Weather. Since the pegasi controlled it you might just consider it normal for clouds to move despite the prevailing wind. For the laypony, clouds wandering across the sky towards the Everfree would be a point to mention in passing. For the well informed it might seem strange that the scheduled cloudless sky was filling with menacing clouds. For the weather team it was definitely strange, cloudless days were days off for most and they would've been told if a the weather schedule changed. From the sky Rainbow Dash could see clouds convening over the forest. From the library Twilight could see the sky dimming and feel a deathly chill. From the forest Fluttershy could feel the air chill and electrify. She could see the sky dim and her animal friends fled for the relative safety of her cottage. She couldn't hear the wind. No one could.
Deep within the forest - past the castle and countless groves - on the bank of a river, a lone woman stood wrapped in a fur coat. Her hair was ragged and tangled, eyes bloodshot and eyebrows furrowed. Her pale skin was caked in mud and blood; her hands grasped a long sturdy stick. At her feet lay another woman, though you could scarcely recognise her for one anymore. Where she ought to have hair there was cracked skull and blooded scalp. Where she ought to have limbs there were gnawed stumps. Her chest was ripped open as if Jack the Ripper had had his way. Deep bloody hoof prints trudged off down the river. She followed.
“Twilight, Twilight, it's just awful!" Fluttershy announced, exiting the forest to her gathered friends. “Mr Bear said that something got attacked in the forest, I went to help the poor thing when the weather became so... scary.”
“Something got hurt and now the weather's got itself all trussed up, what'cha reckon, Twi?” Applejack spoke turning to face the group.
“I don't know, none of my books have any mentions of clouds acting like this...”
“Something's controlling the clouds, I can feel it,” Rainbow declared with a hoof to her chest.
“Wanna go check it out?” Pinkie asked the group in her usual chipper style, already disappearing into the brush.
They walked in three rows upon the narrow path; first Twilight and Pinkie, the former reading books from her stuffed saddle bag, the latter humming sweetly. Next came Fluttershy and Rainbow who kept their eyes fixed upon the brush. Last came Rarity and Applejack, marching in companionable silence. As the group reached the river that marked the halfway point between Ponyville and the Everfree Castle, the rain began to fall with a flash. The torrent swelling the river turned the normally difficult crossing lethal, leaving only the bank as a route.
She stood before a looming gate, a walking stick at her side and a face slick with rain. Her hair hung drenched down to her shoulders, and her face was now clean of mud. The old mansion lay decrepit, its walls crumbled under the pressures of time. The whole east wing was torn asunder, along with a section of the wall to her left; the rest of the mansion fared only just better. Some of the walls still held up the patchy roof. The clouds circled overhead, vultures, sending cries between them, illuminating the mansion. A single window was lit on the third floor of the west wing, so the woman pushed the creaking gates open and marched up what could be generously described as a path. Three loud booms echoed through the cracked foyer as her stick struck the door, and with it, three loud thunderclaps. She pushed the door open and a pony in the west wing shot up. The woman walked to the damaged stairs in the centre of the room, marched up them, hand hovering over what remained of a silver banister. Her slow footsteps echoed far more than her bare feet had any right to, and the pony drew his blade.
The group had spent an hour dredging up this blasted river, the thick mud just about preferable to the raging river beside them. They were almost too tired to notice the thunder, but nothing could stop their fright as lightning struck the river a quarter of a mile up from them.
"Ah!” Both pegasi screamed, to the fright of their companions.
“Rainbow, you're not scared of some lightning, are ya?” enquired Applejack.
“That wasn't just lightning, couldn't you feel it?” Rainbow replied, wearing an uncomfortable expression.
“Feel what, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, sharing her friends' worry.
“It felt... painful...” Fluttershy added meekly.
“Girls, look.” Rarity commanded, cutting across their chatter, and pointed towards a clearing where the lightning struck.
They could see a pony and a tall figure attempting to fight one another. The pony could barely move in the mud, swaying and grunting as they swung their gleaming sword with little grace or power behind their swing. The tall figure clutched both her stick and her side as if they were more important than the blade mere inches from her face. Twilight charged up her magic as Rainbow, Fluttershy and Applejack ran towards the fighting figures. The figure slammed her stick into the pony's horn, crying out in anguish, before raising it above her and bearing it down upon the now prone pony.
Rainbow and Applejack burst forward with all the speed they could muster, Fluttershy screamed “No!” as the stick fell upon the pony's head with a sickening crunch and a blinding flash.
Twilight's spell discharged just as the blow came, and shot wildly into the water, sending a shock wave through the river as her friends all looked on, horrified. The tall figure brought their stick down upon the pony's corpse once more. BOOM. Twice more. CRACK. Thrice more. SNAP. Her forth blow came not with her stick, which hovered above her in a magenta aura, but with her fists as she collapsed to her knees before Rainbow Dash tackled her.
The woman pushed the blue pony off her with a grunt, her face once again bloodied by a combination of hooves. She tried to rise to her feet only to be met with a second one, this time in yellow, which pushed her down into the mud, her eyes too large and her face contorted into a fearsome glare which forced the woman deeper. Again she tried to rise, pushing the freak off of her, but the addition of an orange pony made the venture futile. That didn't not stop her thrashing from side to side. Three more turned up completing a ring around her as she could do little more than stare as they spoke in their weird tongue, clicking and neighing in frantic tones. Not once did the yellow one break her glare, so the woman replied with a glare she hoped equally fearsome. What came out was more a desperate tired expression than declaration of eternal hate, which made the yellow one speak in a soft tone to her friends. Whether the words meant kill it or save it the result was the same. A hoof to the side of her face.
“There, now it's knocked out. Let's just leave it here and take the stallion's body home” Rainbow spoke harshly.
“No. Rainbow, I told you it was scared. Look at the poor thing, its got cuts all over it, and it's fur is all messed up and mangled, I don't know how much experience you have with animals but they don't like to stay like that. We need to get it to a hospital, then we might be able to find out why it acted like it did,” Fluttershy said.
“What even is it? Ah ain't ever seen anythin' like it.”
“I... I don't know. Twi?”
“Me neither, Fluttershy. That means that no matter what it did, we need to get it to Ponyville so we can find out. The Princesses might know.”
“Didn't you guys notice the lightning? Whatever it is, it can use magic. And it can make the weather act like it did, it'll just escape and go all wacko if we take it to Ponyville,” Rainbow objected.
“I'm with Rainbow, if it's done something like this once it can do it again,” added Rarity.
Pinkie Pie stood gazing sadly at the crushed corpse. “Take it to Ponyville. There's already been enough death today.” She received a hoof on her back as response. Looking into Rarities eyes, she saw her own.
Twilight and Luna, who had a bundle upon her back, approached the five mares who stood in the clean white hallways of Ponyville General Hospital, outside a door on the third floor which directly overlooked the margin between wild Everfree and the currently peaceful Ponyville.
“Twilight, whilst I don’t doubt your meticulousness, this creature hasn’t been seen since Celestia and I came to power.”
“Of course, Princess, I would never lie about something this big... what happened that caused them to disappear?”
“Ah, Doctor, where is the creature? I desire to see it with my own eyes.”
“Right in here, Princess, though I doubt it’ll wake for some time, given the amount of painkillers we’ve pumped into it.”
Doctor Hooves ignored Twilight's miffed face. Twilight wasn’t one to leave such an important question unanswered. How could an entire species go on for thousands of years completely unnoticed? Especially one so... weird. The group entered followed Luna into the room. She could feel the tension. 'Won't wake for some time, my flank,' she thought. It’s eyes were wide open and it was looking directly at them. That is, until the Princess entered, and its eyes changed. The tension thickened as each member of the group had their own reaction; Pinkie and Rarity looked forlornly at the creature, Fluttershy looked with pity whilst Rainbow looked with hatred, Applejack seemed more concerned with keeping Rainbow in check than looking at the thing strapped to the bed. And then the Princess. She looked with with eyes so mixed Twilight couldn’t tell what she was feeling.
The Princess spoke softly, to the surprise of all the assembled ponies. “So you’ve survived all this time? In the Everfree no less. I don’t know how you evaded the search parties, but I know whatever mother placed on you didn’t fail.”
“Princess -”
“Twilight, calm. Thank you for finding my old pet. I thought she died a long time ago. And yes, I did say pet. She was a gift from my mother." Placing the bundle from her back at the foot of the bed and with a mock voice she began to say, "'Tis a creature like no other; truly a fitting gift for Princesses of the realm...”
Year 30: Before discord
"...and to ensure it doesn’t die I’ve placed enchantments upon it. Do ignore the scars; the only way to keep the runes active is to carve them directly onto the bone. It shall die not from age, nor minor wounds." Princess Platinum turned from the creature, "Now tell me, my foals. For what shall it be named?”
She spoke softly towards two fillies who stood looking intently at the creature lying down, unconscious and strapped a table. The first, white and pink, giggled as she looked at it, circling and taking in every last detail of the creature. The second, smaller and darker, looked at her hoof then to the crisscrossing scars across the creature's body. The creature itself was an oddity. Long legs with white lines on the thighs, long arms with those same lines scatted along them. It's ribs could be seen easily and it’s teats were in the wrong place compared to a pony. It’s face was the weirdest thing, however. To Luna it looked squashed and squishy, the eyes too small and had an odd quality. It's bared teeth were sharp and jagged. The hair was short and messy, just barely coming down below its ears.
“I wanna call it Lothral,” Celestia said, “after the beast in the stories!”
“A fitting name, Celestia, Lothral it is. May it be a terror to those who oppose us. Come, let us attend the feast; there are many important ponies to impress,” Platinum declared, turning to a door on her left. Celestia and Luna followed diligently.
They took their seats at the grand old table at the head of the room. Princess Platinum sat in a regal chair with long legs and a short support which only accentuated her larger than average size. Held magically above the headboard were three stones that, from the rest of the hall, would look as if they circled her horn. In the centre a ruby; to the sides, quartz and obsidian. To her left sat Princess Celestia, Archmage Sundry, and the mistress of ceremony. Lady Redblood. To her right sat Princess Luna, Archmage Nightshade, and the captain of the guard, Steel Shield. Before her sat the assorted Lords and Ladies of the realm. From the Chillblades of the east to the Hardburrows of the north, everypony with more than a smidge of power and royal blood sat at each table, with cups of wine and a feast of expertly prepared meals left untouched before them. Queen Platinum greeted them all and bid them their dues which, to Luna, was a dull and tedious affair. She never cared much for pompousness or prissiness when she could be doing so much more. Which right now, included eating her alfalfa, rosemary and flower salad which sat on the plate, silently daring Luna to eat it. After a round of cheers the assorted guests began to eat, and Luna took the opportunity to dive into her salad with all the drive and speed she could Regally get away with. Old Nightshade tried to incite her from her meal with small talk about her studies, to which the Princess nodded and agreed whenever Nightshade paused for breath or looked at her for conformation. She sat thinking about Lothral, what might it eat, she wondered? Would it like salads? Should she try sneak it some alfalfa, or did it prefer sweeter tastes? She pondered these dilemmas until a nudge from her right broke her from self-contained musing.
“My Princess, do you like your mother's gift? It gave us a bit of a runaround when we first caught it, and the Archmages struggled for two days and nights to carve the necessary runes.” Captain Shield spoke between bites of his own salad.
“Oh yes, Captain, it’s certainly special. Pray tell, what is it? Where did you come across it?”
“We don’t know from where it came, though it’s certainly far beyond the borders of Equestria. As to what it is, I asked the Archmages the same thing!”
“And neither of us, nor the castle bestiary, granted illumination on the beast's origin. I have begun it’s entry now, perhaps you might aid me in its creation, Princess?” Nightshade added for Captain Shield.
“surely there must something; perhaps the commoners know of a story of one?” Luna interjected.
“I shall have my guards keep an ear out, Princess, perhaps you are correct.” Captain Shield finished. The usual small talk and chatter continued until well past the finishing of the meal.
By the time she had managed to escape the feast it was time for the Archmages to lower the sun. She wandered around the halls for what felt like hours until she came upon the room where Lothral was still strapped to the table. Pushing the door open and lighting the candles revealed the creature, her new pet, its eyes wide, staring straight at her.
“...and so she named her Lothral, after a great beast from a legend.” Luna said, concluding her story.
“If it was your pet, do you know what it is?” Twilight asked.
“We never did get a concrete name. She was called anything from chimp to dog but nopony could ever agree. Most just called her the Royal Pet, or Lothral. I always found that a bit of a mouthful so i called her Lo.”
“Princess, why was she covered in fur if she doesn't normally have it?” Rarity asked, eyeing the furs the Princess had laid down upon the creature's bed.
“It’s called a pelt. Fur taken from an animal.” Luna explained to the green faces of half of the ponies present. “It was the same year we got her, and the air began to chill. A Griffin delegation had just arrived...”
Year 30: Before Discord
“Take these pelts as tokens of goodwill between Gryphos and Equestria, they come from the great cats up north, and they are a kingly gift, your highness.” The Griffon spoke in rough Equestrian as the delegation crossed the drawbridge into the castle grounds.
“You have my gratitude; rest assured goodwill is all I intend with the Northen Kingdoms. Whilst we may attend to the manner of your visit on the morrow, it is a long trek south and you must be tired. Come join us for supper, we shall have hot baths and rooms prepared for you after.” Queen Platinum spoke in eloquent tones, directing them towards the hall with a turn of her head. “Princess Luna, see to it that these... fine gifts are stored safely then join us in the hall.”
“Yes, my Queen,” Luna replied dutifully, taking the pelts in her magic and making her way to a door to the side of the keep.
“I’ve heard of the magic of unicor-”
This was all she could make out before she passed through the door into the many crisscrossing corridors. 'Mother told me where to store them, not how long to take,' she thought as she made a beeline to the fourth floor, where Lo was kept. Entering the room she called out, “Lo, come! I’ve got a gift for you since the cold troubles you so.” Lo came from one of the barred windows up to Luna, and she now stood at twice Luna’s height. Hair smooth and past her shoulders, and eyes holding that dull look that all animals had. Luna gave a pelt to Lo before placing a few in her cage; a small comfort, but in these winters Luna was glad she could give Lo that much. Perhaps she could sow on a clasp...
“Without fur of her own how could she stay warm? Winter was harsh. She always loved to wear them around the castle.” Luna smiled softly. “I might ask for some privacy with her, it has truly been a long time.”
A round of ‘yes, Princess’ was given and the group turned to leave. With a hoof on Twilight's shoulder Luna asked “I trust you have sent word to my sister about this?”
“Of course, Princess.” Twilight replied, sharing a smile with the Luna before soundlessly closing the door behind her.
Princess Luna walked up to the locked window and opened it, looking outside. She spoke softly in the ancient tongue. “You did always like to look out to the sky. I guess it’s only natural given what you are... what you were. I admit I enjoyed our nights together towards the end," she turned to face the woman on the bed... "I still think about it.”
Year 20 Before Discord
The brisk air circled the window, trying to chill its current occupants. Luna’s midnight fur intermingled with Lo’s black cloak as the two sat silently stargazing under the moons pale light. The two sat with the open sky in front of them, and the cage behind. “Thank you for tonight, it has been a pleasure. I suppose we shall always have the night sky, shan't we?” Lo rested her head against Luna’s.
“I await the next time Lo. Goodnight.” Luna finished slowly walking towards the door and unlocking it.
“Farewell.” Came the rough reply.
Lo held a small jagged dagger in her bound left hand. I remember.
“It has been a long night, and you must be tired.” Luna spoke sweetly, locking the door behind her. “Goodnight.”
The soft click echoed through the room, followed by the sound of muffled voices outside. Lo tore through arm restraint and got to work on the others. After five minutes of fiddling, she managed to free herself of the restraints and began to take in her surroundings. The white tiled room reflected the dim light of the moon illuminating it. Outside the window she could see a town basking in the dull light, covered in the deathly stillness of night. Putting on the furs Luna had left, she perched atop the windowsill and carefully took in the features of the worn brick wall around her. From the drainpipe to the numerous windows scattering its face, she noticed it all. Then, carefully, she climbed out.
The room was dark, and most of its inhabitants, bar Twilight, were dead asleep. Their deep breathing became a beat as Twilight sat by the door. Her idle stare was interrupted by the sound of heavy hoof-falls on ceramic.
"Luna, I came as soon as I heard. Is the beast still there?" Princess Celestia ran to Luna. "How many did it kill?"
"Calm down Tia. She is still there, I can assure you. From what I can tell only one pony was felled by her paw." Luna paused. "You need your sleep, Tia, you can't keep waking up at this hour."
Twilight checked the clock. It must be wrong, it can't possibly be 3 already.
"What if there's an emergency like before?"
"Then I shall be there to solve it, Tia. I can't solve your tiredness; nor can cake or cream."
"What are you suggesting, Luna? If it's about that birthday cake, it was over two thousand years ago and it was well past the day. It would've gone bad if I hadn't eaten it."
Luna huffed. "What about last year? That delicious constellation cake with my cutie mark on it?"
"My fridge, my rules," Celestia replied with a short laugh.
"On your flank be it." Luna replied, receiving a soft slap in return. This was followed by fading giggling as the duo walked out of earshot.
Twilight looked around the room, laid her head down and then shot up as she heard Princess Celestia shout. She opened the door and saw nothing but a dim hallway lit up from the room to her right. Treading softly she sneaked up to the closed door and pressed her ear to it.
"I couldn't have, I was asking the Elements how they found her." Luna spoke in a terse tone.
Celestia's voice, quiet and sharp, replied, "You know how hard that thing is to catch, and how dangerous it is. It could be anywhere by now. Who knows what it could have done already?"
"You flew here. If it was near Ponyville, you would have noticed. It's probably out in the Ever-"
"Do you not remember what happened last time it got free? Discord, Sirens..." Celestia paused. "... Mother."
"I know what its escape means, I've had my share of it's trouble too... you need rest, I'll send the guard out to deal with it. Stay with Twilight and her friends next door. I can handle this, Tia," Luna said in a strong voice.
Celestia paused. "Not whilst there's a chance it could hurt my ponies." Twilight heard her hooves approach and slowly edged backwards. "I'll organise the Day Guard then... come back here."
As her voice reached the door Twilight had made it a few scant meters backwards. "Thank you. It's still night, so..." Princess Celestia opened the door and took a few steps outside followed by Luna. The pair of whom looked directly at the creeping Twilight.
"Uh... um... hi, Princess, I was just -"
Celestia interrupted gently, "Driven by curiosity to study the Creature, I suppose?" Twilight nodded. Phew. "We can't keep it here. It's dangerous, so please don't try and get close to it, Twilight." Celestia shook her head. "I'll get you a report on its physiology, but only in the morning. If you sleep, we can talk then." Twilight nodded. Celestia smiled and walked back down the hall.
"Don't go chasing her, Twilight. My sister is correct, Lo is dangerous." Luna spoke with a soft smile. Turning to the door she cast a spell then walked after Celestia.
The alicorn returned to her bed sheepishly and found her friends fast asleep. But, try as she might, Twilight could not join them.
Author's Note
This is being written at the same time as its sister stories. There may be stretches of hiatus when involving certain characters. I will be updating the other storied regularly in the hopes that i can avoid too long a hiatus.
Scores of Pegasi, with the occasional thestral, carpeted the dim sky above Ponyville, their silhouettes like bruises against the amber sky, their flight precise and direct, their wing beats sporadic and deliberate. From a square in the center of Ponyville stood a group of twelve ponies - four Unicorns, four Earth ponies, three Pegasai and one Thestral - crowded around a map which was laid out upon several feathered helmets. Upon it lay a drawing of Ponyville and several guard stations scattered around the Everfree forest. The map was full of detail. Lakes routes and patrols littered the outskirts of the forest, but past an inch of the boundary there was only the occasional landmark or path sketched in.
Around the town, Earth pony guards marched from door to door, delivering notices and talking to the few dreary-eyed residents upon the hearth of their homes. Unicorn Guards marched to a spot between the lake and the train tracks, placing large wooden poles into the ground and establishing a camp. From the horizon came a softly chugging train, clad in colour and the duel flags of the day and night guards, leaving a lazy trail of smoke behind it.
Rainbow could see all of this from one of the two open windowsills on the third floor of the hospital. Her panted breath misted before her. As she sat taking in the site of the Guards, a soft rapping came from the closed door behind her. She turned around as Twilight opened it and invited the Princesses inside.
"Thank you Twilight. I hope you and your friends slept well." Celestia scanned across the room where each of the Elements sat. Rarity and Applejack pored over a small pile of papers on the bed, and Pinkie and Fluttershy were playing a card game. "Thank you for your capture of our old pet. It shall be safely taken to Canterlot, for it has truly been a long time. It's presence in the forest might mean there are other things once thought lost laying within the trees, so I must ask that you do not enter the forest without good reason and some guards with you."
Luna took over from her sister. "The guards are setting up a base camp by the lake, and would very much like any knowledge of the paths through the Everfree. From the letters you have sent to my sister, I think this Zecora would be most useful. Please inform the captains of where she might be found. As to the dangers in the forest, I believe you have skills that might be very useful, Fluttershy. I'm sure you have many questions but I must escort our pet to Canterlot. I bid you adieu."
She turned and left, turning towards where the creature was kept. Was.
Guards around and the Creature was out of its room this morning... it must have escaped! Rainbow gasped internally. What if it tries to attack Ponyville?
"Princess, it killed somepony!" Rainbow blurted out, interrupting Twilight mid lecture mode. "Play it cool, Rainbow, if the Princess finds out you know something you're not supposed to -"
"Rainbow, are you OK? Why are you spacing out?" Rarity asked, waving her hoof in front of Rainbow's face.
"I'm fine," Rainbow dismissed with a wave. "Are you sure the Guards will be able to protect us if another one comes at us?" she asked Princess Celestia.
"Quite certain, Rainbow Dash. The Guards are well trained and can handle any threat. Though you'd know that about Shining Armour." She turned from Rainbow to Twilight. "He's leading the Day Guard right now; I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on, Twilight. And that you all know how skilled he is." Princess Celestia stared directly into Rainbow's eyes.
Shining Armour? It must be serious. How many are there? Can they all do that freaky thing with the weather? Sweet Celestia... they need to know what it can do... I have to go!
"Rainbow, what are you -" Rarity paused as Rainbow turned and jumped outside. The wind whipped at her face and ears and she shot out towards the Guards in the town centre. Getting her bearings, she made a beeline for the circle of ponies who she assumed were in command. They noticed her coming and those with wings took off and met her in the air.
"What is it, Loyalty?" The Night Guard Pegasus asked.
"The creatures in the forest, they... they do this freaky thing with the weather. They make the clouds move all on their own and there's this lightning that makes your wings feel weird." Rainbow was all but shouting at the Guards.
"We'll be sure to keep it in mind, now if you'll -" One of the Guards began to speak before Shining Armour interrupted, having marched up underneath them.
"Rainbow, good to see you! It's been a year, hasn't it? We were just finishing up." Shining turned to the assembled guards. "Little Wind, Bronco, go give the troops the orders and oversee the ground patrols. Captain Nightfang, when the barracks are done, come to Sugarcube Corner, you'll love it." With a wave of his head towards the aforementioned gingerbread house he beckoned Rainbow to walk and talk. "What's this about freaky weather?"
"Seriously weird. The clouds just go into the Everfree on their own... It made Ponyville cloudy on a cloudless day! And the lightning... I could feel it in my wings you know, but not like normal... it felt alive." Rainbow said with a stricken face.
"And the wind?" Shining replied.
"None... not one bit... just... silence." Rainbow pawed at the ground with her hoof.
After a moments' silence Shining spoke up. "Hey, how about we go find the others?"
The Everfree forest was a difficult place to navigate - unless you knew the paths, of course. Twisting mazes of roots and trees could get you turned around. The key was to keep something big and far away in view and use that to navigate; the Sun, a tower or a river were all very big things. Unfortunately they all required sight line to any of them, or in other words being in the open. Something you don't really want when you're being chased, especially when your prospective chasers have wings. Lo didn't want to be captured so she had to use the lay of the land. Special trees here and there and the gentle sloping of the land could all be useful if you knew the land. Needless to say she was lost, and badly. To make matters worse, it was coming close to midday. If the renewed light on the forest floor was to be believed, her disappearance would've been noticed already. She could risk being open now. It would take several hours for any sort of search team to get to the forest and she probably had four more of them to use as an advantage, but if a few thousand years of being on the run had taught her anything it was don't chance it. Even a one in a thousand shot can hit sometime, and all it would take is for one orderly to enter that room and find a distinct lack of Human and the jig would be up, and with it those four precious hours.
Still though, being lost gave a high chance of death or even capture if she was found. Your knowledge of the land was the greatest aspect in a chase and her old home was perfect. Dense trees and lots of twists meant it wasn't about speed -which she lacked - but about manoeuvrability and endurance. They also prevented any pesky birds coming down and grabbing her or keeping track of her during the whole chase. There were caves, so she always had somewhere to hide or hole up if her chaser was any good. And to top it all off, the river was at the edge, giving her access to clean water. There was one cave she could use to sneak from one side to the other and thus give her chaser the slip. Oh, what she would give to find just one of those caves. Lo could see indistinct trees and rolling anonymous hills, with not a cave in sight.
Well, she thought, I'm fucked.
The door to Ponyville General Hospital opened with a menacing ping. From it, six mares marched out towards Rainbow and Shining as they came to the steps. Why did you fly off, Rainbow? Whats wrong with you, Rainbow? She knew how this would go down.
"I see you've found Captain Armour. Have you informed him of the dangers that await in the forest?" Princess Celestia asked.
Play it cool Rainbow... you can do this. "Yepperoo Princess, told him everything I knew," she responded calmly. Nailed it.
Applejack spoke next. "It's mighty fine of you to help out, but you could'a told us what you were doing, Dash. You had us all worried," she said, laying on the guilt.
"Shining!" Twilight cried before running up to her BBBFF and hug-choking him nearly to death.
"Hey, Twi!" Shining half choked, "I'm in charge of the troops here so I'll be round quite a bit from now on... that means you can let go now."
"Really? That's great! We can do all sorts of parties and... oh gosh!" Pinky Pie began to run off, her voice becoming quieter as she crossed the hill. "I have to go plan for the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party. Tell them to be in town by midnight!"
"Oh my, do you think she's planning for everypony on the Guard?" Fluttershy asked, staring at where Pinkie had vanished from sight.
"I believe so."
"Yup."
"That would be an interesting sight." Rarity, Applejack and Celestia said in chorus.