to do. She was hinting at the reason, seeing if she could understand without a direct approach. Twilight’s shoulders slumped. She wanted to tell someone, and who could be more accommodating than Applejack?

But Applejack was also one of the very few good people she had ever met. Would she understand that the orders that Twilight received were nothing more than assassination contracts? That sometimes Celestia couldn’t be directly involved in the many twists and turns of the Canterlot power struggle? That morning hadn’t been the first time Twilight had taken a life to support Celestia’s rule, but it was the first time she questioned her actions. Canterlot was distant, barely a speck on the mountains. Why should that city’s politics hold any sway over her?

Twilight felt Applejack sit next to her on the bed. She didn’t even know that the ranger had moved. She focused on the ranger’s eyes, wide and caring. Twilight wondered if she could risk shattering her friendship by confessing all that she had done, to see those eyes twisted with disgust. Twilight frowned, opened her mouth to speak and closed it immediately. Her eyes drifted around the room. She didn’t want to lose anyone, but she needed to talk to someone.

Forcing herself to push through the tightening knot in her throat, Twilight looked directly at Applejack and said, “I am a horrible person.”

The words took the ranger by surprise. She blinked, but stayed silent. Twilight took that as a cue to continue.
“Earlier today, this morning. I went out for a little walk… and.... You know how I got a letter, right? Well, it came from the Princess. She gave me some orders to do and I did them today.” Twilight paused to take a breath and to judge Applejack’s reaction. She also wanted to get one last look at her caring face before it was forever turned away in hatred. It was too late to turn back. Twilight steeled herself.

“Celestia told me to kill some people that were planning to attack Princess Luna and I obeyed.”

The words hung thick in the air. Twilight felt the weight lift from her shoulders, only to settle on her heart and lungs. She turned away from the ranger and closed her eyes shut, listening for any sign that the ranger would be upset.

“How does that make you feel?” Applejack asked.

Twilight gasped, but kept her eyes closed. “It makes me feel terrible, Applejack. I’ve been beating myself up all morning because of this. I didn’t even bother to ask the Princess who I was going after, I just did it!”

To her surprise, Twilight felt a tear fall down her cheek.

“I should’ve said no. I shouldn’t have wanted to do it but I did it anyway! What sort of person takes a life without a thought?” Twilight realized that she had been screaming and held her hands over her face. The tears were falling steadily and she couldn’t get any words out.

A strong pair of arms coiled around her, and Twilight felt the coarse fabric of Applejack’s coat against her cheeks. She cried, apologizing to Applejack, telling her to leave her alone between sobs. The ranger’s shoulder was soon soaked to the skin, but Twilight couldn’t stop.

Applejack kept her arms around her friend, not saying a word. When Twilight’s tears had finally subsided, the ranger still held on. Twilight opened her eyes, only to find what a mess she had made on Applejack’s coat. “I’m sorry about this.”

The ranger’s hold tightened. “Shhh.”

Twilight was confused, but the fatigue came crashing down on her. Her eyes fluttered, both feeling like they were made of iron, and keeping them open wasn’t worth the energy. She rested her chin in the crook of the ranger’s neck, felt both of their hearts beat a little faster, and found the rest she had sought since the day began.

Orders: Part 3

Applejack left Twilight’s room in a daze, making sure to close the door quietly so she did not disturb the mage’s rest. Maybe, she thought, that she was being too accommodating to Twilight Sparkle. The mage had admitted to being a murderer whose actions were sanctioned by the ruler of Equestria! Applejack shook her head.

Twilight was no murderer. She was a victim of her surroundings. Who could say what sort of vile practices happened in the capital? Twilight’s actions could have saved Equestria, gruesome that they were. Applejack looked at the closed door behind her and frowned. Try as she might to justify Twilight’s actions, the ranger knew that she could never be certain without directly confronting her. But was the ranger any better?

Applejack idly rested a hand on the top of her axe. There had been times where she had been forced to take a life of another person. When those times had happened, did she not tell herself that she was not at fault? That the other person had to be dealt with for the greater good? Was there any difference between the rough bandits that she had dispatched and the carriage riding nobles Twilight went after?

The ranger sighed and made her way down the stairs. Why was she even arguing with herself? She had already forgiven Twilight. The tears drying on her shoulder were the only proof she needed.

Rainbow Dash was waiting outside. The fighter’s face was set in a scowl, her arms crossed and fists clenched. When she saw the ranger, she yelled, “It’s about time you came out!”

Applejack’s head shot up in surprise. She looked the fighter over before settling on a scowl. “What do you want now?”

“I’ve got a bone to pick with you!”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” The ranger drawled.

The fighter stomped across the street, each step loud enough to make her armor clatter. “You got in my way,” Dash hissed.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Got in your way? All I saw was you yelling your head off.”

“I was trying to save everyone, which is something that you obviously don’t care about.” The fighter emphasized her point by jabbing a finger into Applejack’s shoulder. “Whose side are you on, anyway? Ever since that mage showed up, you’ve been spending a lot of time with her. Did she cast some sort of spell on you? And what’s with your shoulder?”

The ranger rubbed her eye and could not stop herself from groaning. “Rainbow Dash, if I wanted to hear a bunch of questions, I would have found my sister and her friends. Maybe if your head wasn’t thicker than that stupid helmet, you’d notice how dumb you’ve been acting.”

Dash acted as if she had been struck. “Hey, if anyone’s being dumb, it’s you!”

“Fluttershy told me all about your morning visit. You thought Twilight was holding some sort of ‘important’ information from you. You’ve only been looking out for yourself, Dash. Twilight didn’t need an interrogator. She needed a friend.”

Dash blinked. Applejack wondered how much thought the fighter had put into the whole situation before finding a conclusion that suited her. Dash crossed her arms again and asked, “Yeah? A friend for what?”

Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought she would never see the day where Rainbow Dash would listen to reason. “She’s had some upsetting business to take care of. I see that look in your eye, Dash, but Twi’s already done with it. We aren’t in any danger or anything.”

Dash looked over Applejack’s shoulder. She was quiet for longer than the ranger would have liked. In her irrational state, what could the fighter be planning? Dash took a deep breath and turned her gaze to the ranger.

“Y’know, that’s all fine and dandy,” the fighter said, “but I still have a bone to pick with you.”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to blink. “What do you—”

The ranger was cut-off when Rainbow threw a vicious punch at her face. Applejack jerked her head out of the way, too shocked to feel angry.

“You’ve been getting away with a lot of shit lately, AJ,” Rainbow spat. “You gave me a pretty good hit at the tavern a few weeks ago and now you threw me out of the library. Hell, you should’ve seen this coming a mile away!” Rainbow threw another punch, which Applejack managed to step away from.

“And what is attacking me going to solve?” Applejack shouted.

“Nothing! But it’ll make me feel a hell of a lot better!” Rainbow’s fist flew towards Applejack’s face again, forcing the ranger to block. The black iron gauntlet slammed into leather sleeves. Applejack gritted her teeth and pushed back, leaving the fighter’s torso open to a kick.

The blow sent a shockwave up Applejack’s leg. Rainbow coughed once, but she brushed the kick off. “That all you got?”

“Why don’t you take that armor off and make it a clean fight.” Applejack kept her fists raised. She knew that the fighter wouldn’t take her armor off, but it was worth a shot. She had to do something to turn the tides. Her forearms still hurt and her leg was tingling, but Dash still stood unharmed.

Just as Applejack was about to make her next move, a blue aura encased her hands and feet. The shock and surprise of suddenly being unable to move passed quickly, as she saw that Rainbow was in the same situation. The fighter still had some unspent bloodlust in her eyes.

“I think that is quite enough, don’t you think?” Rarity asked.

“Let me go,” Rainbow slowly said.

Rarity made a show of thinking. “No, that simply won’t do,” she said, getting a groan from the fighter.

“What do you want, Rarity?” Applejack asked.

“I want a lot of things, Applejack,” Rarity said, standing evenly between the two. “But right now, I want you two to stop attacking each other like a couple of churls. Last I heard, you two are friends and there was a little misunderstanding between you. Certainly nothing to come to blows over, I’m sure.”

“You don’t understand!” Rainbow yelled, only to have a blue aura cover her mouth.

“I should do that more often,” Rarity said with a small grin.

“You do know what was going on, right?” Applejack asked.

Rarity looked at the ranger. “Of course I do. Spike came by my shop after he saw you and told me the whole story. Well, not the whole story, of course. I don’t know what was in that letter, but I’m sure it was nothing important.”

Applejack thought back to Twilight’s tear-filled confession and could still feel the dampness on her shoulder. “It actually kind of was,” she said.

Rarity perked up at that. “So Twilight told you what the letter was about?”

“She did.”

“Was it anything as outrageous as what was going through Rainbow Dash’s head?”

Applejack bit her lip and looked between her friends. She couldn’t tell them everything. Twilight would have to do that. Instead, she shook her head and said, “No.”

“Then it’s settled,” Rarity said, letting her magic fall from their limbs.

Rainbow wasted no time in stomping toward Rarity. “What was that all about?” she hollered.

“Don’t make me do it again. You’re already giving me a headache.” Rarity theatrically put a hand against her temple. “Besides, don’t you have something more important to say to someone else?” Rarity asked, turning toward Applejack in a sign so obvious that even Dash would understand.

Dash sighed and followed Rarity’s gaze. Applejack was already walking toward the two.

“Hey,” Applejack said, “no hard feelings.”

“No hard feelings,” Dash repeated. At the same time, the two removed their gloves, spat into their palms, and shook. Neither paid attention to Rarity’s disgusted shriek. “See you at the tavern later?”

Applejack’s eyes flickered to the library’s window. “Sounds like a plan. I’m gonna leave you with Rarity for a while. I got something to check on.” Applejack slapped Rainbow on the shoulder and turned toward the library. Behind her back, she heard Rarity give a sigh.
“Why am I the one being punished? I broke up the fight.”

“Hey, it’s not every day you get to be around me. You should be thankful."

Author's Note

I feel bad for uploading such a tiny chapter. I also feel bad for taking so long.

Orders: Part 4

Twilight Sparkle slowly dipped her feet into the puddle of consciousness. She was in a curious suspension between being well-rested and absolutely fatigued. Though her eyes were closed, they felt puffy and she was loath to open them. A thin crust had developed on her cheek while she had slept and she knew she had been crying. She groaned and rolled onto her back, the covers rustling alongside her movements. The entire library was silent, except for a distinguishable sound of boots pacing around on the bottom floor. Twilight remembered Applejack being there before. Had she stayed?

Twilight groaned again and forced her eyes open. She couldn’t stay in bed knowing that her friend was waiting for her. Forcing herself to sit up, Twilight was aware of all of the sore muscles in her neck. Sleeping was sometimes a damning activity. She got out of the bed, her feet landing heavily on the cooled floor, and started a routine of stretches. Life wormed back into her limbs, but as she was stretching her neck, her eyes found their way to her desk, which had a new letter resting gently on it.

The sight of the rolled-up scroll was enough to make Twilight fall back on her bed. Celestia had given her one a few days ago. How could she expect Twilight carry out another one so soon? The mage developed a slight twitch and forced herself to get closer to the scroll. It was as unremarkable as any other piece of paper, except for Celestia’s seal that kept it closed. A sense of duty made Twilight want to open it with the same efficiency that she had used before, but she turned away instead. She wanted nothing to do with the letter. She didn’t want to know who had to die or for what reason.

A long moment passed and the faraway sound of the footsteps had stopped. Twilight’s hands glowed and she brought a piece of paper, a quill, and an inkpot over to her. She sat on the wooden floor, back still turned to Celestia’s letter, and started to write. Usually, her letters to the Princess adopted a certain form of style, full of rigid prose and devoid of any emotion. The editing process would leave her in a mountain of crumbled paper before she was satisfied enough to send the letter.

This time, Twilight threw all of her careful planning out of the window. She put all of her thoughts onto the paper, giving no time to correct any misspelled words or misused punctuation. She knew that she would never write the letter if she paused for a second. Doubts would creep in and she wouldn’t be able to continue.

One piece of paper turned into two into three. The words kept spilling from Twilight’s quill until finally, after ten pages, she was done. She sat back in her chair and looked at the ceiling, drained. All that remained was sending the letter before she stopped herself. But surely she could afford a few moments to think about what she was going to do. If she sent the letter, she would be altering her relationship with the Princess, possibly for the worst. What if she becomes a target for the next up and coming student? What if Celestia’s fair rule is ended, only to be replaced by someone that is swayed by greed and selfish ambition, all because Twilight refused to eliminate the threat? Twilight swallowed and felt her chest constrict. She knew she had no place to complain, but she also knew that she couldn’t continue with these assassinations.
Twilight forced herself to take a deep breath. Her hands glowed. She couldn’t do it anymore. Celestia had to know. Hopefully she would forgive Twilight.

The letter disappeared in a blast of magic.

Twilight stumbled down the stairs to the library proper. She didn’t want to stay in her room anymore.

“Spike? Are you around?” The mage asked, not wanting to be alone.

“He’s with Rarity,” Applejack said from her seat by the window. “I sent him away when Rainbow was here, remember?”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s been a weird day. I feel like I’m still dreaming.”

Applejack smirked and put down her book. “Are you feelin’ any better?”

“I feel like I drank a bottle of wine and let Rainbow hit me with a piece of wood.”

“You were drinking up there?”

Twilight fell into the chair next to Applejack’s. “No, but I did send a letter to the Princess. Now I get to wait, and now I’m just tired again.”

Applejack put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure the Princess will understand.”

“I hope so too. The Princess has the image of a kind, benevolent ruler, but then she has me killing conspirators out of the public eye. Who knows what she actually thinks?” Twilight sat forward and looked at her hands. “I can’t believe it took me so long to say something.”

Applejack leaned back, taking her hand off of Twilight’s shoulder. “Is that normal in Canterlot?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It might look nice hanging on the side of the mountain, but that place is a den of snakes, nothing more.”

“So if you didn’t like it, why did you stay?”

Twilight frowned. “I had considered leaving many times, but I could never gather up the courage. My family was there and I was able to get the best education that I ever could. Going out on my own was terrifying. I think the Princess knew that and used Nightmare Moon as an excuse to send me here.”

“Well, there was the whole threat of everyone being enslaved if you weren’t here, too.”

“I know, but she didn’t force me to come back afterwards. The Princess gave me the life I never could have gotten on my own.”

Applejack was silent and Twilight felt self-conscious. She was beginning to sound selfish, and she might have offended her friend. She opened her mouth to apologize when a letter popped into existence in front of her. The ranger jumped at the sudden appearance of the scroll, but Twilight caught it in her hand.

The mage looked at the scroll intently. It was no different than any other piece of paper she had gotten from the Princess. So why was she so nervous? She looked at Applejack and offered a weak smile. “Moment of truth,” she said and broke the seal.

To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

Your letter did not come as a surprise. The price that you had to pay in my stead was not something that I took lightly. I wanted to slay every single one of them myself and spare you, but I did not. That is something I can never take back.
Do you know why you were chosen, Twilight? Yes, it was partly for the reason that you already know. Your power was greater than many of the other mages in your school, and you had caught my attention at your orientation, but I also saw you as an unblemished young woman. I have ruled a long time, Twilight, and to see this magnificent city devolve into nothing more than false smiles and drawn blades has wounded me greatly. You shone out against that, Twilight. You reminded me of those brighter days and I had to protect you.
But instead of that, I used you like a tool. You are not the monster, Twilight, as you so often addressed yourself as in your letter, but it still makes me glad that you still know what a monster looks like. It means that you are still you, and that is a great weight off of my shoulders.
There was a sense of hesitation in your letter. I know that you have your own worries, and some are possibly driven by your sense of duty. Let me tell you now that you should not fret about the future of the nation, Twilight. You have done more than anyone could have asked and you will receive the reprieve that you asked for. Your previous tasks will be delegated to another, though her existence in Canterlot’s shadows pains me as well. However, those are not your concerns.

Enjoy your new life, Twilight. It’s what you deserve.

With much respect and admiration,

Celestia

Twilight looked up from the letter and blinked. Her grip had tightened on the paper and wrinkles were already set deep within the once pristine sheet. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Applejack, who was sitting on the edge of her seat.

“I don’t have to do it anymore,” Twilight said. Her voice cracked, but it was barely noticed over the sudden lightness in her chest. For once in her life, her mind was blank. There were no worries or pressing issues fighting for attention. She wanted to lean back in the comfortable chair, but she also wanted to stand up and shout. In her elated state, the mage jumped out of her seat and raised both arms over her head. The library’s rule of silence was thoroughly violated as Twilight celebrated.

She waved her arms and legs in an attempt at dancing without a beat and started singing whatever words came to mind. Not content to keep the happiness to herself, Twilight pulled Applejack out of her chair to join in the festivities. The ranger was reluctant to dance at first, but her friend’s good cheer eventually got her to move and sing. Half an hour had passed before the two collapsed into their respective chairs, preferring to maintain the warm silence that was occasionally interrupted by a shared chuckle.

Eventually Twilight looked out of the window. “I have never felt so great in my life,” she said.

Applejack chuckled. “Kinda don’t want the moment to end.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Twilight agreed, stretching and sliding down the chair, “but didn’t you say something about going to the tavern?”

The ranger shrugged. “We don’t have to go right now.”

“But the sun is going down. Surely the others are already on their way by now.”

Applejack looked to the left and ran her tongue over her teeth. “I suppose you’re right,” she drawled, hefting herself off of her chair. “Although I was just about to fall asleep.”

“There’ll be plenty of time for that later,” Twilight said, effortlessly bouncing out of her chair. “Now hurry up. I really want to tell the others the good news. Rainbow was really concerned earlier, although she did give me a headache.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Applejack stretched once she was out of the chair. She picked up her weapons, which she equipped with practiced efficiency. When she was convinced that the crossbow was secure, she looked at Twilight. “Well, shall we get going?”

“Let’s. Although I don’t know how you can carry those weapons everywhere,” Twilight said as she opened the door and held it for her friend.

“I got used to it,” Applejack said with a smile. Twilight rolled her eyes and tapped the ranger’s shoulder. The two set off for the tavern to meet with the rest of their friends.

For Applejack, it was just another joyful evening, although it was the most joyful one she had had in a long time. For Twilight, her life was finally beginning. The pages were still blank, eagerly waiting for her quill’s touch to fill them.

Princess Celestia sat under the stars on her balcony. She wore a light robe against the chill, her large eyes on the sky and a scroll in her hands. She still felt proud of Twilight for freeing herself from the shackles that Celestia herself had tightened, but the fact remained that there was a job that had to be done. Luna’s return had caused quite the ruckus at court, and there was no shortage of those who were planning to deal with the “false princess.” It was only slightly busier than a normal night.

“Are you going to stare at me all night?” Celestia asked. There was the light sound of fabric and then the next assassin was beside her. “I am sorry that you have to do this,” she said, handing the scroll to her guest.

Celestia kept her eyes focused on the horizon. When the assassin had had ample time to read, she asked, “Any questions, Octavia?”

“None, my Princess.”

Celestia nodded. “Very well. Be sure to come back here once you are done.”

“As you wish, my Princess. Will that be all?”

“Yes. You are dismissed.”

Octavia turned and walked out of the chambers as silently as she had entered. There was a chill within the young woman that Celestia had noticed in Twilight. However, Twilight had gotten away from Canterlot, just as the Princess had hoped for. Now she sat on top of the mountain alone, the brightest light in the nation surrounded by its deepest shadows.

Author's Note

I'll draw a cover for this fic someday.

Nightmare: Part 3

The tavern was catering to its usual clientele, with the addition of Rarity. Since she had not been there for some time, preferring to go to higher establishments to work her charm and line up prospective deals, she sat at a large table with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Pinkie Pie was too busy playing her lute to sit with them, but that didn’t stop the enthusiastic bard from dedicating most of her songs to the purple-haired dressmaker.

Applejack looked longingly at the padded seats by the fireplace, but due to the infrequency of group being together, she decided to grin and bear it. Fluttershy had opened up more with Rarity being present and the two were quick to launch into conversation. Rainbow Dash, not one to be ignored, made every attempt she could to get Applejack into a drinking contest. On a whole, the night was progressing wonderfully, and each of them wondered why they had drifted apart.

“So, Applejack,” Rarity began, putting her wineglass down and turning to address everyone. “I couldn’t help but notice that we’ve had an empty seat all night.”

“Well duh,” Rainbow said, gesturing wildly with her tankard. “Pinkie’s been on the stage!” After talking, Rainbow let loose a loud belch.

Rarity narrowed her eyes at Rainbow for a moment, undoubtedly hoping to instill a sense of decency in the intoxicated fighter. Seeing that it was an exercise in futility, she turned to Applejack expecting an answer.

“She didn’t want to come, simple as that,” the ranger shrugged.

Rarity pouted. “That is a terrible shame. I have so many questions for her.”

“Wait, who’re you talkin about?” Rainbow interjected.

“Well, you might have known if you didn’t spend the day napping,” Rarity reprimanded. “Applejack here has been showing the town to a recent arrival from Canterlot of all places! How does that not excite you?”

Rainbow ignored Rarity’s question. She slammed her tankard on the table, making Rarity scramble for her glass. She didn’t notice as her alcohol clouded eyes focused on the ranger. “You’ve been helping her?! The fiery whore that almost shot me in the eyes just yesterday?! You should’ve thrown her outta town!”

Applejack bristled at Rainbow’s tone. “Why do you care about what I do with my time? Besides, you were drunk last night, and I gave you that bruise on your jaw. Wanna try to throw me out?”

“Um, excuse me.” Fluttershy’s light tone cut through the tension. The pink-haired girl wilted at the sudden attention as everyone at the table looked at her. Taking a deep breath, she said, “But I think something’s going on outside. There are guards running.”

A guard burst into the tavern as if he was waiting for his cue. “The town’s under attack!” he yelled before running out. The group looked at each other for a moment before scrambling for their weapons.

Twilight stood contentedly on the ramparts next to the shivering guards and the rag-tag group Applejack had sieged the library with. The heat spell was the best lesson she had ever given herself. She squinted to see if she could see the threat that the farmers had raved about, but could see nothing. The sky above was completely clear, bathing the world in a ghostly light.

“I don’t see anything,” Rainbow Dash groaned. Twilight bit her tongue lest she come off as sarcastic. The lean fighter stood uncomfortably close to her, and Twilight had no doubt that it was because of their meeting the night before. “How ‘bout you, huh? Got any spells to see a little further?” Rainbow asked, roughly pushing herself against Twilight.

“No,” Twilight said, her voice strained at the immature grudge. “The coast looks clear.”

“Y’know what this waiting needs?” Pinkie suddenly asked. “A song!” She pulled a lute off of her back and plucked a few chords.

“Ponyville’s brave defenders stand

With cold winds and no drinks in hand

Waiting for the foe to catch their spit

And run away when they take but one hit.

Oh, Ponyville—

“Dang it, Pinkie, that ain’t helpin’!” Applejack cut in.

“You’re right! I hear a lot of rumbly tummies! Who wants a cupcake?” Pinkie asked, pulling pastries out of a barrel and offering them to the guards. Twilight heard Applejack groan. She decided to look at the Everfree again, and this time she caught a sign of activity.

An armored figure stalked out of the twisted tree line. Its armor was darker than the night sky, but it seemed to have a banner of stars behind it. Squinting, and with growing alarm, Twilight saw that there was a person caught in its grasp. The rest of the defenders saw the hostage as well and gasped. When the armored monstrosity was close enough, standing in the middle of the field between the town and the Everfree, they held their prey into the air. Nightmare, Twilight thought.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” Nightmare announced. “The true princess of the night has returned!” Twilight could hear some of the guards shaking in their boots. Nightmare, most likely, could sense the fear she sowed. “It seems that none of you are too eager to welcome me. That is most unfortunate,” she said, although her pale face broke into a disturbing grin. “But it does not matter. One way or another, you will serve me!”
With her other hand, she hefted her white sword. With a touch of magic, the blade broke apart and surrounded her hostage in a cloud of whirring metal. The man yelled as the small razors nicked his flesh, shedding blood all over the virgin snow. Nightmare’s burning eyes never blinked as she focused on the defenders’ reactions. Twilight heard someone lean over and empty their stomach. When the hostage was reduced to a bloody pulp, but still living, Nightmare threw him over her shoulder, offering him to the undead army that had started to filter out of the forest.
“He resisted,” Nightmare said simply over the sound of the undead tearing the man to pieces. “But you can avoid his fate. Bend your knees now and forsake the tyrant Celestia!”
Twilight heard some of the guards mumbling. Rainbow Dash stood licking her lips. “Let me at her,” she said, swords already in hand. Applejack had dropped to a knee, but not in submission. She rested her crossbow on the wall so that her ragged breathing didn’t affect her aim. Pinkie Pie was too shocked to move, her lute hanging loosely in her grip. Fluttershy was the one who had vomited, and Rarity was busy consoling her friend. No one spoke, except for Rainbow Dash’s angry chanting. Finally, Macintosh, the stoic captain of the guard, stood tall.
His guards all looked at him with hope in their eyes. He swept his gaze over them, moving his shoulders in circles to fight off the cold. Without a word, he picked up a javelin and threw it with all of his strength at Nightmare. The missile flew wide, but it still wound up within the chest of one of her soldiers.
Nightmare cast a bored glance to the fallen soldier. “So be it,” she said. With a wave of her hand, the army charged forth, surrounding the town as surely as a noose.

Applejack was furious. After firing all of her bolts, she nearly threw her crossbow into the undead army. The guards added their arrows into her offensive, but their efforts were in vain. For every set of burning eyes they extinguished, it was soon replaced. Applejack wasn’t even sure if they were diminishing the enemy’s numbers. She swore one or two of them got back up. Now Ponyville was completely surrounded by hordes of undead.
What was worse was that they weren’t doing anything. After making the short march, the undead just stood there, a sea of blazing eyes all staring at the defenders. Nightmare didn’t plan on killing everyone outright. She wanted them to suffer, to see their supplies rapidly diminish and let hysteria set in. And Applejack wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Poring over the map in the guard’s barracks with Macintosh, Applejack couldn’t see any way to break the siege. How do you outlast an army that didn’t rely on supply lines? Opening the gates and charging forward would do nothing but let people die needlessly. She groaned and stabbed the table with a dagger. Macintosh put a wide hand on his sister’s shoulder. “I don’t know if you did us any good there, Mac,” she said.
Macintosh shrugged. “Can’t do anything about it now. We’ll just have ta wait it out.”
“But we can’t! These guys don’t need food, they don’t need anything!”
“I’m sure word will get out to other cities. They’ll send help.”
“Only if you sent out runners, and only if they’re still alive. I just wish I could throw Rainbow Dash at this Nightmare character and end this… nightmare. Not like we can get anywhere near her.”
“I think I can help with that,” Twilight said, appearing in the doorway. Applejack shot her a skeptical look. “I can sneak a small team out of town with my magic,” she continued. “I already spoke to the others about it, and they’ve all agreed to it, Applejack. Do you want to come?”
Applejack’s heart soared at the thought, and for the first time in the hour, she smiled. “Just let me get some more bolts and I’ll be right behind ya.” She turned to her brother and clasped his massive shoulder. “You keep everyone safe while I’m gone.”
He put his hand over hers. “You just come back. Apple Bloom doesn’t listen to me.”

For a brief moment, a bright light flashed on the edge of the Everfree forest, far from the rolling, stinky sea of blue armor. Twilight turned to the others with a big smile, glad that she could teleport so many people. The others failed to return her enthusiasm. Rainbow fell to her knees, smoke curling off the back of her black, iron armor. “I shouldn’t have drunk so much,” she said.
Pinkie was by her side in a second, offering her hand. “Don’t worry, Rainbow! Now that you’re full of drunken energy, you’re pain threshold must be a million now! I bet I could punch you right in the face and you wouldn’t feel it!”
“I feel like I’m gonna puke,” Rainbow groaned. She took Pinkie’s hand and shook her head. “But I’ll be fine.”
“Are you okay, Rarity? You’ve been staring at your clothes since we got here,” Fluttershy said.
Twilight turned and saw that Rarity was, in fact, staring at her arms. The teleportation spell had given everyone’s clothes a few burn marks, though she didn’t know why. Rarity noticed the attention and nodded. “Oh, I’ll be fine, darling. It’s just a few black spots, and I expect these sorts of things when I put these on.”
No one commented, so Twilight let it go. “Alright, now that everyone’s feeling better,” she began, making sure to look at Rainbow to see if the fighter was going to throw up. “I hope you remember what I said earlier?”
“Yeah, yeah, Nightmare is Celestia’s long-lost sister and you have a spell that’ll bring her back. We know, we’re not stupid and don’t give me that look, Applejack!” Rainbow said.
Twilight bristled at Rainbow’s tone, but couldn’t blame her. It was a silly question, after all. “Fair enough,” she conceded and started walking.
The others fell in line and, with some hesitation, crossed into the Everfree forest.

Applejack bit her bottom lip, green eyes never still and crossbow clenched tight. She had only been in the Everfree a few times before. The others looked as uneasy as she felt. Fluttershy was trying to hide behind the gigantic tower shield she paired with a tiny mace. They were probably thinking about the rumors that such a corrupted place spawned. A few minutes in silence, the group following Twilight, and Applejack felt the need to speak. “This is just strange. There doesn’t seem to be any critters around.”
“Y’know what else is strange?” Rainbow interjected. “Rarity’s weapons. I mean, look at all the gems you put on those things! A sword is only good for one thing, and it ain’t for bein’ an art piece.”
“Rainbow!” Rarity started. “Surely there are more important things at hand that you could focus your attention on!”
“Sure! I could wonder where we’re going in this dark, creepy forest, but I can’t take my eyes off your awful sword!” Rainbow was talking quickly, and Applejack wrote it up to nerves.
“Twi, how’re we going to save the town by walking deeper into the forest?” Applejack asked, hoping to stop the pointless argument.

Just then, the group broke through the trees and into a large clearing. The ground was freshly turned and there were hundreds of footprints leading towards them. Applejack felt a chill crawl up her spine at the sight. “We’re saving the town by leading Nightmare away. She’s been trailing us ever since we teleported. Isn’t that right, Nightmare?!” Twilight called to the empty field.

The group immediately heard Nightmare’s cackling. With a loud bang she appeared before them. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her smile was wide. “Very impressive,” she crooned. Applejack heard Rainbow let out a long breath between clenched teeth. “You six are a long way from Ponyville. What did you hope to achieve? Assistance from your neighbors?” She walked towards the group and lowered her voice to a teasing whisper. “Or are you defectors?”

Applejack had her own reply to that question, and she figured everyone else did. Except Fluttershy, anyway, who couldn’t yell at someone if they burned her house down. In the end, Rainbow Dash’s constant drive to be first compelled her to speak. “Nah, we’re just here to kill you.”

Nightmare frowned. “Oh, is that all? I have been gone for 1000 years, little humans. I did not suffer so much to be defeated by five girls and a magical, floating shield!” Fluttershy winced at the attention. Nightmare’s blade re-formed and she brought it down on the ground. To the group’s surprise, more of the undead were pouring forth.

“How many are down there?” Applejack found herself asking. She dropped to a knee, lined up a shot, and fired. One of the undead fell back to the ground, a bolt in his head.

Rainbow watched the small horde move in, shaking her head like a caged bull. Before anyone could form a plan, she let out a loud cry and charged forward. Some of her targets disappeared in a purple light or fell with a projectile in them, to her annoyance. Let the others sit back, she thought.
The undead tried to form a ragged line, but their jagged weapons barely scraped the gold inlays on Rainbow’s black armor. She spun her swords viciously, alternating between blocking and attacking. One made a jab with a decrepit spear, which she quickly dodged and pinned against her body. With the undead stuck, feebly pulling at his weapon, her free arm shot forth and punched through his head. She quickly had to drop the spear to fend off another strike.
Her blade locked, staring into the cold, burning eyes of her many opponents, Rainbow knew that she couldn’t afford to stand still. There were more coming, but this soldier had been a large man in life, a factor that had carried over to his revival. Before a blade could be plunged into her back, two jeweled blades came through his. So Rarity hasn’t lost that touch, Rainbow idly thought before spinning around.
A purple body was moving on her peripherals, but Rainbow ignored it. There were plenty of enemies right in front of her. The purple body was hidden behind some undead now, anyway. Out of sight, out of mind. Rainbow hunched her shoulders, bringing her blades up despite the slight fatigue she felt. Before she charged again, a soldier flew past, propelled by a purple light, and into Rainbow’s targets, sending all of them flying. Rainbow frowned and turned on her heel. “Those were mine!” she yelled at Twilight, who only shrugged.
“Fine! Who needs ‘em?!” Rainbow yelled and ran at another hulking soldier in her bloodlust. A lack of planning turned against her. The large soldier swatted at her with a large hammer, and Rainbow couldn’t get out of its way. She brought her swords up, in hopes that they would deaden the impact. The hammer hit hard and Rainbow felt like her shoulders would pop, but the worst that happened was that one of her swords was sent flying. With a loud curse, she yelled, “I need a weapon!”
Instantly, Rarity’s jeweled dagger was flying at her. Rainbow deftly caught the weapon and ran toward the soldier. Once she got close, he couldn’t swing his hammer. He dropped it and tried reaching for Rainbow, but her blades easily cut through his undead flesh. Effectively disarming her opponent, Rainbow drove the two blades into, and through, his face.
Without any enemy seeking her out, Rainbow took the opportunity to get her breath back. Lungs pumping like billows, she looked around to see how the others were doing. Applejack’s axe was a silver blur as she brought it down with no signs of fatigue. Fluttershy looked like she had moved twice in the whole engagement, leaving a pile of bodies at each spot. Pinkie was running around, attacking wherever she could. Twilight was hitting her foes with her staff just as often as she was using her magic. Everyone looked fine, with the exception of a new cut here and there. Rarity, Rainbow noticed, was being hard-pressed without her dagger. With a clean toss, Rainbow threw Rarity’s knife into the head of the dressmaker’s opponent. Everything was going well, so why did Nightmare look so smug?

Pinkie wasn’t new to violence. She had gone on adventures with Applejack or Rarity before, and being an acquaintance to Rainbow usually led to sparring sessions. So, while she was ducking under blades and jabbing her daggers as far as they would go, she didn’t feel anything new. She didn’t feel depressed or sad. Growing up on a rock farm had taught her the deepest depths of depression, after all. Being waist deep in the undead only gave her time to think about a new cake recipe.
A shrill voice carried over the battlefield, cutting through Pinkie’s thoughts and undoubtedly screwing up the amount of sugar she needed. Face wracked with confusion, she turned to find the source.
Next to Nightmare stood a soldier that, with the exception of a horn on his helmet, looked like the other undead. This one, however, did not carry a weapon made of metal. In its lifeless hand, it greedily clenched a flagpole, and Pinkie at once knew that this new arrival was the standard bearer. Why was he yelling, though?
Twilight was aiming her staff at the standard bearer, but it noticed. Once again, the shriek passed over. Inexplicably, Twilight wilted. She dropped her staff, despite the dangers surrounding her, and fell to her knees. Pinkie couldn’t hear what the mage was saying, but she had made enough funny faces to know that Twilight was spouting gibberish. Another scream put Rainbow down, and each one fell until Pinkie was the only one standing. She clicked her teeth and pulled out a slingshot.
The standard bearer scanned the field until its eyes rested on the mass of pink hair. For the sixth time it yelled. Pinkie was busy fiddling with her weapon when it hit. Images of the rock farm flashed before her eyes. Her unceremonious dismissal, the long, lonely road she walked for months after. So that’s what was happening to the others, they were being forced to remember the worst parts of their lives. Pinkie shook the images away. The others were relying on her, and deep down, there was the small flame of joy that had gotten her through those terrible days, days where she should have thrown herself off a cliff but instead ended up sleeping comfortably on the roadside. She would not let the fear claim her, so she used her tried and true strategy. She aimed her slingshot and laughed.

A small, clay container flew into the standard bearer and split upon impact, bathing him in flames. This time, he yelled into the air, his twisted voice full of pain. The others regained control and dove back into their respective fights. Now that they were unimpeded, the horde stood no chance.

Twilight sucked in a breath, ignoring the pain from her fresh wound. While she was paralyzed, one of the undead managed to score a hit to her shoulder. When she was freed, Twilight immolated him. Nightmare had seen that the battle wasn’t going to plan, but still stood mockingly.
“You’re no ordinary adventurers,” Nightmare began. “But despite your abilities, you are all only flesh. I could bring back every single soul you just cut down,” and to demonstrate this point, she used a burst of magic and brought back the standard bearer. “But I am 1000 years without practice.” With a swift motion of her hand, the standard bearer collapsed.
“It’s about damn time you stopped hiding!” Rainbow yelled, only slightly out of breath. Twilight wondered if the reckless fighter knew about how many dents and scratches her armor now carried. Instead of replying, Nightmare’s hands became enveloped in magic…
…and then she vanished.
Rainbow kicked the ground. “Really!?” she screamed.
“Simmer down, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “What’s the plan here?”
Twilight realized they were all looking at her, so she took a breath. “I’m familiar with that spell. She’s just invisible, but she’s not weightless. Applejack and Rarity, you two keep an eye out for her tracks. Call her out when she’s near. Rainbow and Pinkie, when Nightmare reappears, you two lay into her with everything you’ve got.” She looked at Fluttershy, unsure of the lanky woman’s strengths. Seeing that her armor carried the least amount of damage, Twilight figured that she knew how to use that massive shield. “I won’t be able to defend myself too well while I’m casting this spell, so Fluttershy stays with me.”
The others nodded and set out to their tasks. Fluttershy hefted her shield and stood in front of Twilight. Feeling safer, Twilight knelt down and started channeling her magic into her staff.

Applejack stood still, listening intently. When there were no signs of Nightmare, she took a few steps forward, expertly maneuvering the slick, muddy bodies below. Her brain barely registered the faint sound of a footstep before she raised her axe.
Nightmare reappeared in front of her, pale face set in concentration. Her white blade pressed down, and the stronger woman knew she would push the ranger into the ground. Applejack grimaced and pushed back, finding strength in desperation and adrenaline. The top of Nightmare’s blade broke apart and flew behind her. Applejack heard Rainbow swear.
Before Nightmare could dispatch Applejack, her head rolled back and she howled in pain. Flames leapt wildly across her armored back, and her personal field of stars disappeared. A new force brought Nightmare down to one knee. Applejack wasted no time, pushing Nightmare’s blade to the side and giving her one good chop to the side. Enraged, Nightmare swung her arm, sending the ranger reeling through the air.
Applejack’s vision swam, but from her new spot on her back, she saw Rainbow tackle Nightmare to the ground. Straddling her opponent, Rainbow brought her fists down on Nightmare’s face. The fighter was oblivious to the twin blades that were flying towards her head. Before they connected, Pinkie dove into Dash, sending them both out of the trajectory. Nightmare had no time to correct the blades’ flight path and howled in deeper pain when they dug into her chest.
A blink, and Twilight was by Nightmare’s side, her staff glowing. Without ceremony, she lifted the staff above her head and plunged it towards Nightmare’s heart. The fallen princess reached up and grabbed the staff, halting its descent. Applejack forced herself to stand up. When she looked again, Fluttershy had her hands on the staff too, helping Twilight’s attack.
Nightmare hissed and spit, but one by one, the adventurers gathered. With their combined strength, the staff found its target. The spell fired, and Nightmare writhed, smoke coming out of her eyes and her body filled with a brilliant light. At some point, the bottom half of the staff splintered and broke, sending the adventurers flying with the sudden burst of magic.

Twilight opened her eyes and immediately shut them. She wondered how long she had been lying there, because the sun had to be up. She tried again, slowly this time, and found the results to be tolerable. The night sky still loomed over her, however. Confused, Twilight forced herself up and found the source of the light.
Princess Celestia had teleported into the field. Her golden armor shone brilliantly, and Twilight resisted the urge to look away. Was that blood on the princess’ armor? Perhaps there had been a coup after all. Twilight forced herself to stand, a task made harder without her staff. Celestia stood before her, giving her a warm smile. “I knew I could count on you Twilight,” the princess said.
“I’m sorry, princess,” Twilight said and looked down. “I should never have doubted you.”
“I am to blame as well,” Celestia said. “I should have given you more information. I have no doubt that you were upset the entire journey. Unless if the purple spells I kept seeing from my highest tower served some other reason?” she asked playfully. Twilight shook her head. “Then all is forgiven,” she concluded and put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder.
A moan caught the princess’ attention and she left Twilight. “Princess Luna!” she declared. Twilight turned and saw a smaller woman in the same spot Nightmare had been in. Her armor was old, beaten, and burned. Twilight felt a pang of regret as she realized that everything they did to Nightmare had been transferred to Luna.
“Celestia!” Luna gasped, her eyes widening. “Get back! I will not go to the moon! Not again!” the smaller princess tried to get her legs beneath her, but a certain jeweled dagger prevented her from moving the appendage.
“My dear sister, I cannot imagine the pain I inflicted upon you.” Twilight had never heard the princess’ tone be so somber. “I never forgave myself for what I did in that moment, but you saved me that day, and I gave you the worst punishment.” The princess paused, and though Twilight could not see it, she could imagine the tears forming. Indeed, the princess’ shoulders wracked as she fought to suppress a sob. “I would have become a tyrant if you were not there, but you were there to keep me on the path of righteousness. For that, I owe you my life, Luna. Please, sister, I hope you accept the beginning of many apologies.” Celestia knelt next to her sister, holding eye contact, waiting for an answer.
Luna looked at her sister, clearly skeptical despite being in pain. Twilight didn’t know the extent of Luna’s suspicions, but she had a feeling that seeing her sister covered in blood wasn’t helping. After a long time, Luna finally nodded, and Celestia brought her sister into a hug. Neither of them said anything. Their tears made words unnecessary.

Applejack let out a low whistle the next day. While they were out fighting Nightmare, the undead legion surrounding the town decided they didn’t want to wait anymore. The guard had been forced to defend the wood gates. When those fell, the guard stood together and repelled the invaders until the attack was over. There were a few deaths, as Macintosh had told her with grief in his eyes, but much fewer than either of them had expected. Although losing valued members of the society was never good, Applejack felt optimistic.
The new gate was coming along nicely, everyone coming out to contribute. Applejack was taking a break with some water when she heard someone cough next to her. She turned to find Twilight standing there, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
Applejack raised an eyebrow but couldn’t keep her smile from growing. “Weren’t you supposed ta be gone by now?”
“Well, the princess never said I had to go back, and I rather like it here. I’d love to stay if you’d let me.”
Applejack stood up and offered Twilight her hand, which the mage accepted, and gave a hearty shake. “We’d all love ta have ya here, Twi,” she said. Lowering her voice, she added, “But just so ya know, undead armies and exiled princesses ain’t exactly common round here.”
“Darn,” Twilight said with a theatric roll of her eyes. “And here I was hoping I’d be experiencing a lifetime of adventure if I stayed.”
“Oh, don’t you worry none, we’ve got plenty of that round here,” Applejack proudly said, her mind flashing to some ruins she once saw. “But that’s for another day. For now, help me with this darn gate.”