Repercussions

Chapters

Repercussions Ch.2: Elucidation
Repercussions Ch.3: Conspiracy
Repercussions Ch. 4: Rebellion
Repercussions Ch. 5: Hostilities
Repercussions Ch.1: Insight

Repercussions Ch.2: Elucidation

The heat from Celestia’s sun baked the ground with a vengeance, warning all ponies away from its blast zone, lest they be scorched to death. Despite this, some ponies were obstinate enough to try to oppose the glaring fireball of unimaginable power.

The sky was filled with pegasi weaving back and forth, dragging the rebellious clouds that hung over the Everfree Forest over to Ponyville, trying to shield the pitiful town from the relentless heat that continued to scorch the ground. Slowly but surely, progress was made; the glowing yellow disc that was the sun was now almost completely obscured. When the last cloud slid into place, a loud cheer rose from the crowd of ponies that had gathered outside in order to witness the battle against the flaming celestial body.

Everypony was too busy admiring the handiwork of the pegasi to notice that a certain pony was missing. A pony named Jade Eyes.

Pinkamena looked down at the still-bleeding corpse of her unfortunate target. The limp body of the unicorn was a deep green, her hair an azure blue tinged with white. An image of a silver needle and thread was depicted on her flank. She lay in a pool of crimson blood, staining the blue carpet beneath her an unsightly purple. Pinkamena’s blade was steeped in blood as well, the bulk of which she didn’t bother to clean off before slipping the elegant sword back into its scabbard. Pinkie watched out of her host’s eyes with a deep sinking feeling of pure wrongness. This was her? What had she, bouncy party-loving Pinkie Pie, been reduced to?

Oblivious to the mare who was watching her, Pinkamena donned her hood again and plucked the piece of paper out from the pockets of her robe. Quickly and expertly, she neatly crossed out Jade Eye’s name with a quill that she had found in the room. Replacing the quill, she returned her attention to the paper and examined it. Her eyes flashed over the second target, then she returned the piece of paper to its resting place. She escaped from the scene of the crime through the chimney that led to the roof. When her head breached the last cover of soot and cleared the chimney, she coughed to clear her lungs of the dirty black substance. She jumped off the side of the Dress Shop and caught the end of a clothesline that was strung between it and the next building, which sagged dangerously under her weight.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, the clothesline snapped back into its original position, sending Pinkamena soaring through the sky and onto another impossibly tall building by Ponyville’s standards. Even after so many years, the idyllic, backwater appearance of Ponyville had remained intact, forgoing almost all forms of advanced technology.

Surveying the town, Pinkamena examined the sheet of paper with the names of the targets listed down again, searching for the building that it had mentioned. In bold letters, the paper stated:

Name: Fleur de Lys

Location: Ponyville Carousel Boutique

Below that, scribbled in hastily, were the words:

Note: She has an appointment with me at 10:30a.m.

Pinkamena glanced at the clock tower that now took precedence in the middle of Ponyville. It showed the time to be 10:25a.m.

The pink mare then turned her gaze to the distant Carousel Boutique, then leapt off the side of the skyscraper, towards her second target.

****

All semblance of thought left Fluttershy’s mind as she stared, disbelievingly, at the tombstone before her pet’s- no, her friend’s grave. Her host, however, continued mumbling to herself, clearly reliving the moment of his death. “I hate you, Princess Celestia. Damn you!” Fluttershy was snapped out of her reverie by the insult her host muttered, directed toward none other than one of the most repected and powerful ponies in Equestria. Her voice was rapidly growing louder.

“It was your carriage that caused the accident! You had to knock Angel over! Not just him, but another filly, too! ” Her voice rapidly deteriorated into an incomprehensible sobbing. When she had finally recovered enough, she continued to lament. “You… forced me to choose. And I made the wrong choice.”

Fluttershy’s future self’s voice suddenly erupted with anger. “No! I will never make that mistake again. I will never put a stranger’s life before that of my friends, be it pony or animal.” She felt her host’s eyes harden. “That was the day what Twilight was telling me hit home. You aren’t fit to rule, Princess, and I’m glad I played a role in your death.” Fluttershy’s future self reached behind the gravestone and retrieved a terribly mangled golden object that somehow managed to defy its intrinsic physical properties and accumulate layers of rust. The rust was mostly covered by crusted blood. Despite its poorly appearance, Fluttershy recognised it immediately.

It was Princess Celestia’s golden tiara.

The amethyst that normally adorned its front was gone, leaving a diamond-shaped hole in the metal. It was twisted so much that it was hardly recognisable as Celestia’s tiara. It was a twisted mockery of the original work of art. Future Fluttershy lifted her hoof and slammed it full force onto the tiara. Already brittle from several years of rotting in place, the gold easily shattered under her hoof, stabbing the ground with a multitude of golden shards. Fluttershy’s host lifted her hoof and saw tiny slivers of crimson blood slither down her hand.

Just then, the distinct ringing noise different from the alarm of the clocks resounded from the cottage. Fluttershy’s future self was snapped out of her reverie. She wiped her hoof on the grass in an attempt to remove the blood, then headed towards the source of the ringing noise. The moment the front door was opened, Fluttershy noticed an object she had not noticed on the way down, and it was certainly nothing she had ever seen before. The rectangular object was mounted on the wall like a clock, but had buttons that numbered from 1 to 9, along with various other symbols. A sort of curved pipe was connected to the object by a coiled piece of string that had the appearance of rubber. The thing on the wall of vibrating madly, emitting the annoying ringing noise Fluttershy had heard from outside.

It was towards this device that her host headed. She grabbed it in her mouth, then propped it against her shoulder so that one end of the curved pipe was directed towards her ear, and the other end faced her mouth. Fluttershy noticed various holes dotting the surface of the ends of the pipe. What was this object used for?

Future Fluttershy spoke to nopony in particular, instead seeming to direct her voice towards the pipe. “Hello?”

Had she been in control of her body, Fluttershy would have jumped out of her skin when she heard a response from the pipe. “Fluttershy, this is Rose. The little bunny you gave me is very sick! I’m so worried that something will happen to it! Can you come over and check on him?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right over.” Fluttershy noticed her host’s voice had shifted back to the kind and compassionate one she was familiar with. She shuddered inwardly. This future version of herself was as much of a twisted mockery as the mangled tiara that lay on the grass in her backyard.

“Thanks!” The sound of coughing suddenly erupted from the mouthpiece of the tube. “Oh no! He’s coughing again! Sorry I would love to talk more but I really have to go see you bye!” With that, a click sound followed by a long, continuous beep noise heralded the end of the conversation.

Future Fluttershy returned the tube to its resting place, then headed towards the still-open door, grabbing a yellow medical bag with a symbol of three butterflies printed on it, and hurried out the door, across town to Rose’s house.
After half an hour of travelling from her cottage beside the Everfree Forest, Rose’s flower shop came into view. The picture of its owner’s namesake took precedence on the roof of the structure, informing everypony about what it sold.

Fluttershy’s host was about to enter the shop when a loud screech came echoed from behind her, followed by the sound of bones straining and cracking, and finally the squelch of blood spraying out from an unfortunate soul’s deep wound. Fluttershy’s future self turned her head and saw a very gruesome scene that made Fluttershy want to throw up. She tried to squeeze her eyes shut, to somehow shut out the gory scene before her, but try as she might, she could not control her host’s body.

The wreckage of a pegasus carriage littered the scene, with two ponies lying on the ground, oozing blood which accumulated in red puddles on the dirt. Their legs stuck out at unnatural angles, and their bodies were decorated with gashes and deep bruises. A crowd was gathering now, looking on in silent bewilderment and muttering among themselves. These soon escalated into shouts of panic as they realised the magnitude of the situation.

“They’re dead!”

“No! They’re not! They’re moving!”

“There’s so much blood I’m sure they’re going to die soon anyway!”

“Where’s Nurse Redheart?”

“You idiot! She went to Manehatten for a vacation, remember?”

“Then what about Nurse Tenderheart?”

“That is Nurse Tenderheart! How is she supposed to help anypony while she’s bleeding to death?”

“Everypony, we need to work together! Who has any medical experience?”

The ponies gathered all fell silent before the question posed. No hoofs were raised.

‘But I have medical experience,’ Fluttershy thought.

“Please! Anypony!”

Fluttershy’s future self watched the scene for a few more seconds before turning her head and entering the house.

“No more mistakes…”

****

Rainbow Dash’s host flew up to another of Applejack’s apple trees, plucking the ripest apple off its branch and devouring it greedily. When she had finished the apple, she burped loudly and patted her belly. “Ten apples sure does fill you up.”

She was about to proceed to another apple tree when a loud beeping sound interrupted her feast. Rainbow’s host looked at a watch strapped onto her leg (‘An actual one this time, not one that was drawn on my leg.’ Dash mused.) and swore. “It’s ten twenty-five already? The performance it at ten thirty!”

Her host took off like a bullet, leaving trails of thunder clouds behind her. She accelerated to insanely high speeds as she raced against time, trying to reach the performance in time. The air began to bend into a cone around her, but it was gravity that played the biggest part in releasing a sonic rainboom, and the cone did not break.

10.29a.m….

Rainbow could hear the announcer of the Wonderbolt performance already. “-and so, without further ado, let us welcome the Wonderbolts!”

The Wonderbolts filed out one by one from behind the curtain. The announcer named them one after another.

“-Spitfire, Soarin, and last but not least, Rainbow Dash!”

Just in time, Rainbow’s host broke her forward momentum and accelerated towards the ground. The cone that had appeared earlier now began to bend, slowly yielding little by little until finally, it split under the pressure, and Rainbow Dash’s future self flew straight downwards, her thunder clouds now joined by a curving rainbow trail. Another rainbow, this one in the form of an expanding ring above the stadium, caused all present to gasp in awe.

Rainbow’s host landed softly on the hard wood of the stage. Spitfire shook her head in mock annoyance. “Great job Dash. Now you got them cheering as if the performance was already over.”

Soarin nudged Rainbow’s host eagerly. “That was pretty awesome flying there! Even though you do that all the time, it never gets old!”

Rainbow’s future self adopted a proud stance. “What else do you expect from the best flier in Equestria?”

The announcer recovered from the surprise admirably quickly, and decided to allow the performance to begin. “And now,” he shouted, trying to be heard over the sound of cheering, “let the performance begin!”

All of the Wonderbolts took to the sky at the same time, demonstrating their practiced routines. Nopony really paid anypony much attention except Rainbow Dash, who was performing various tricks she had invented that all involved her signature move. Using the trail of rainbows that followed after a Sonic Rainboom and the thunder clouds that she inherited as a Wonderbolt, she wrote her name in the sky, then drew a perfect caricature of herself with a signature to boot. The cheering of the crowd grew significantly louder. By this time, the other Wonderbolts had stopped performing and were just watching Rainbow strut her stuff.

Rainbow Dash decided after a few dozen rounds of drawing stuff in the sky that she was extremely, EXTREMELY tired. Future Rainbow was much fitter than she, and considering how fit she already was, that was quite a feat. Thankfully, her host seemed to have had enough, and she decided to end it off.

Flying straight into the sky, Rainbow’s host waited till she reached sufficient altitude then began the customary Sonic Rainboom steps. She plummeted towards the ground, but when she broke the air barrier and unleashed a Sonic Rainboom, she didn’t stop there. Looping back into the air, she approached the ground at a diagonal angle. The cone of air still bent despite the lesser gravity, and as Rainbow’s host reached the point where her previous line of flight and her current one intersected, the barrier bent and shattered, releasing another Sonic Rainboom. Not yet satisfied, Rainbow’s future self looped around again and performed another Sonic Rainboom, exactly at the point of intersection. The sky was rent by another brilliant explosion of light and colour. The three rainbow rings in the sky dazzled the audience until they finally dissipated, whereupon all of the ponies present began stomping their hooves in applause.

“The performance is over!” The announcer declared. “Thank you for coming today.”

The moment Rainbow’s host landed, she was swept up by a sea of fans, all cheering for her.

****

“This is unacceptable!”

The snarling visage of the Wonderbolt Trainer, Sky Slash, was visible to all as he trotted back and forth in front of the cringing Wonderbolts. Only Rainbow’s host kept her cool, knowing that his rage was not directed at her.

Ten minutes earlier, the Wonderbolts had assembled for the post performance meeting, and Sky Slash had proceeded to berate them for their lousy performance, as all of them had stopped mid-performance to watch Rainbow, realising that nopony was concentrating on them

“Rainbow Dash is the only one who is actually doing her job! All the rest of you are soft, stupid foals who can’t even pull off a decent trick!” With the exception of Dash, all the Wonderbolts were squirming in their seats. “As such, I have to teach all of you a lesson you’ll never forget!” His eyes roamed the crowd, contemplating a potential punishment.

“All of you except Rainbow Dash! Canterlot and back! Thirty minutes! GO!”

The Wonderbolts that recovered the fastest quickly oriented themselves towards Canterlot and shot off. Rainbow’s host let out a snort of amusement when she saw some frozen in place, trying to process what was happening while losing precious time. Rainbow’s host pulled a cloud from the sky to rest on as she watched the pegasi zoom towards Canterlot in a hurry, trying to beat the thirty minute time limit. She gazed at her watch, its glass cracked by the intense strain of a Sonic Rainboom. Shrugging nonchalantly, Rainbow’s host looked back and forth between the Wonderbolts and the watch, trying to gauge who would make it and who wouldn’t.

“Let’s see… Spitfire and Soarin will make it… not so sure about Frost Trail, though… hmm, Sonic Rush won’t…”

Eventually, each and every pegasus had made it back to the Starting line, all sweating and out of breath. Sky Slash singled out the three Wonderbolts who didn’t make it and stared daggers at them.

“You three. Are. FIRED.”

All of them tried to process what had just happened to them, and Rainbow’s host began to laugh.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Look at their faces! They're so ridiculous! Priceless!” The three pegasi glared angrily at Rainbow before returning their uniforms and trotting off sadly, glancing back every now and then at the life they had just lost. They were leaving something that was immeasurably important to them behind, and their faces reflected that pain.

Rainbow only laughed harder.

****

Thirty minutes later, Rainbow’s host was lounging around in her house, when what approximated a knock sounded from her door. It was hard to knock on a cloud and receive a noise at all. Rainbow’s host yawned and got up, lazily ambling to the door. Opening it revealed a grown-up form of a very familiar orange pegasus.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo eagerly chirped. “I’m been trying to find you since the performance! Can I have your autograph?”

Rainbow felt herself smirk. “Not till you’re cool and fast enough, squirt. How many times have I told you to stay away? Now scram!”

Scootaloo’s eyes began filling with tears, and her lip quivered slightly. She wordlessly flapped her developed
wings and dove through the clouds.

Rainbow’s host began to laugh anew.

****

Carousel Boutique was empty, Sweetie Belle having been chased out to practice somewhere else. Only Rarity’s host remained in the living room. She watched the clock in the boutique silently, clearly expecting somepony or something to arrive. There was an oppressive silence permeating the room. Rarity’s future self neither moved nor spoke, simply staring at the wall-mounted clock like a zombie.

Minutes came and went. The clock showed that the time was 10.29a.m.

The second hand ticked slowly, counting down the seconds to the next minute. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…

The moment the minute hand touched the styled 6 at the bottom of the rounded clock, the wind chimes at the door of the boutique sounded, announcing the approach of a pony.

Rarity’s host kept her eyes directed at the clock. “Hello, Fleur.”

A voice came from behind her. “Greetings, Rarity. What sinister plot have you concocted today?”

Rarity’s future self finally turned, and the identity of the visitor soon became clear. The pink mane and the white coat was a dead giveaway. No one else had the same mane and coat colouring.

“What makes you think that I have anything up my sleeve, Fleur de Lys?” Future Rarity feigned hurt. “What have I done to deserve this insult?”

Fleur de Lys spat on the ground. “Don’t think I don’t know you, Rarity. You’re a monster, nothing more.”

“Please, don’t insult me this way.” Rarity’s host trotted over to the pillow in front of her work desk and sat down, gesturing to a pillow at the other side of the table. “Take a seat.”

Fleur de Lys warily sat down, still focused on Rarity. “What did you want to discuss?”

Rarity’s host’s smile grew larger. “I wanted to request a merger between our businesses, but seeing that you detest me so much, I assume the answer is a ‘no’.”

The pink-maned unicorn snorted in a very un-ladylike manner. “That’s not all, I’m sure. You would not have called
me all the way from Canterlot to discuss this. Now what is it you really want to discuss?”

“Well, I also wanted to try out one of your designs-”

Fleur de Lys slammed her hoof down onto the table. “Lies, Rarity! All lies! Tell me now! What is it you want?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity caught sight of a pink blur behind Fleur de Lys. Clearly, her future self had noticed it too.

“Your death.” Future Rarity said.

Taking her cue, Pinkamena sprang out from behind Fleur de Lys, sword drawn and prepared to strike. However, just as she came within range of the unicorn, a magic shield shimmered into existence. Pinkamena slammed hard into it, then slid to the ground with a painful moan. She ceased to move, lying on the ground.

Fleur de Lys had not even turned around, nor was her horn glowing. The invisibility spell of the two burly unicorn guards beside her finally dropped, revealing their scarred faces and their eyes filled with murderous intent. One of them stomped on Pinkamena for good measure.

A sinister smile had appeared on the pink-maned unicorn’s face. “You don’t think I came to your turf, fully expecting a deathtrap, without bringing some form of protection with me, did you?”

Rarity’s future self’s smile still held. “No, I don’t. And now is the time to play my trump card.”

Without warning, one of the unicorn guards toppled over, a sword lodged in his stomach. Blood dripped onto the floor as he collapsed in a bleeding heap. The other guard spun around, horn aglow as he prepared to unleash destructive magic upon his foe, but Rarity’s host took the opportunity to collect a bunch of sewing needles from her drawer and send them flying straight at the unicorn guard. He too crumpled to the ground soundlessly, staining the floor red.

Fleur de Lys took one look at a bleeding Pinkamena, who stood on the corpse of her first unicorn, triumph and bloodlust glistening in her eyes, and backpedalled hastily, trying to get away from the pink monster. Her eyes were wide in fear. “You… you’re supposed to be-”

“Be what? Unconscious? Dead?” Pinkamena drew in closer, until she was so close to Fleur de Lys that the unicorn could smell her breath, a foul mix of hot sauce and sarsaparilla, combined with the smell of blood. “You are very foalish to think me so weak.”

“I don’t.” Fleur de Lys responded.

Without warning, her horn started glowing, and Pinkamena’s sword was snatched out of her unsteady grip. A magical aura now enveloped the sword, and it was levelled at the pink mare's neck. “You don’t get far in Canterlot without knowing how to thwart an assassination attempt.”

Pinkamena realised that the tables had turned, and now it was her turn to retreat, keeping her eye on the sharp end of her sword. Fleur de Lys was facing Pinkamena, but her eyes were directed at Rarity, daring her to attack.

Rarity felt magic flowing through her host’s body, and she knew that she was using magic. The blue glow of Rarity’s aura fought for control over the deadly weapon. But very little magic was being directed towards the sword. It was instead being used somewhere else, somewhere out of her field of vision.

Her future self’s face scrunched up, as if she was exerting all her power. Fleur de Lys grinned. “Is that all you have?”

“Hardly.”

With a sudden thpwing sound, a copper-tipped arrow embedded itself in Fleur de Lys’ flank. Crimson blood flowed out of the wound. The floating sword, suspended in the air by telekinesis, dropped to the ground with nothing left to hold it up. Fleur de Lys looked up, shocked, at a smiling Rarity.

“Usually I’m not that good an archer,” Rarity heard herself say, “but with a target as big as that, it’s hard to miss.” The plain oak wood bow that had unleashed the arrow finally slid into Rarity’s view, its string stretched taut as another arrow moved in to replace the one that had just been released.

Fleur de Lys’ expression turned from one of shock to one of resignation as she realised that she had been beaten. “I give up, Rarity. You truly are the monster everypony says you are.”

“Naturally.” Rarity’s host’s smile widened.

Fleur de Lys sighed. “I just wish I could see Fancy Pants one more time. He was like a brother to me.”

Rarity’s future self couldn’t resist rubbing salt into her enemy’s wound. “Fancy Pants? I took him out last week. He was trying to topple me with his influence. Couldn’t have that, could I?”

Fleur de Lys’ purple eyes suddenly filled with rage, leaving no trace of the resignation they had displayed earlier. “You… you MONSTER!” she screamed. Future Rarity knew just what buttons to push to push her over the brink. “HOW DARE YOU!” The unicorn, in an act born of desperation and anger, flung herself at Rarity. With practiced ease, the arrow slid out of the safety of the bow and flew towards Fleur de Lys’ head.

The arrow hit home on her forehead, drilling a hole in her cranium just below her horn. A spurt of blood followed, staining all three ponies, plus whatever part of the room that wasn’t already crimson, a deep red. Rarity watched as the life was drained out of Fleur de Lys’ eyes until they were but dull, lifeless orbs. The steady stream of blood eased to a slow drip. Nopony moved for a few minutes. All was silent save for the heavy breathing of the combatants who were recuperating.

After a while, Rarity’s host, now covered in sweat and blood, lifted a hoof to clean the liquid away from her eyes. Pinkamena looked at her expectantly, as if she was waiting for something. Rarity’s future self turned towards her. “Yes, dear?”

“Is there anything else?”

Rarity’s host thought for a moment. Then, with an “Aha!” she rushed over to her bedside table and retrieved a scroll with a seal that was shaped like Twilight’s cutie mark from it. “This is from Twilight. She told me to give it to you.”

Pinkamena opened the letter, scanning its contents. She scrunched up her face in confusion, the first time she had done so in a very long time. “Are you sure you want me to do this, Rarity?”

Rarity’s future self waved her hoof dismissively. “An order from the Princess is an order you must follow. Do your job.”

Pinkamena looked uncertain. “If you insist.”

The last thing Rarity saw was a pink hoof descending towards her face, then a resounding crack, and then the world faded away.

****

Pinkie Pie read the letter numbly. She could tell her host was uncertain as well. It was the last thing she had expected from friendly Twilight.

Dear Pinkamena,

I have two tasks for you. One; I need you to attack Rarity. Don’t kill her; she’s a valuable asset. Just injure her, remind her that she’s not invincible- and that I’m not always on her side. She’s been doing very reckless things lately, and I’m taking flak from the public for not doing anything about it.

Two, come to Canterlot immediately. There are urgent matters requiring your help. I hope to see you soon.

Her Royal Majesty, Princess Twilight of Equestria

“Are you sure you want me to do this, Rarity?” Pinkamena asked.

“An order from the Princess is an order you must follow.” Rarity answered.

‘She has no idea what she’s asking for.’ Pinkie thought.

“If you insist.”

Pinkamena’s hoof rose into the air swiftly, then descended to connect with Rarity’s face with a sharp crack. Rarity stumbled backwards, blood running down her face, then her eyes rolled backwards and she collapsed in a heap. Upon seeing the crimson streaks down Rarity’s face, Pinkamena seemed to remember the injuries she had sustained, and licked her lips to savour the coppery taste of blood.

Her eyes shifted, no longer concentrating on the unconscious Rarity, and instead staring at far-off Canterlot, nestled on a mountain face.

“Whatever the Princess needs a paid assassin for, it can’t be anything good.” Pinkamena muttered to herself.

She trotted to the window, donning her cloak and grabbing her sword on the way, and slunk out of the room.

****

Applejack’s host stood in the long line leading up to the gate which barred the way to Canterlot. Her apple cart trailed behind her, still attached to her by the harness. She was almost there; just a few more ponies and then it would be her turn.

The trip to Canterlot would only take half a day at most if you had pegasi pulling your carriage, but on hoof and with an apple cart stacked to the brim with apples, in was the most gruelling three days Applejack had ever gone through. However, the ordeal was finally over, much to her relief.

A voice broke through her thoughts. “Next!”

Applejack realised that she had been so busy remembering the past few days that she did not realise the line had moved forward. Her host stepped forward, allowing the pegasus guards protecting the gate to search her and her wagon. After a minute of digging through the cart of apples, the guard’s head emerged from the stack with a knife in his mouth.

“Consarnit,” Applejack’s host swore under her breath, “ah forgot ‘bout the dang knife!”

The guard spat the knife onto the ground and pointed to it with a hoof. “What is this, ma’am?”

Applejack’s host hesitated momentarily. “Uh, it’s for, um, peelin’ the apples! Yup! That’s what it’s for!”

Applejack facehoofed internally. Her future self was as bad as lying as she was.

The guard scrutinised her carefully, causing Applejack’s host to sweat profusely.

“Are you sure?” he asked slowly.

“Uh, yup! That’s mah story an’ ah’m stickin’ to it! Heh heh.”

The guard observed her for another ten seconds, then withdrew the wing that blocked the gate and motioned for the other guard to do the same.

“Then welcome to Canterlot, ma’am.” The guard said, smiling. “I hope you enjoy your stay here.”

Applejack’s host sighed in relief, dragging the wagon behind her into the now unguarded gate. “Thank ya kindly.” She picked up the knife from the floor in her mouth and slid it into the braid of her mane in order to free her mouth.

Canterlot was a buzzing hive of activity. As the capital city of Equestria, it received diplomats from all parts of the world on an almost weekly basis. Fortunately, this was not one of those days, but it was a busy hub nonetheless. Applejack observed the city through her host’s eyes. Canterlot was not very different in the future, except that all the statues of Celestia and Luna that had dotted the city previously had been removed.

The various shops and stores that lined the streets had patrons going in and out, but apparently Future Applejack decided to ignore those and head straight of the jewel of Canterlot: The Royal Palace.

After half an hour of travelling that made Applejack wish that she was as tough as her host to be able to endure such suffering and still walk upright as if nothing had happened, the monolithic palace drew into view. It had not changed at all, except perhaps the dozens of Royal Guards that patrolled the exterior, on a lookout for a rogue villain that might break into the palace. Her flimsy knife was no match for the sharp and deadly blades of the guards.

“Well, ah’m glad ah brought this apple cart all this way.” Applejack felt her host smile.

She unfastened the harness that bound the cart to her quickly. When the harness fell to the ground, she unleashed an almighty buck that sent the wagon crashing straight into one of the royal guards.

The effect was instantaneous. All of the guards ran to the site of their fallen comrade while searching for the assailant. At the same time, all the surrounding ponies ran in circles, panicking and shouting things like “Canterlot is under attack!” or the occasional more undignified “We’re all gonna die!”

Applejack’s host wound her way around the crowds of ponies and leapt over a nearby fence into the castle grounds, right under the noses of the guards who were now to busy trying to control the crowd and assure them that Canterlot was not under attack and that they were not going to die.

Applejack found herself in the palace garden that was unsurprisingly deserted. The animals would no doubt continue to avoid her, as she was an unfamiliar figure in the gardens. She slowly made her way to the ballroom on the other side of the garden, taking care to silence her hoofsteps.

She was almost there when a loud snoring noise alerted her to somepony else’s presence. Ducking beneath some bushes, she peeked through a hole between the branches to determine the identity of the mysterious pony.
She caught sight of an old brown pony with a blue cloth on his back, a ridiculous green skewed top hat, and a short grey mane, tail and beard. His head was slumped on a rake that he carried in his hooves. Applejack guessed he was the gardener.

She would not have noticed any of this if the gardener had not been sleeping in front of the very door that led to the ballroom.

Applejack’s host cursed her luck. Realising that everything hinged on this moment, she crept forward uncertainly, closer to the pony who unwittingly blocked her way. She carefully nudged his side, trying to move him far enough away from the door to open it without disturbing him. After the sixth nudge, the gardener let loose a snort that caused Applejack’s future self to freeze in her tracks. Fortunately, he started snoring again. Applejack’s host sighed with relief and silently pushed open the door to the ballroom.

“Yes! Ah made it!” she exclaimed once the door shut behind her.

“Halt! Who goes there?” Future Applejack tensed again, searching for the source of the voice. Just then, an earth pony guard burst around the corner, sword in mouth.

Applejack’s host swore and whipped the knife out from her braid, ready for combat. The guard lunged forward and executed a neat downward slash that Applejack’s host only just managed to dodge. It sheared off the tip of her mane. Future Applejack flung the knife at him, and it scored a small cut on his leg. The guard winced before charging at her full tilt, the business end of the sword directed towards her throat. Applejack’s host undid the braid that kept her mane in order, revealing a total mess of golden strands. It was only then that Applejack realised the full length of the string that held her mane together. Unlike the one she usually wore, this one was a full three hooves in length, and already done up in a lasso.

“Hyaa!” Applejack’s host sent the lasso flying. It caught the guard expertly on his leg, causing him to fall. His sword dropped out of his mouth, landing on the cold marble of the ballroom floor.

Not wasting a second, Applejack’s future self galloped forward and gave the guard the hardest buck she could manage. He flew backwards, his back colliding with the wall, then he slid to the floor, unmoving. Applejack’s host picked up his sword and advanced speedily. When she came within range, she held her hoof to his chest. His heart was still beating.
Applejack heard her host breathe a sigh of relief. “For a moment there, ah thought ah’d killed him.”

Future Applejack turned to leave, but hesitated at the last moment. Looking back at the unconscious guard, she trotted back to his side and sat down. She used her mouth to undo the straps of his armour. When the last plate came off, his coat colour changed from the signature pure white of the Equestrian Royal Guards to a plain red which reminded Applejack of Big Macintosh. Apparently her host had thought of him, too, for a single tear found its way down her cheek.
Her host began to don the armour, and the moment the first gauntlet touched her leg, her coat colour turned pure white. ‘Enchanted armour,’ Applejack thought. ’wonder what else it’s supposed ta do.’

When Applejack’s host was fully clad in the golden armour, she trotted to a window to see the faint reflection. When she stared into the window, Applejack could have sworn that she had switched bodies with the earth pony guard. She looked exactly like the adversary she had defeated moments ago!

A groaning from the corner indicated that the earth pony was waking up. Without wasting a moment, Applejack galloped over and gave him another buck. His head hung down limply. Deep bruises were already developing.

Applejack’s host turned away, quickly galloping through the corridors of the palace. “I hope I don’t meet anypony along these corridors.” She muttered to herself.

As if on cue, a pegasus guard came flying around the corner, and greeted her enthusiastically. “Hey Krayt! I thought you were supposed to be guarding the ballroom.”

Applejack could feel her host hesitating. “I… uh… the Princess called me.”

‘The enchanted armour takes away mah accent, too.’ Applejack mused.

The pegasus appeared confused, then a look of mischief dawned on his face. “Oh, you are so dead! What did you do, huh?”

Applejack realised that he thought that she was being punished. Her host, too, quickly noticed that, and tried to act as Krayt would. “I didn’t do anything! You’ll see, I’ll get a promotion for sure!” Well, her lying was getting better.

“Ha! You? A promotion? That’s priceless!” The pegasus started laughing his head off. Applejack’s host gave a convincing “hmph” and continued on her way, the sound of laughing echoing off the walls behind her.

Thankfully, the rest of the journey was uneventful, though Applejack could tell that her host was tense the whole time. Soon, the throne room door appeared on the wall to her left. She stood in front of the large door with a seal of a six-pointed star on it.

“This is my last chance.” Applejack’s host said to herself. “I can go through this door and almost certainly not emerge alive, or I could leave now and live.”

She opened the door.

****

Twilight’s host trotted up the stairs leading to the door of the archives. When she pushed it with a hoof, it opened with a loud groan. “I have to get this oiled sometime.”

Twilight watched as her host passed many familiar landmarks and rooms on the way to her destination. But Twilight knew where she was headed. She knew that Princess Celestia always raised the sun from her balcony, barring the Summer Sun Celebration. That should be where her future self was headed too.

Unsurprisingly, she was correct. A few more corridors and two turns later, she found herself at the same balcony she had seen the Princess raising the sun at the first time. Her future self stepped out onto the balcony, the sky was dark, the moon casting its gentle rays on the land. However, excluding the moon, there were no other sources of light in the sky. The stars were gone!

This fact puzzled Twilight, but she was jerked out of her reverie when her host’s horn began glowing, and Twilight felt an intense amount of magic being channelled to her horn. It overwhelmed her in an instant. Even she had never felt this kind of power before.

Slowly but surely, the moon was pushed away below the horizon, and the glowing celestial disc that was the sun emerged, bathing Equestria in unusually harsh sunlight.

“Oops.” Twilight’s host said. “Maybe I made that a little too hot… nah, its’ okay.”

Twilight’s host turned away from the balcony. She visibly jumped when she saw a royal guard behind her, as still as a statue.

“Your Highness, the court is ready for your presence.”

When Twilight’s host calmed down, she snapped back, “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

The guard bowed low. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Future Twilight shook her head despairingly and trotted past the royal guard. She turned right, heading towards the throne room.

When the doors of the surprisingly gigantic throne roomcame into view, Twilight was surprised. Instead of the sun and moon seal that would normally be present on the door, a six-sided star much like her cutie mark adorned the front. When she pushed open the door, a cacophony of voices assaulted her ears.

“Your Majesty, that is why we need to-”

“No, Princess, you must reconsider your decision-”

“This is madness! Nopony would accept such a policy-”

Twilight’s host shook her head. “This is going to be a long day.”

****

“-and that is why we need cut down the military budget, Princess!” The economic advisor, Bit Saver, finished. He was a golden-yellow hue, his mane a shimmering platinum. His cutie mark was a picture of a bag of bits.

“No!” Steel Blade protested. His rust-coloured mane was in a disheveled mess from arguing with Bit Saver. His silver coat was drenched in sweat, causing his cutie mark, a sheathed sword, to seem slightly distorted. “Both Peace Maker and I agree that the border relations with Gryphonia are strained! We cannot afford to cut down on military spending at a time like this! As the Royal Guard Captain, I have to protest!”

The Royal Diplomat, a light purple stallion with a brown mane and a sealed scroll for a cutie mark nodded. “Exactly!”

Twilight could hear her host sigh. It had only been four hours and she felt as if she had enough of politics for the rest of her life. These ponies were unbearably dull.

“But if we don’t, we will run out of bits!” Bit Saver protested.

Finally, Twilight’s future self decided that enough was enough. She raised her hoof, and the throne room fell silent almost instantly. “Both of you have valid points,” Twilight’s host began. “Therefore, I have decided that we shall not cut our military budget.”

“But-” Bit Saver objected.

“SILENCE!” Twilight’s host thundered. Most of the ponies present all winced or flinched.

“I have not yet finished.” Her future self continued. “Bit Saver, you will be in charge of raising the tax levels. Collect them from the citizens tomorrow.”

“But, didn’t we just raise the taxes last month?” Bit Saver asked meekly.

Future Twilight’s voice rose again. “DO YOU DARE QUESTION MY AUTHORITY?!”

Bit Saver shrank as far back as he could go and stammered out a response. “N-No, Your Majesty.”

“Good.” Her voice had returned to normal. “I’m glad we all agree. Don’t we?”

All the ponies nodded frantically.

“Excellent.” Twilight felt her host’s lips break into a smile. “You are dismissed.”

Everypony rushed for the door, tripping over each other as they struggled to get out. Twilight’s host stifled a giggle. All of the most dignified nobles and bureaucrats in Equestria running and smashing into each other. ‘Princess Celestia would love to see this,’ Twilight thought.

When the last pony had squeezed his way out of the room, Twilight’s host strolled out at a leisurely pace, knowing that they wouldn’t be giving her any more trouble for the next two days at least.

Her host now took a different route, but Twilight knew this route institutively as well. It was the route to Princess Celestia’s private chambers.

Soon, her host stood before the door, which was now also marked with the six-pointed star she saw everywhere. She entered the room and trotted to a bedside table that had a notepad resting on it. Levitating it with her magic, she ripped a page out of it and placed it on the table. A quill enveloped by a purple aura floated into view and scribbled some words onto the piece of paper.

“Dear… Pinkamena…”

****

The throne room door swung open, revealing-

Nopony.

Applejack’s host trotted in cautiously, casting wary glances around her, trying to detect a threat. She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before a loud, sinister laugh echoed around the room, bouncing off the walls in a most peculiar fashion.

Applejack knew that laugh. She knew who it was.

“So, somepony’s come to visit lonely old me, eh?”

And she was frightened.

‘Discord…’

To Be Continued in Repercussions: Chapter Three: Conspiracy!

Repercussions Ch.3: Conspiracy

The draconequus’ voice seemed to echo out of nowhere. Applejack’s host looked around frantically, searching for him. In an attempt to keep him distracted, her host began speaking. “I knew you were behind this, Discord! Show yourself!”

A figure emerged from behind the throne. Applejack’s host whirled around, prepared to fight. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the little mouse scurry away to the throne room doors. She turned around, relieved, and came face-to-face with a grinning Discord.

“Boo.”

“Ahh!” Applejack’s future self stumbled backwards, trying to regain her composure. Discord, in the meantime, began to laugh.

“You should have seen the look on your face! Priceless!” Discord laughed harder when he saw an annoyed Applejack glaring at him.

“Ha ha ha, very funny.” Applejack’s host, clearly irritated, decided that she wanted some answers. “Why isn’t everything cotton candy clouds and spindly-legged animals by now?”

Discord chuckled. “You have no idea how upset everypony gets when it starts raining chocolate. I miss the old Pinkie Pie.” He sighed. “I have to hang back and let Twilight handle everything, else the villagers come chasing after me.”

“Then where’s Twilight? What have you done to her?”

Discord’s eyes grew wide in realisation. “After all this time, you still care about her? Twilight the tyrant? Twilight the torturer? Twilight the terrible?”

Future Applejack drew up to her full height, which really wasn’t very high when compared to Discord. “The real Twilight’s somewhere in there, and I’m going to break her free!”

Discord shook his head. “You should know that I’ve grown more powerful over the years. Not only have I removed the unfortunate greying effect of my spell, nopony has ever broken free of being ‘Discordified’.”

Applejack’s host scratched her head in confusion. “Even I know there’s no such word as ‘discordified’.”

“Of course there is!” Discord exclaimed. He snapped his fingers, and a blue book labelled The Spirit of Disharmony’s Complete Dictionary appeared before Applejack in a flash. The book’s pages flipped by until it came to ‘E’, where, strangely enough, ‘discordified’ was written.

‘Discordfied,’ it read. ‘definition: removal of one’s virtue through forced physical, verbal or spiritual interaction with Discord.’

“See?” Discord said.

Applejack’s host retained the confused look.

The draconequus’ face finally grew serious. “Well, explanations aside, it’s time to get down to business. APPLEJACK!” A few flashes of lightning flashed across the room theatrically from the cotton candy clouds that had appeared. Applejack’s host quivered under the now sinister face that loomed in front of her. “You have resisted for far too long, but now, you must pay for your crimes!”

“What crimes?” Future Applejack protested. “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

Discord sneered. “Of course you have.” He leaned closer. “You turned me to stone.”

Applejack’s future self stepped back, retreating from the powerful deity that hovered before her. “Well, it’s time to begin.” Discord said. He flew closer, retaining the menacing look. When he was within range, he tapped Applejack’s future self on the head.

Instantly, Applejack felt a familiar numbing feeling from head to hooves, feeling a now-invisible force of chaos sweep through every fibre of her ethereal being. She could practically see her honesty slipping away beyond her grasp, disappearing from sight. It was all over within seconds, and now she felt obligated to lie.

Discord, now seeming uncertain, asked Future Applejack, “Well, do you feel any different?”

She answered, “No. Is it over yet?”

Discord’s smug expression switched to a thoughtful one. “It seems you have learnt to resist my chaos magic now. No matter, if I can’t corrupt you, I will kill you.”

A sharpened sword appeared in the air in front of Discord. He grabbed it, ready to strike Applejack’s future self down. She, in turn, raised her sword to deflect the blow.

A multitude of hoofsteps echoing into the chamber caused Discord to pause.

“It seems that somepony is here. I’ll just have to take care of you later.”

Discord released a flash of light that temporarily blinded Applejack. When her vision returned to normal, the draconequus was gone.

The sound of hoofsteps grew louder. The clinking of armour betrayed the presence of royal guards. Applejack’s host spun around with her sword at the ready, prepared to fight.

The door was flung open in a regal display of power, and Twilight accompanied by six earth pony guards stepped into the throne room.

****

Twilight’s host’s amassed magical energy slammed the door open, and the sight of a lone royal guard in the centre of the room greeted her eyes.

But Twilight was no foal. She could tell who the pony was behind that façade, and if she could, there was no doubt that her future self was able to as well.

“Kill her.” Twilight’s host commanded.

The guards hesitated, clearly apprehensive of attacking one of their own. “Your Highness?”

“Do as I say!” Future Twilight snapped. “She is an impostor!”

Hearing this, the guards surged forward, swords pointed towards the rogue guard dangerously. Applejack held her sword at a defensive angle, preferring to wound rather than kill.

When the wave of guards came within range, Applejack spun around unexpectedly and bucked the lead guard full in the chest with her armoured hind hooves. Twilight’s host dodged nimbly as the unlucky pony was flung out of the room and into a window. Shattering under the pressure, the glass carved wounds on the pony’s coat before he cleared the obstacle and landed on the ground below with a sickening thud. A collective gasp originating from the palace battlements followed. Twilight heard Applejack gulp audibly.

The remaining five guards wisely kept their distance from Applejack as she bobbed and weaved, slashing at the air around her to create a defensive web that effectively kept invaders at bay. The guards circled around her, trying to find an opening, but to no avail.

Hoping for some luck, one of the guards stabbed his sword at Applejack’s abdomen. The farmer pony deflected the hit, but she paused long enough for another guard to smash her helmet with his sword. Applejack stumbled dizzily, unable to keep up the defence.

Sensing an opportunity, two of the guards leapt forward simultaneously, swinging their swords in a strike that would have decapitate Applejack had she not ducked swiftly. Her forehoof smashed into the jaw of one of them, causing him to collapse on the ground, quivering. Applejack then grabbed the hooves of the other, and using his momentum against him, flung him onto the slowly recuperating guard. Both ceased to move instantly.

The remainder decided to stop fooling around and attacked en masse. Applejack slashed her sword at one, creating a deep gash across his right foreleg. He stumbled and fell, giving a grunt of pain as he did so. The other two, however, reached their target and sliced at her relentlessly.

Applejack growled as a sword nicked her shoulder, then her neck. Twilight’s host watched in satisfaction as the farmer pony finally sustained some injuries. The deadly slashes of the royal guards opened up numerous wounds across her body. Applejack tried to escape the slowly closing net, but every time she tried, the weapons of the guards blocked her way.

Finally, she had no choice but to turn tail and run. The guards pursued her, but it was a short chase to the wall that blocked Applejack’s way.

The doomed earth pony watched the guards approach, swords directed at her neck. Suddenly, she jumped at the wall and used all four legs to push herself off it, directing her helmeted head at the face of one of her assailants.

A sickening crunch was heard as the guard’s face crumpled under the brunt of the rock-hard metal. Crimson blood pooled on the ground as he howled in agony. Applejack, noticing his companion’s surprise, took the opportunity to buck the guard with all she had.

The notoriously tough marble of the throne room wall actually cracked when the guard was flung into it. The cracking of bones echoed around the room. The sudden silence was only broken by the moans of the wounded.

Having dispatched all of her opponents, Applejack slowly advanced on Twilight’s host, her sword held tightly in her mouth.

“Ish o’er Twilight. I de’eated your guads. Now suwender.”

Twilight’s future self raised her hooves in mock surrender. “You’ve got me now. Whatever shall I do?”

“’hath’s righd. Now gi’e u’!”The sarcasm was lost on Applejack.

Out of the blue, a pink blur from the ceiling descended onto the hapless earth pony. Applejack’s host yelped in surprise and dropped her sword. The pink mare immediately kicked the sword away, allowing it to clatter across the floor and come to a stop at the far end of the room. The now-unarmed Applejack tried to take advantage of her superior strength and put her extremely powerful buck to use on the pink pony, but she missed as Pinkamena easily dodged to the side and loosed a barrage of punches to the jaw and chest that left Applejack’s host dazed. She tried to hit back, and amidst the flurry of blows she unleashed, one lucky shot hit the assassin in the face. Applejack took the opportunity to buck her, and she went flying across the room.

Pinkamena turned the out of control tumble into a regulated spin that landed her on the side of the wall. Pinkamena bounced off the wall with little effort and caught Applejack’s host in a flying tackle. Now it was the orange pony’s turn to be pushed back. The impact with the far wall knocked the air out of her lungs. Before she knew it, Pinkamena was on her again, beating her into submission. Every blow was more vicious than the last.

Applejack flailed wildly, trying to deflect the blows that the relentless assassin rained down onto her. She managed to sneak a punch or two past Pinkamena’s defences, but they were so weak that the pink earth pony didn’t even respond to the assault. Instead, the speed of the blows increased, hammering at every injured part of Applejack’s body, doubling, then tripling the pain.

At last, when Applejack’s entire being had been turned into a swollen mess, Pinkamena decided that she had had enough fun, and elected to end it. She directed several blows at the orange pony’s neck and torso, applying pressure to vital points on her body. Applejack teetered for a few moments, trying to stand up, but to no avail. She toppled over, paralysed.

Twilight’s host stomped her hooves. “Excellent job. Just as I taught you. One does not need a weapon to triumph in a fight.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Pinkamena executed a short bow.

A contingent of identical royal guards announced their presence via the terrible din they made as they rushed into the room. “Is there a problem, Your Highness?” the commander asked. “We heard a commotion and feared for your life. I-”

The commander stopped talking when he caught sight of the gruesome scene before him.

Twilight’s host, noticing he had spaced out, coughed pointedly. “Ahem.”

The commander snapped back to attention. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Take care of those guards and arrest that mare dressed in royal guard armour immediately. She is an impostor and is to be charged with treason. Have I made myself clear?”

The commander saluted smartly. “Crystal clear, Your Highness.”

One of the commander’s escorts gestured to Pinkamena and whispered something to him.

“Your Highness,” the commander said, “what should we do with the pink mare?”

Twilight’s future self did not falter. “She will be accompanying me in the guest suite next to my bedroom, as she is to be treated as you would treat me. Understood?”

“Your wish is my command.” The commander responded automatically.

“Good.” Future Twilight trotted towards her bedroom. “Begin now.”

Every single one of the guards knew exactly what would happen if they disappointed their Princess. Thus, the moment Twilight said ‘begin’, the throne room was filled with ponies moving and working at speeds that would make Rainbow Dash look like a tortoise. In no time at all, the bodies were gone, Applejack was being carried away in chains, Pinkamena was in the midst of trying to reject an escort to her newly-outfitted guest room, and amazingly, even the crack in the wall and the window was fixed.

Twilight’s host had not even rounded the corner yet.

Turning back, she addressed the troops. “Good job. However, your work is far from over, commander. I have another task for you.”

The commander snapped to attention. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I need you to distribute flyers across Equestria.” Twilight’s host told him.

“Flyers, O Sovereign?” The commander sounded dubious.

“Yes, flyers. I need to alert the populace about the event that will soon be happening in Canterlot.”

“If I may be so bold, Your Highness, there are no major events scheduled anytime soon.” The commander protested.

“There is one now.”

****

Fluttershy found her host squeezed in between the dozens of ponies that were gathered in the town square, reading the notice that had been put up. It was written in neat hoofwriting and stamped with the royal seal, which denoted its importance.

Equestrians:

Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight of Equestria, has declared that three days from now, an execution of the traitor Applejack who tried to take the Princess’ life will be held. She wishes that all Equestrians attend the execution and spread the word of what happens to ponies who commit treason.

Signed,

The Royal Diplomat, Peace Maker

The majority of the comments by the ponies surrounding Fluttershy’s host cursed the Princess instead of the traitor.

“I feel sorry for that poor pony.”

“At least somepony has the guts to stand up to this tyranny.”

“She just raised the taxes again!”

“At this rate, we’ll run out of bits and starve to death!”

Fluttershy’s host smiled. Fluttershy also remembered what had happened when the guards came asking for taxes.

****

2 Days Earlier

A rapid knocking on her door caused Fluttershy’s host to look up from the novel she was reading. Fluttershy herself was glad for the distraction; between pondering the events of the past few days and paying attention to the steamy romance novel her host was reading that would put Rarity’s to shame, she couldn’t decide which was worse.

Her host got up and trotted to the door. Opening it revealed a burly royal guard with bulging saddlebags. He stood a whole head taller than Fluttershy’s host, but she didn’t seem intimidated in the least.

“Taxes have been raised to twenty-five percent of your salary, miss. Please hand over the appropriate amount.”

Fluttershy’s host stared him straight in the eye. “I don’t need to.”

The guard blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I nurse wild animals back to help, and I hardly think they can pay me any bits whatsoever. I depend completely on the goodwill of others, and thus I do not have a salary.”

The guard blinked in disbelief again. “But-”

Fluttershy’s host hit him with the most ferocious Stare she had ever used. “I. Don’t. Have. A SALARY!”

The guard backpedalled hastily. “Um, ok miss, I get the point BYE!” Abandoning all his discipline, the stallion fled along the path, trying to get away from the Stare.

Fluttershy’s host returned to the couch and flipped the romance novel open again.

‘After this,’ Fluttershy thought, ‘I think I’d rather read the novel.’

****

When Fluttershy finally realised that she had spaced out and snapped back to reality, her host was already on the way back to her cottage to prepare for the journey.

Meanwhile in another part of Ponyville, a certain white unicorn trotted around Carousel Boutique, trying to restore her face to the perfect epitome of beauty it was previously.

“I cannot believe what she did! She ruined my face! My beautiful, beautiful face!” Rarity watched her host fuss over her face, all her actions clear by the mirror that hung on the wall before her. Her nose was now bent at an odd angle and black eyes marred her face. Dozens of beauty products floated in the air, surrounded by a blue aura. Rarity’s host kept them circling around her head, eyeing each one in turn before allowing it to pass out of her focus.

“She just- I- she- aaahhh!” All of the beauty products fell to the ground instantly when Rarity’s host lost her concentration. “I have to find her! She will pay for what she did to me! Where did she say she was going?”

Rarity’s host strode over to her bedside table and pulled the drawer open, revealing a solitary note that lay in the otherwise empty drawer.

Rarity,

I will be going to Canterlot for a few days. Please forgive me for what I did. I had no choice.

Pinkamena

“Canterlot, is it? I will go there, and I will kill her! She will pay for what she has done!” Rarity’s future self began to pack her belongings in diamond-studded saddlebags. “But first, there is something I have been putting off for far too long.”

Telekinetically opening her cupboard at the far side of the room, she floated out a mess of silvery-blue metal shards, along with a few jewels and a hammer.

“That sword I made for Pinkamena deserves a counterpart.”

****

Rainbow’s host flew through her room, packing her saddlebags full of the apples she had swiped from Sweet Apple Acres.

“Applejack is being executed? I can’t wait to go and rub all the apples I swiped into her face as a last sight! This is gonna be priceless! Where’s my Wonderbolt uniform?”

****

3 Days Later

Rainbow’s host stood in the line to the Canterlot gates, waiting for her turn to be checked by the guards before she could be let through. Clad in her impressive Wonderbolt uniform, she could hear the murmurs of amazement that the other ponies close to her uttered while looking at her with expressions full of awe. Rainbow’s host ignored them, and tapped her hoof on the ground impatiently. Finally tired of the long wait, she flew out of the line and forward to the guards.

“Next!” one of the guards shouted. Rainbow’s future self plunked herself right where the next pony was about to step. The guards’ eyes grew wide when they recognised her.

“R-Rainbow Dash?” The first one asked.

“The one and only!” Future Rainbow Dash posed proudly. “Now are you going to let me through, or am I going to wait here all day?”

“Of course!” Both guards moved aside.

Rainbow’s host raised an eyebrow. “Of course I’m going to wait here?”

“No! Of course you can go in.” Rainbow trotted in, ignoring the huge crowd of pegasi trying to copy her antics and cut queue, causing chaos throughout the line.

****

Applejack’s host looked up from inside the cell she had occupied for the past two days when she heard the familiar clinking noise of approaching guards. ‘They’re prob’ly just here ta torment me or spit on me.’ Applejack thought. ‘It’s not like they hav’nt done that yet.’

The empty bowl that had contained her last meal lay on the floor, every last scrap of the tiny portions they gave her consumed. It wasn’t nearly enough to keep her hunger satiated.

Soon, two unicorn guards clad in full armour appeared, one fumbling with the key as he unlocked her cell.

“Get up and get out prisoner.” One said gruffly.

Applejack was glad to leave the dark, damp and dreary jail cell. Anywhere at to be better than there.

As soon as she had stepped out, one of the guards chained her up with the bunch of chains he had been levitating out of sight.

When she was fully restrained and had to be floated around by the unicorns, Applejack’s host asked, “Where are we going?”

One of the guards snorted. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Applejack did not like the sound of that.

****

Future Twilight had positioned the sun so that the sky turned red, creating just the right morbid atmosphere that suited the execution that was about to take place. Twilight watched the large crowd that had amassed in the town square through her host’s eyes. There was a makeshift wooden stage erected in the city square, and it was topped by a very vicious-looking guillotine, its blade purposely steeped in blood before the execution to remind everypony that the one who was being killed could very well be them, should they choose to disobey her.

Twilight’s future self stood on the balcony behind the stage, a very serious-looking Pinkamena by her side. The pink mare held her head high. Her sword was strapped to her side, but she was ready to whip it out at a moment’s notice.
Twilight’s host once again checked the clock tower that stood proudly behind the crowd, out of their sight, but since she was facing them, the clock face was clear to her. She quietly counted down the seconds left before the official ceremony began.

“Five… four… three… two… one…”

The sudden deep chiming of the clock tower reverberated throughout the square, quietening the restless crowd. Taking his cue, Peace Maker stepped forward, horn aglow, and cleared his throat. At the same time, two fully-armoured unicorn guards stepped forward, towing a heavily chained Applejack forward with their magic. Applejack audibly gulped when she laid eyes on the bloody executioner’s weapon.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” Peace Maker began, his voice amplified by the spell he had cast. “You are gathered here today to witness the death of a treasonous rat who dared to make an attempt on the Princess’ life. This is a reminder to all of you that should you try to execute such a ridiculous plan, you will all be heavily punished.” The unicorn levitating Applejack lowered her neck onto the slot designed to accommodate ponies’ throats.

“Hah! I stole all your apples! Your hard work! Your-” Rainbow Dash couldn’t resist trying to rub salt in the farmer pony’s wound.

“Quiet, you!” Peace Maker barked at the Wonderbolt somewhere in the midst of the crowd. “You will all remember just who this pony is and what she did.” Peace Maker continued, pretending that nothing had happened. “For remember, if you dare to disagree with the Princess, this could be you!” The last word echoed around the city square, causing almost all present to wince.

Peace Maker turned to Twilight, his eyes voicing the unspoken question: Now?

Future Twilight nodded briefly.

Peace Maker spoke to the guards, but his voice was loud enough for everypony to hear. “Do it.”

One guard used his magic to restrain Applejack, while the other prepared to tug the rope that would send the blade crashing down onto the farmer pony’s neck and end her life gruesomely.

Just as the guard was about to pull the rope, a very loud voice from her right screamed, “TWILIGHT!”

Everypony present turned towards the noise. Twilight’s host did too, and Twilight was able to spot a faded silhouette of a pony standing on one of the walls surrounding the city square. But before she was able to discern who it was, she heard the sickening squelch of the guillotine blade severing pony flesh, and the world faded into darkness.

‘Thank Celestia I’m finally getting out of this,’ Twilight thought. 'I can’t wait to get back to the library.’

Twilight patiently waited for the feeling of the magic draining from her horn to stop. After a minute or so, the flow still hadn’t been interrupted. Twilight began to grow worried. ‘Maybe I have to stop the flow manually,' she contemplated. Deciding to abide by the idiom, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained', Twilight concentrated on her horn, willing the flow of magic to cease.

The moment the connection was severed, the inky darkness gave way to a very familiar whiteness that caused Twilight to lose consciousness.

****

When Twilight’s eyes finally opened, she was frozen with shock. The sky was still red, the guillotine was still there, and Peace Maker was still making his speech. Nothing had changed!

“Oh no.” She breathed.

Twilight froze again when she realised what had just happened.

She had talked.

By herself.

She was in control of her own body!

It was only then that she realised that she was at the front of the silent crowd that was watching Applejack’s execution. She wore a dark lavender cloak that concealed her features.

“You will remember just who this pony is and what she has done.” Peace Maker was saying. “For remember, if you dare to disagree with the Princess, this could be you!” Twilight cringed at the last word.

Peace Maker turned to the now-Princess Twilight, silently requesting permission. She nodded her head, and Peace Maker turned back to the waiting crowd.

“Do it.” He told the guards.

Twilight knew just what was going to happen next. Just as she had turned her head to glance in that direction, the mysterious pony ascended the building from behind and shouted, “TWILIGHT!”

Everypony turned then, and Twilight tried to determine the pony’s identity, but to no avail. It was too dark, and the pony wore a cloak that protected her features from prying eyes, just like her. But unlike hers, the unknown pony’s cloak was half white, half dark blue, and a symbol of the sun and the moon were emblazoned on their respective colours.

The reason why Twilight looked away was as much to identify the mysterious pony as to avoid looking at the gory scene that she was sure existed on the wooden stage. She winced when she heard the blade slice through Applejack’s throat, and for a moment she hoped that she would be spirited back to the library.

No such luck. By now, she had a pretty good idea of how she got here.

Princess Twilight roared in anger, obviously furious that an intruder had managed to find a way into the heavily guarded zone. “SEIZE THAT PONY!”

A dozen pegasus guards emerged from their posts and rushed onto the roof to counter the unexpected threat. In the chaos that followed, Twilight tried to worm her way through the panicky crowd and find her friends. Easier said than done, though. The odds that she would locate her friends within this vast square were quite minimal. Twilight turned back in time to see Pinkamena disappear from the Princess’ balcony and into the palace itself.

Twilight was just about to give up on finding her friends when a mare in a dark pink cloak bowled her over by bouncing into her.

“Gee there you are Twilight I was hoping I would find you. I mean, when Applejack- I mean, Future Applejack- died, all I saw was black, but then suddenly it all turned white, and then next thing I knew, I found myself back here! And then I thought, hey! Twilight must know why! And then I came and found you.”

“Why? What? How? Argh…” Twilight reminded herself silently never to try and explain Pinkie’s energetic behaviour. “But aren’t you even the slightest bit fazed by Future Applejack’s death? At all? Even the slightest, tiniest little bit?”

“Nope! I know that all this is a bad future, and all I have to do when I get back to our own time is to not do the wrong things! Duh!”

“Well-“ Before Twilight could continue, Pinkie grabbed her by the tail and dragged her off to find the others.

Twilight immediately realised that didn’t enjoy being dragged along by her tail, especially while the pony doing the dragging was bouncing up and down like a pogo stick, so she yanked her tail away from Pinkie. The party pony gave a short yelp of surprise before she tripped and fell face-first into the mud. Twilight managed to get a small head start before Pinkie got up and headed towards her.

“Hey Twilight! I know where Rainbow Dash is! Hey Dashie!” After she had voiced her motive, Pinkie Pie did a 180 degrees turn in the air and hopped off away from Twilight, and she had to hurry to catch up the hyperactive pink pony. Weaving through the crowd, she soon caught sight of Pinkie and a pony wearing a dark blue cloak. Unfortunately for that pony, Pinkie had her forelegs wrapped around her and was squeezing the living daylights out of her.

"Oh my gosh Dashie I was so worried for you when we all appeared back here and then-”

Rainbow was gasping, trying to reel in some much-needed breaths of air. “I was so worried about you too Pinkie now can you please let go because I CAN’T BREATHE.”

“Oops! Sorry!” Pinkie released the choking pegasus and bounded over to Twilight.

“Hey Twilight! I found Rainbow Dash! Hey look, there’s Fluttershy over there!” Pinkie Pie suddenly disappeared from sight again. Twilight trotted over to help Rainbow stand on her own four feet.

“Thanks, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash finally managed to stand up without anypony’s assistance. “Hey, have you seen Applejack?”

“We were just getting to that,” Twilight assured her. “Or at least Pinkie Pie is.”

Upon hearing her name, the pink earth pony bounced back into view, dragging a pink tail that led into a dark yellow cloak. The pony within appeared to be whimpering in fright.

“Fluttershy, there you are! I was so worried for you! I-” Pinkie Pie did not appear to be slowed down at all by the pony she dragged behind her.

“Pinkie, please be more careful with Fluttershy.” Twilight wasn’t sure whether the timid yellow pegasus was ready for Pinkie’s brand of hyperactive greetings.

“Okie-dokie-lokie!”

“Right! Now we just need to find Applejack and Rarity, then we can-”

“I’m right here, darling.” A pony covered by a grey cloak trudged into view, trying to shake off the mud that had accumulated at her hooves. “This dirt is so terribly stubborn. It takes forever for it to get off my hooves!” She gave them another experimental shake, but the mud clung to them.

Twilight was surprised. She thought Pinkie was the only one who could bend odds to her favour. “How did you find us?”

“My gem-finding spell led me here, but I don’t know why. Do you?”

Twilight examined her cloak. When she looked down at her neck, she noticed a silvery metallic clasp. The clasp had a purple gemstone embedded in it.

“It must be this.” Twilight used her hoof to hold the jewel up. “I can’t help but wonder where these cloaks came from?”

“Ooh! Another mystery! I can’t wait to see how this story turns out!” Pinkie clapped her hooves together in excitement.

“Pinkie, what are you talking about? This isn’t a story!” Twilight had had enough of Pinkie’s idiosyncrasies, and she tried to think of other things and ignore the faint throbbing in her head that she had received from trying to figure the pink pony out again.

“Whatever you say, Twilight.”

“Great. Now that that’s done, we just need to find Applejack.”

As if on cue, a shout rose among the crowd. “The traitor escaped! Get her!”

Twilight turned towards the source of the noise and caught sight of the orange pony trying to fend off five pegasi armed with swords at once. An abandoned dark orange cloak lay on the ground next to her, and she was bucking at her attackers for all she was worth. There were many ponies gathered around the scene, murmuring under their breaths and wondering how Applejack had escaped from the execution. Some of them were turning around, looking at the wooden stage where the farmer pony should have died. Twilight instinctively turned her head in that direction, and then immediately wished she hadn’t.

Extremely gory was the only phrase to describe it. The decapitated head rested on the platform, oozing out blood as it did so. The spurt of blood that Twilight was sure occurred had ended, leaving a few points where the blood dripped from the stump of her neck, reddening the wood.

“Applejack!” Rainbow’s shout snapped Twilight out of her dazed state. Rainbow Dash tried to run to Applejack’s rescue, but Twilight recovered just in time to hold her back, using her body to block the enraged pony. Rarity assisted her, restraining Rainbow by biting down hard on her tail.

“Don’t do it, Rainbow!” Twilight tried to reason with the struggling cyan pegasus. “Without weapons of any sort, we would be as good as dead if we went out there!”

“Let me go!” With an almighty heave, Rainbow shook out of her friend’s grips and raced towards Applejack. “Get away from her!”

The closest royal guard turned just in time to be bashed in the chest by a blue pony-shaped blur. He was flung straight into the nearby wall, which crumbled under the pressure, bringing a large chunk of stone down on him. One of the guards turned towards Rainbow and pursued her as she took to the skies. It wasn’t long before he came crashing back down to the earth, a triumphant Rainbow hovering above her defeated enemy.

The remaining three guards decided that concentrating on the lone Applejack was a better strategy than trying to take on the pegasus with the ability to fly. They closed in on Applejack, swords ready.

Just as one was about to deal the killing blow, a blue and white blur flashed past them, and when it was gone, nopony stood before the bewildered guards.

“Hey! Where’d she go?” One of the guards spun around, trying to ascertain the position of his quarry. Twilight turned to the wall where the cloaked pony had been fighting. She saw two pegasus guards, the remainder of the squadron sent to ambush the mysterious pony, looking around them belatedly, trying to find their enemy. Twilight could see the blur receding rapidly to the west as it flew away, taking Applejack with it.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called to the pegasus, who was still trying to process what happened. “See where Applejack is being taken! Keep the cloak so we can use the jewel to track you! I’ll teleport the rest of us to safety!”

“Got it!” Rainbow Dash shouted over the din. After ripping the cloth of the cloak off and ensuring that the clasp with its jewel still hung from her neck, she was gone almost immediately, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. The rest of the guards took one look at the rapidly shrinking dots and immediately decided that they would rather stay here and clean up the mess then try to confront those two, should they ever catch up with them.

Twilight concentrated, collecting magic in her horn, and then a bright, blinding flash announced her escape.

****

Rainbow was the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. It was no problem at all to catch up with the escaping pony that had pony-napped Applejack. Soon, the dot grew larger, and then the figure became clearer. It was the cloaked pony she had seen fighting the guards on the battlements of the walls. Applejack rested on that pony’s back, her closed eyes and unmoving figure a clear sign that she was unconscious, probably from the high altitudes that earth ponies weren’t used to.

Rainbow wanted to fly in quickly and tackle the pony out of the skies, but she knew that the moment she did that, Applejack would probably fall off and onto the hard, unforgiving ground, and she would never forgive herself if she died. Especially since it was Applejack she was talking about. She would never forget the first time she had met the farmer pony, when she had caught Rainbow sleeping in her trees. Sure, she had been shouted out of Sweet Apple Acres then, but she could never forget that sweet voice that she had, and how cute she looked when she was furious…

Rainbow snapped out of her daydreaming state when the mysterious pony banked sharply and plunged toward the ground. Rainbow Dash followed suit, taking care not to announce her presence to all of Equestria by executing a Sonic Rainboom.

The cloaked pony landed on the ground silently, hoping that she had not attracted any attention. Rainbow touched down equally silently, surveying the surroundings at the same time. They were in a clearing situated in a valley not too far from Ponyville, one covered by trees. The foliage made for an excellent hiding spot.

The mysterious pony knocked against a nearby tree in a steady rhythm. In response, a high, chirping sound was heard, and another similarly cloaked pony emerged from behind a grove. However, a bulge upwards in the cloak indicated the presence of a horn, unlike the other one, who sported a pair of half white, half dark blue painted wings that Rainbow could only just make out. They were camouflaged excellently.

The cloaked pegasus stepped forward, her head turning to check for intruders. Rainbow immediately ducked behind a nearby tree.

“I have Applejack.” The mysterious pegasus said. “Can teleport to base now, right?”

The disguised unicorn replied, “Of course we can. Trixie is more than capable enough to-”

“Not here. Trees have eyes, and muffins have ears.” The pegasus told her.

The unicorn’s voice had a confused tone to it. “Muffins? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Not now.” The pegasus insisted.

“Fine.” The unicorn began gathering magic in her horn, and Rainbow Dash spied a faint glow from beneath the cloak.

She decided that it was now or never. Getting up from her position, she gave her wings a powerful flap and propelled herself towards the trio of ponies. Just as she got within striking range, however, a blinding light burst forth from beneath the unicorn’s hood and filled the clearing.

When it faded, it revealed the clearing to be empty, devoid of any trace that anypony had ever been there.

****

Safely in a deserted corner of Canterlot, Twilight finally had the time to draw up a feasible plan, one that was not marred with the often error-ridden decisions that she made while under extreme stress.

She had the time, but not the ideas. Most ponies didn’t have to deal with being stuck in the future.

“So, um, what are we doing now? That is, if you don’t mind telling me.” Fluttershy was still trembling in her cloak, obviously still haunted with memories of her future self and possibly the steamy romance novel.

“I, well, uh… I don’t know.” Twilight confessed. “I didn’t expect this to happen.”

“Can’t you just like, magic us back or something?” Pinkie asked. “I’m getting bored.”

“If she could, she would have done that by now, wouldn’t she?” Rarity said.

“Rarity’s right. I can’t go back.” Twilight sighed, a sigh full of despair. “I used ourselves in the future as an anchor here. When I messed up the spell, both our consciousnesses and our bodies were bound here. I can’t bring us back without an anchor of some sort.”

Rarity looked thoughtful. “Then can’t you send our minds to another future and see if they have a spell that could send us back?”

Twilight shook her head. “I could do that, but it would be too dangerous. It’s all too likely that while we’re in there, somepony will stumble across our bodies, and then who knows what could happen? Besides, the odds of somehow finding out how to get back are incredibly slim. I have no control over which future to send us to, and even if I bring us to an extremely advanced one, there’s no reason why they would be discussing about a way to reverse the Future Sight spell. Assuming such a way exists. And then there’s the moral problem.”

Rarity looked confused. “What do you mean, the moral problem?”

Twilight sighed again. “I haven’t told you how Future Sight works, have I?”

All three mares shook their heads.

Twilight continued. “Let me ask you a question. Do you know how impossible it is for life to have begun in the first place?”

A chorus of “Nope!” followed the question.

“Well, it’s very unlikely. First, the planet that is supposed to support life would have to be just the right distance from the sun, so that it is neither too hot, nor too cold. Next, you would have to ensure that the planet you get is the right size to ensure that gravity neither crushes nor ignores you. Then, you would have to create life out of non-life, which is extremely-”

Twilight’s speech was interrupted by a loud snoring noise that came from Pinkie Pie. The pink earth pony was sprawled on the ground, pretending to have fallen asleep.

“Very funny. So anyway, life is so impossible that scientists have theorised that numerous different universes exist. Ours is the one where everything turned out just right for life. Nowadays, these scientists realised that for every choice that a pony has to make, a universe exists for both choices. Basically, there are an infinite number of universes, each one slightly different from the others next to it.” Twilight paused for a moment to allow the other ponies to absorb what she had just said.

"So," Fluttershy began, “This future place is basically another universe?”

“Exactly.” Twilight confirmed. “There exists a universe for every moment in time ever. This only confirms the fact that there are an infinite number of universes. Future Sight allows us to look into one of these universes using quantum foam. The chalk I was using just now was made completely of it. Quantum foam has tiny holes that lead to another universe. I simply shrunk our consciousnesses down to that size to fit us through.” Twilight hesitated for a moment. “When I severed the magical connection, our bodies were sucked through the holes to connect with our consciousnesses. And thus we are here.”

Rarity’s face was a mask of confusion. “How is this a moral problem?”

Twilight looked at her. “You don’t get it, do you? This universe is as real as the one we live in. What we have around us are real ponies. Real living, breathing ponies. And they are suffering. Just because we choose not to lead our lives in a bad way doesn’t mean this world will go away. It will be here, as bad as ever. The ponies will still be suffering.” Rarity grimaced.

Everypony fell silent for a while, contemplating what Twilight had just said. That is, until Pinkie spoke up.

“Well, I think Dashie has been teleported away by now.” She said. “We should go and look for her.”

“Huh?” Twilight once again lapsed into a state of confusion. “H-How do you know?”

“Don’t you even read this story, Twilight?” Pinkie asked. “Sheesh, I thought you would pay more attention to this.”

“Wha- How- I- Never mind. Where is she?” Twilight asked.

“I can’t tell you that! If I did that, it would disrupt the flow of the story.” Pinkie gasped. “If I did that, Prince Superfire might not let me have any sweets later on!”

Twilight was fuming by now, her mane releasing wayward sparks that threatened to ignite the strands of hair. “Pinkie, I couldn’t care less who this Prince of yours is! You aren’t telling me something important, and all you can give me is a ridiculous reason that doesn’t make sense! Our lives are at stake here!”

Pinkie sighed. “Fine! I won’t read the story anymore so you can’t scold me for something I’m not telling you. But shouldn’t you be tracking Dashie with the gem-finding spell right now?”

Twilight’s cheeks blazed a deep red when she realised she could have had been on the way to finding Rainbow Dash instead of arguing with Pinkie. Forgetting about her feud with the party pony immediately, she turned to Rarity. “Oh, right. Rarity, can you track her?”

The fashionista unicorn’s horn was already glowing, emitting a blue light. “She’s somewhere that way, but I can’t tell exactly where. If we can get closer, I can get a fix on her.”

Pinkie smiled to herself. “Mission accomplished.”

Twilight turned to her. “What was that?”

Pinkie shook her head frantically. “Nothing, nothing.”

To Be Continued in Repercussions Ch.4: Rebellion!

Repercussions Ch. 4: Rebellion

Author’s Note: Just so that you all know that this isn’t some elaborate plot twist, Prince Superfire iswas my FIMFiction name. Says soIt used to say so on the front page of Repercussions. I hope you don’t think that some prince in shining armour is going to gallop into the fray and rescue the Mane 6.

****

Rainbow Dash reappeared in a large, dark hallway with a pop. She shook her head, groaning. She still wasn’t too used to teleportation; it always made an unprepared pony nauseous. The moment the sound escaped her lips, however, the two ponies nearby immediately turned their heads in her direction.

‘Oh, horseapples.’ Rainbow cursed.

The unicorn reared back in surprise. “Intruder alert! Guards!”

Almost instantly, the prismatic-maned pony was surrounded by a dozen spears, several swords, and a hoofful of axes. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of bowstrings being pulled taut echoed across the enclosed space. All eyes were on Rainbow.

She scratched her head with a hoof, smiling sheepishly. “Uh… hi?”

****

“It’s this way.” Rarity led the group forwards, trying not to dirty her hooves on the ground, and thus slowing the group down considerably.

“Rarity, could we speed up a little?” Twilight’s patience was already quite exhausted from dealing with Pinkie, and as much as she didn’t want to shout at her friends, she was dangerously close to doing just that.

“Um, not to be rude or anything, but we are moving a teensy bit slow. We might be able to reach Rainbow faster if we move a little more quickly. That is, if it’s okay with you.” Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane as soon as the words left her mouth.

Rarity sighed. “So sorry darling. Just got a bit distracted, that’s all.” ’Probably by the moral dilemma.’ Twilight mused. “Rainbow Dash is far more important than my personal hygiene right now.” Rarity quickened the pace as she talked, allowing the group to speed up.

With one problem solved, Twilight turned the brunt of her impressive mental capacity to deal with the other one, which she had decided to ignore as background noise but finally came back to the forefront of her mind in the absence of any other difficulties: Pinkie Pie’s incessant chattering.

“-and then it was like ‘woosh’! and then ‘pow’! and then somepony flew down towards me so fast that I thought I would explode with the impact! And then-”

It had all started with an innocent question. Twilight, being the inquisitive mare she was, had decided to find out exactly who or what this Prince Superfire was. Who knows, a Prince may have been able to help them out of their current situation. She had thought naïvely that Pinkie Pie might at least be partially capable of forming a coherent sentence.

“-but just when I thought I was doomed, Rainbow Dash came and rammed the other pegasus out of the sky! Did I tell you that I like cake?”

Pinkie probably couldn’t even form a coherent thought in her head, let alone a sentence.

“-so that’s why I like kumquat so much! Isn’t it so fun to say? Kumquat kumquat kumquat kumquat-”

Twilight sighed. The party pony’s train of thought had derailed after the first sentence, and after that came a waterfall of nonsense that Pinkie Pie had probably made up on the spot. Well, at least Pinkie wasn’t thinking about Future Applejack’s execution. Hay, she was the only one of the four ponies in the group who didn’t seem affected by the intense suffering of the populace or the public execution.

“-and all you need to make a filly is sugar, spice, and everything nice! Hey! Did you notice that rhymes! I like cake!”

If Twilight hadn’t known Pinkie better, she might have thought that the pink mare was deliberately trying to mess up the conversation beyond all imagination just so Twilight would never ask her a question that could be potentially contain confidential information the party pony would not want divulged.

It was working. Twilight could feel her left eye twitch.

“and cupcakes are really delicious, you know? As a matter of fact, they’re so delicious, I even wrote a song about it!”

’Oh no.’ Twilight groaned very loudly.

Pinkie drew in a deep breath and began to sing at the top of her voice.

“All you have to do is take a cup of flour, add it to the mix!

Now just take a little something sweet, not sour, a little salt, just a pinch!

Baking these treats is such a synch, add a teaspoon of vanilla,

Add a little more, and you count to four, and you’ll never get your fill-a!

Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty! Cupcakes! Don’t be too hasty!

Cupcakes! Cupcakes cupcakes cupca-mmph!”

Twilight had decided that she had had enough and shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth. “Quiet, Pinkie! Somepony might hear us!”

Pinkie giggled. “Silly filly! There’s nopony around!”

Twilight looked around her. Sure enough, there wasn’t a pony in sight, other than her friends. Wary of detection from above, she lifted her head, searching the heavens, but all she saw were a few clouds drifting aimlessly in the large expanse of sky.

The librarian sighed again. “Fine. Just keep quiet, okay?”

Pinkie nodded her assent, drawing an imaginary zip across her mouth as she did so.

High up in the sky, a small figure emerged from the cover of one of the clouds and sped towards Ponyville with as much speed as it could muster.

****

Loud thunks echoed throughout the prison hallway, waking all who may have been trying to catch some sleep. A particularly cranky unicorn, one who was armoured with half white, half blue light barding that covered his cutie mark and had a sword secured to his side, wore an extremely irritated expression on his face as he guarded the only cell to actually house a prisoner.

Within the cell itself, Rainbow was utilising her eloquence excellently, playing her cards just right so that she could convince the guard to let her out of the prison, and perhaps return the cloak that had been forcefully taken from her. The sheer persuasiveness of her argument was close to winning the guard over already.

“LET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU SCUMBAG! WAIT TILL I GET MY HOOVES ON YOU!”

The guard rubbed his eyes sleepily. Ever since he had been entrusted with the new prisoner, he hadn’t managed to catch a wink of sleep. Staying awake for forty-eight hours straight generally wasn’t good for the body, but apparently whoever was in charge of everything had decided that he could pull a few more all-nighters before collapsing with exhaustion. After that they would probably send in another guard to repeat the process.

He contemplated abandoning this place with its awful prisoner and surrendering himself to the Princess. That was almost more preferable than standing here and listen to this mare scream unholy curses and insults at him. Almost.

The stallion’s ears twitched when, aside the cacophony of noises that the imprisoned mare was making, he detected the sound of a pony trotting down the stairs that led into the prison from the main base.

’Now I’m hallucinating,’ he thought, ’this lack of sleep is really getting to me.’

He nearly managed to convince himself that he wasn’t imagining things when he saw a cloaked equine round the corner and approach him.

He sighed with relief when he reached out and prodded the pony, revealing that it was not the work of his imagination. He levitated the keys to the cell out from the pocket in his barding and unlocked the door as quickly as he could. “Is it finally time for the interrogation?”

The cloaked pony simply nodded.

“Great! I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stand this.” The door swung open, and Rainbow Dash charged out at the speed of light. The cloaked pony sidestepped deftly, causing the pegasus to miss her target and severely dent the opposite wall with her thick skull. The cloaked equine simply grabbed the unconscious Rainbow’s multicoloured mane in its teeth and dragged her up the stairs.

The guard looked at the pony he had been dealing with for the past two days. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

****

Rainbow regained consciousness halfway through the journey, with a massive headache and what felt like a dozen concussions. As such, she was unable to struggle against whoever was grasping her mane with very strong teeth.

The rainbow-maned pony tried to say something along the lines of “Let go of me!” but it came out as a slurred “L’gg’uf’m”.

Passing through numerous dark and suspiciously deserted corridors, the two finally reached an ominous, ink-black door, which had three words scrawled on its front.

TORTURE/INTERROGATION ROOM

Rainbow tried to keep her trembling body under control.

Suddenly and without warning, she was violently shoved past a now-open door and into the room by the hooves of the cloaked pony. Still groggy and unfocused, she stumbled right onto the chair in the middle of the room, where the restraints, animated by a Come-To-Life spell, promptly wrapped themselves around all four of her hooves, her neck, and finally her wings. Rainbow Dash struggled to get free, but to no avail. The shock of the situation sent waves of adrenaline coursing through her veins, and the prismatic-maned pegasus finally found the strength to speak.

“Who… who are you?”

The pony lifted a hoof and swept the hood of the cloak away, revealing a striped mane and a grey face, with two dark-green eyes that seemed to stare straight into Rainbow’s soul.

The pony wasn’t a pony at all.

“Well, well, Rainbow Dash, long time no see.” Zecora’s eyes hardened with hate. “The sight of you locked up in chains is great news for me.”

The pegasus looked up at the zebra with a mix of curiosity and fear. But mostly fear. “Z… Z… Z… Zecora?”

“Yes, it is I. Though you are a far cry, from the monster I expected you to be.” Zecora shook her head, as if she was trying to clear her mind of doubt. “Still, a good idiom I once read, and wisely it said, ‘Don’t judge a book based on what you see.’”

“It’s ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’.” Rainbow snorted. “Still haven’t dropped the rhyming thing, eh?”

“It is not your place to speak. Though if it is punishment you seek,” Zecora reached into a nearby box and withdrew a sharp, deadly dagger, “I’ll gladly give it to you, then you’ll be more red than blue.”

The rainbow-maned pony’s eyes widened in shock. “Uh… Zecora? That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

The zebra stepped closer to Rainbow. “Do not worry, I am filled with glee, because this will hurt you far more than me.”

Once again, Rainbow’s excellent skills with persuasion kicked in to save her from the approaching threat. “Ughegbdui-WHAT?!”

Zecora laughed. “Indeed, a fine show of eloquence, Rainbow Dash. However, I will not hold back, because you are worse than trash.”

The pegasus’ prismatic mane shook slightly as Rainbow fought back sobs. ’I still don’t even know what I did…’ She closed her eyes and awaited her punishment for a deed she did not commit.

The hoofsteps of her torturer echoed ever closer. “Say hello to pain, Rainbow’s tiny brain.” Rainbow could feel the steel nestled against her chest. She silently said her final goodbyes to all of her friends, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack…

Applejack…

Suddenly, a new set of hoofsteps announced the arrival of a new pony. The dagger that was drawing small droplets of blood from Rainbow’s arteries ceased its inexorable advance.

Rainbow opened her eye a crack, and caught sight of the unicorn she had teleported with speaking with Zecora. Although the hood concealed the unicorn’s face, Rainbow had a pretty good idea of who she might be, especially with the not-so-occasional exclamation of “The Great and Powerful TRIXIE!” that echoed around the room, rising above the unintelligible volume of the whispers.

‘Those kinds of things tend to give you away…’ thought Rainbow.

Zecora finally turned back to the mostly ignored pegasus. “Well, it seems I have to leave, my little pony. Just hope it doesn’t get too lonely.”

Deep in her heart, Rainbow threw a party bigger than any Pinkie Pie had ever thrown. She had a chance, no matter how small, of seeing Applejack again!

Oh yeah, and the rest of her friends, too.

Just as Rainbow Dash began to smile, the open door that let in the light slammed shut, leaving the room in pitch darkness.

Well, the pegasus considered, it could be worse.

She felt something with eight legs, dripping some disgusting liquid as it crawled, make its way up her hind leg.

Damn.

****

Zecora, accompanied by Trixie, made her way towards the centre of the structure. “So scout number two reported to you, saying that Princess Twilight is on her way here?”

Trixie simply nodded.

“Not only without protection, nor any plague or infection, followed by those she holds dear?”

Trixie nodded again.

“In that case we must prepare for the upcoming scare, for our path of action is clear.”

Trixie wordlessly nodded once more.

Now Zecora appeared confused. “Why are you quiet? Are you that tired?”

This time, Trixie shook her head. “It’s easier for you rhyme when Trixie keeps quiet.”

“So you kept quiet all this time, so that I can rhyme?”

“Indeed. It sounds most entertaining.”

Zecora sighed. “I shall pay you no further heed. Though your intel is interesting indeed.” The pair stopped in front of a pair of doors marked COMMAND CENTRE.

“I will inform the general of the new opportunity that has appeared. I just hope he doesn’t react the way I feared.”

The two exchanged farewells as Zecora stepped into the room. Trixie turned around and continued back the way she came.

‘One day Trixie will be the one speaking to the general, and then she can leave somepony else to clean the toilets.’ the unicorn huffed. ‘Such a waste of Trixie’s great and powerful skills.’

****

“Uh, Rarity, are you sure this is the right way?” Twilight was a bit doubtful. They had been walking for about three days already, with a few stops in between when Twilight had gathered enough magical energy to teleport. Other than that, they only stopped to sleep and forage for food.

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure. We’ve gotten close enough that I’ve gotten a fix. It’s in Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres, to be exact. Just another hour or so and we’ll be there.” Rarity sounded confident. Twilight decided to trust her friend’s magical prowess for the time being. She seemed to know what she was doing.

Suddenly, Twilight noticed something. Not of much importance, but maybe to Rarity it was. “Rarity? Well, I think-”

“Not now, darling.” Rarity interrupted the bookish mare. “I’m concentrating.”

“But Rarity-” Twilight tried to protest.

“Twilight Sparkle.” Rarity’s horn stopped glowing for a moment and the fashionista opened her eyes to glare crossly at Twilight. “I thought that I said I was concentrating. Please don’t disturb me agai- AAH!”

Instead of impacting against solid dirt as Rarity had expected, her hoof slipped on the muddy bank of a river, sending Rarity tumbling face-first into the dirt and muck of the stream, which thankfully only reached up to her neck.

Coughing and spluttering, Rarity looked up, her face now a muddish-brown instead of the normally pristine white that the unicorn had always gone to great lengths to preserve. Her mane was in disarray, its curls straightened out into individual strands of hair, also riddled with far more dirt and grime than before. Rarity took one look at her reflection in the water and shrieked.

Twilight gave her a sad smile. “I tried to warn you.”

“WELL YOU SHOULD HAVE TRIED HARDER!” Rarity screamed.

Before Twilight could respond to her friend, who would have already passed out had she known the current location of her fainting couch, an immense amount of water suddenly rushed out of the river, leaving everypony in its blast radius dripping wet and miserable.

“Did you do that, Rarity?” Twilight asked, trying to clear away the aquatic plant colony that had decided to set up residence in front of her eyes, obscuring her vision, but to no avail.

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t! I am not so petty as to resort to such underhanded means!”

Twilight was about to apologise to Rarity for insulting her, but a sudden swoosh of metal cutting through the air made her forget what she was about to say. The blade pressed itself against the librarian’s neck, from seemingly out of nowhere.

“Uh, girls?” Twilight ventured.

“Be silent, worthless one, or your life will be done.”

“Zecora?” Pinkie Pie’s cheerful voice decided to fill in the complete silence that permeated the area. “It is you! Oh I have so many adventures to tell you about since we started this… uh… adventure! Just a few days ago we were fighting the Royal Guards at Canterlot! Oh, and then Rainbow Dash was chasing whoever took Applejack! I can’t wait to see her again! Do you know where she is? I could give her some cakes! Or maybe a few cupcakes! I like cupcakes SOOO much, I even made a song about the-mmph!”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness their captors were civil enough to keep Pinkie quiet.

“Follow me, do not disobey, for if you do, then you will pay.”

The bookish unicorn thought it was almost funny that she was being threatened in rhyme. Well, it would have been funny if she wasn’t the one in danger. The cloak that she previously had on was ripped off her body, allowing the blade at her neck to draw even more rivulets of blood from her now-exposed neck. She felt an anti-magic cuff being placed on her horn and her hooves being tied together with very formidable rope. Twilight was beginning to wonder how she was going to move when she was suddenly hoisted upside down, making her a little sick.

‘Of course.’, Twilight thought as they began to move. ‘Being carried away with your hooves in the air. Classic.’

The group moved silently, with the exception of Rarity, who was shouting insults at the guards who held her. “Unhand me, you ruffians! When I get out of here you are going to get it!”

The pony carrying Rarity around grunted. “Stop whining.”

“I am not whining!” Rarity sounded very indignant. “I’m complaining! THIS is whining!”

Before the white unicorn could begin her tirade, another pony beside her shoved a hoof in her mouth. “Shut up, dirt.”

Rarity spat out the hoof in disgust. “Dirt?! Well I-”

This time, Zecora decided to do something more permanent. Removing a gag from her saddlebags, she shoved it in the fashionista’s mouth and pulled the straps back as tightly as she could.

Now Rarity seemed even angrier than before, but try as she might, all that came out were muffled curses.

“Mphfkngbtchdm!”

Twilight could identify at least two vulgar insults in that, and decided to tune Rarity’s unrefined speech out as much as she could. Unfortunately, due to the lack to anything else to focus on, that wasn’t very much.

Trodding towards their seemingly elusive destination was rather slow, considering that the guards had to carry so many ponies with them. They eventually reached Sweet Apple Acres, though, and by then, the aquatic plants on Twilight’s face had slid off, revealing Sweet Apple Acres in all of its glory.

It wasn’t all that glorious, actually.

It was just a run-down, more dilapidated version of the Sweet Apple Acres that Twilight was familiar with. Except that it now had two unfamiliar ponies with black and white leather barding, and one much more familiar blond maned, grey coated pegasus whose eyes were looking in two directions at once, one at Twilight herself, and one at a very interesting speck of dust on the ground.

“Derp- Ditzy!” Twilight remembered just in time that the pegasus didn’t like her nickname at all.

Suddenly, both Ditzy’s eyes swivelled into focus and stared at Twilight. Her yellow irises were filled with pure loathing. She spoke to Zecora, but her gaze never left Twilight’s trembling form. “Come in, commander.”

The zebra nodded once and gestured to the guards to bring the captives in. They stepped into the barn itself, which still looked the same as it was… well, however long ago it was. The surroundings looked radically different, however, when the group entered a hidden trapdoor under a conveniently-placed rug. The homey atmosphere of the barn shifted into a rather uniform, monotone colour of dark grey, bordering on black, with occasional pink-colour lamps at every ten metres breaking the dull monotony.

They passed various rooms, all of which had their purpose painted onto its front. Twilight broke out into a cold sweat when she saw a room that was marked TORTURE/INTERROGATION ROOM.

‘I feel really sorry for the pitiful pony who gets stuck in there.’ Twilight thought. She could already hear some high-pitched screaming emanating from within the confines of the room.

Eventually, their trek led them to a door that had COMMAND CENTRE written on it. Zecora pushed the door open with one hoof, and the guards simply threw the captives onto the floor in the room. Looking up, Twilight saw that the grey and pink colouring of the corridors outside were not present here, instead replaced by a lavender colour scheme of different hues, illuminated not by lamps, but by green fires that blazed in torches on the walls. There was a large, cushioned armchair in the middle of the room, the kind of chairs that bipeds like griffins, diamond dogs, and maybe Lyra would use. It had its back turned to the bound ponies.

Zecora spoke. “General, we have brought the ponies you wanted to see. Have you thought of what their punishment will be?”

“Excellent work, commander Zecora. I will decide their sentence personally. You may leave.”

Twilight suddenly jolted upright. Or would have, if she was physically able to.

The zebra bowed. “As you wish.”

When Zecora left the room, closing the door behind her, the general spoke. “Welcome, Twilight Sparkle. Friend, surrogate mother… traitor.” The armchair swivelled on its mount, revealing the identity of the general who rested in the chair. His purple scales glinted dangerously in the dim light, and smoke drifted out from his nostrils, signifying just how angry he was.

“Spike!” Twilight gasped.

“Ha! I knew it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Spike didn’t leave in horror! Take that, determamfidd!”

Everypony present looked at her quizzically. “What?” the pink party pony defended herself. “I said I wouldn’t read the story. I didn’t say anything about the comments!”

Twilight reflexively tried to facehoof, although her restraints got in the way. “Never mind her, girls. It’s just Pinkie Pie-”

“-being Pinkie Pie.” Spike finished. “It’s been a long time since Pinkie Pie has been Pinkie Pie, though. I suppose this is how she pretends to be an impostor. Unfortunately for her, her hair is a giveaway sign.”

Twilight looked at Pinkie’s hair. However, it wasn’t poofy and wild as she had expected, but instead completely straight- and dripping wet.

‘It got wet when she was drenched with water.’ Twilight realised.

“Finally, after eight years, I have you in my grasp.” Spike got up from his chair and circled them, leaving smoke trails as he went.

It was then that Twilight realised something. “Eight years? Why are you still a baby dragon?” Spike still looked like he did when Twilight cast the spell, maybe a little taller and broader.

Pinkie added in her two bits worth. “It’s twenty years since we left, actually.”

‘A coherent sentence!’ Twilight was impressed. “How do you know?”

When Pinkie responded, her voice sounded duller, as if she was dredging up unwanted memories. “It’s Gummy’s twenty-first birthday.”

“Uh, okay?”

Spike snorted, sending plumes of smoke rising up into the air. “Forgetting me here?”

Twilight blushed. “Sorry.”

“You’re never sorry.” Spike sighed. “If I was one of the evil villains from the comic books I used to read, I would blurt out all of my evil plans, along with an elaborate backstory that I think will justify my motives.”

“However, I am not an evil villain, nor am I from a comic book, so I shall not take the bait for you to rub salt in my wounds.” The baby dragon glared at Twilight. “Too bad for you that when you age-locked my body, you forgot to do the same to my mental capacity.”

Twilight looked at Spike, confused. “I age-locked your body?”

“Don’t pretend to be ignorant. I know you’re just trying to catch me off guard, and it won’t work. Well, Princess Twilight, you’re in for a world of pain! You will pay for trying to destroy the world with your tyranny!” Spike was about to call the guards, but Twilight stopped him just in time.

“WAIT!” Twilight shouted. Spike tilted his head to look at the librarian.

“What is it?” Spike asked.

“If I can prove to you that I’m not the Princess Twilight you hate so much, then will you listen to me?” Twilight was desperately wracking her mind for anything that she could use to confirm her innocence.

“Fine.” Spike looked at the clock at the far side of the room. “In two minutes, I want you to prove to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you are not my enemy.”

“Okay.” Twilight came up with a point already. “If I’m the REAL Princess Twilight, then why would I come out of the city with no troops or weapons of any sort?”

“That only suggests that you are not Princess Twilight. That doesn’t mean you are not working for the enemy.” Spike countered. “A decoy or spy, perhaps?”

“Well…” Twilight’s brain kicked into action again. “Do you have any scrying mirrors?” She remembered the usefulness of these mirrors when she needed to find Spike’s hiding place when he was trying to avoid doing his chores.

“Do you think we’re so poor? Of course we do!” Spike grabbed a small handheld mirror off the top of his desk. “I already tried using it. While Canterlot Castle has an anti-scrying magical field, it should be able to find things outside of those magical fields. Watch.” Spike turned his focus to the mirror. “Show me Twilight Sparkle as she appears at this moment.”

The mirror vibrated a little bit, and then the cloudy mist in the reflection resolved into an image of a bound Twilight, lying at Spike’s feet. The baby dragon showed Twilight the results triumphantly.

The bookish mare shook her head. “Show me Princess Twilight Sparkle as she appears at this moment.” The mirror shook again, and this time, the result was an image of Princess Twilight, dressed in regal clothing, trotting around the outskirts of the castle, seemingly deep in thought.

Spike folded his arms. “That… that only establishes that you aren’t the Princess. Like I said before, I want you to prove that you are not my enemy.” He glanced at the clock. “And you have a grand total of seven seconds remaining.”

Twilight’s pulse began to race. Could she prove everypony’s innocence with the seven seconds she had left? “Uh… uh…”

“Five.” Spike began to count down.

“Four.”

Twilight’s mind was in a mess, as it always was when she had an urgent deadline to meet. Only this time, she had cause to be worried. Very worried.

“Three.”

All her friends were looking at her with very agitated expressions. This only served to make Twilight even more nervous.

“Two.”

Could she do it? Could she save her friends in time?

“One.”

‘C’mon, almost out of time! Think, Twilight, think! There’s gotta be a-‘

“Time’s u-”

“I’ve got it!”

Spike stared at her with a very fierce glare. “This is your last chance. Now tell me why you aren’t my enemy.”

“The scrying proves that I am Twilight Sparkle, but not the Princess, right?”

“Yes, but you could just be another mare named Twilight Sparkle. You have not proved your innocence yet.”

“What if I tell you something that only Princess Twilight knows?”

“I still fail to see how this will establish your guiltlessness.”

“Easy. I’m a Twilight from a different universe.”

Spike froze. “That sounds very far-fetched.”

“That will be the theory that holds true if I can do what I said I would.”

“Fine. Go on. I’m waiting.”

Twilight racked her brain, trying to think of something that she and only she would know. She wasn’t the type of mare to keep secrets. Not only that, but Spike had to know that she was telling the truth as well. What could she-

Suddenly, an answer presented itself to her on a silver platter, gift-wrapped specially for her. She lifted her head and smiled at Spike, who looked at her suspiciously.

“So?” The dragon asked. “What is your answer?”

“Remember the day before I tried out the Future Sight spell?”

For the second time in as many minutes, Spike stopped dead in his tracks. “What?”

“You remember? I couldn’t find the book, and then when you thought that you had misplaced it, you grovelled in front of me, begging for forgiveness?”

“WHAT?! HOW?! I covered all my steps! I even destroyed the camera!” Spike was fuming now. “You could have- no, you said that- I would know if you spilled, you cast that cat-in-the-bag spell later on- but then, in that case, it would be- ARGH!”

With that last shout, Spike loosed a gigantic fireball that spread across the ceiling, its heat slowly dissipating into the rock. His anger spent, the baby dragon sank down onto the floor. Twlight tried to rush up to him, but her restraints locked her in place.

Spike spoke so softly, it was almost a whisper. “I let myself think… just for a few seconds… that maybe this war was over, that we had captured the enemy’s ringleader… but of course it wasn’t so easy. Nothing is ever easy…”

The doors to the room were suddenly flung open, and the two guards outside with very slow reaction times came rushing in. “General! We heard a loud explosion. Are you alright?”

Spike looked up and shook his head. “Everything is alright. Just untie them now.”

“Untie… the captives?” The guards looked around in confusion, searching for anypony else that their general could be speaking to.

“No, untie Celestia! OF COURSE UNTIE THE CAPTIVES! WHO ELSE!”

“Y-Yes sir!” The guards produced swords from the scabbards that hung at their waists and slashed the restraints open.

The quivering guard ponies stood at attention. “Anything else, sir?”

“Call Commander Zecora for me on your way out.”

Bowing, the guards raced out of the room as fast as their legs could carry them. In the meantime, Twilight was caught up in some unpleasant memories. The way Spike just treated his soldiers reminded her of a certain non-alicorn princess…

Before the librarian’s mind could take her any further, Zecora trotted into the room. “Greetings, general, now should we- wait, why are our captives free?”

“It’s a long story.” Zecora trotted up to Spike’s side, and the baby dragon whispered into her ear.

“Ah, so it is because of this.” Zecora said when Spike finished his story. “Not because Twilight is the one you miss.”

“What?” Spike’s anger was reignited. “Are you saying I would go easy on Princess Twilight just because she was once my friend?”

“Indeed I did. If Celestia forbid, you let her go after we catch her, this will create very much hate, against you as the soldiers’ commander.” Spike was about to say something, but Zecora interrupted him. “I can see all your troubles and woes, and your breaking point is close.”

Whatever Spike was about to say died on his lips.

“The pink halls, the purple walls, this points to your suffering and pain. The core of your heart has been torn apart, and now you are hardly sane.” The zebra’s hoof swept across the room, encompassing Twilight and her friends. “Is it clear in your mind, that you have divined, these strangers’ true identities and plans? Because if you have a qualm, then do not stay calm, lest our fate rest in another’s hands.”

“I’m certain.” Spike insisted. “When Twilight failed to cast that Future Sight spell-”

“Wait, I didn’t fail!” Twilight spoke up. “I succeeded! That’s how I got into this mess!”

“I thought so.” Spike said. “After the day my Twilight tried to cast the spell, she told me exactly how it worked. She said that in another universe, there was a Twilight who succeeded, and would be viewing the future as planned. Was coming here an intentional effect of the spell?”

“Um, well, no.” Twilight confessed. “That was because of my impatience.”

Rarity suddenly jumped up. “You mean to say, I got my face absurdly dirty, got arrested and unceremoniously thrown on the ground, then almost died because of your inability to wait?!”

“Uh… sorry?” The bookish mare was at a loss for words.

Pinkie Pie tried to pacify the enraged fashionista. “Now, now, Rarity, you don’t really want to hurt Twilight, do you? Because that would be-”

Just before Rarity leapt onto Twilight and mauled her, Fluttershy grabbed hold of her neatly curled tail, followed by Pinkie Pie, who clamped her teeth down tightly on Fluttershy’s tail.

Rarity let out a howl of rage. “Let go of me, you fu-”

Spike watched as the white unicorn’s tantrum ran its course. He winced at some of the particularly crude language that came from her mouth.

“I can’t believe I had a crush on that pony once.” He whispered to Zecora.

“Let us wait until she calms down, then we can discuss the issue of Equestria’s crown.” The zebra replied. Spike nodded in response, returning to his comfortable armchair. Zecora settled down on the floor next to the baby dragon and watched Rarity hurl various vulgarities at anypony she could think of.

Spike anticipated an extra hour of this before Trixie, uninvited and unwanted, came striding in through the main doors of the room without so much as a knock or greeting.

“General, Trixie has-” The azure-blue unicorn stopped short when she caught sight of the tussling ponies on the ground. “Is Trixie interrupting something?”

Instantly, all four ponies turned their heads to look at Trixie.

The azure unicorn recognised them immediately. “You!”

Looks of recognition dawned on Twilight’s and her friends’ faces. “You!” they all shouted in unison.

“Uh oh.” Spike said.

All of about two seconds later, there were now four ponies in the fray, with a bewildered Twilight looking on.

Spike decided that he couldn’t wait for another six hours (the estimate had changed) and shouted as loud as he could. “ENOUGH!”

All six heads in the room looked at him.

Spike sighed in relief. “Good. Now, we are not supposed to be fighting. We are supposed to be discussing our next course of action! Now that we know that we did not capture the real Princess Twilight, we need to devise a new plan.”

“The real Princess Twilight?” Trixie asked.

“We’ll get you up to speed later. Just go and call all of the commanders currently at home base.” Spike didn’t want to waste any time.

Trixie nodded and trotted out of the room.

“Wait, Rarity, we were tracking Rainbow, remember?” Twilight remembered what she had forgotten in the heat of the moment.

“Yes.” While the fashionista seemed cool and collected on the outside, her single word responses suggested that she was still angry. Perhaps no longer furious, but still angry. Her horn started glowing, and a cloak, hanging by its gem, slid itself out of a chest at the rear of the command room.

“Ah.” Zecora said. “A cloak created from pure, concentrated magic. They will disappear right about-” The cloak suddenly dissipated into nothingness. “-now. How tragic.”

“Wait, that’s Rainbow Dash’s cloak! Do you know where she is?” Rarity had a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“Also, how do those cloaks get created?” Twilight’s curiosity got the better of her.

“An excellent question, young Twilight. A magic overload just might, release enough energy which would, coalesce into an item which should, be useful to the ponies it involves. Like balm to a bruise, like a wound with salve. Furthermore-” Zecora caught sight of Rarity’s expression and stopped. “I shall be quiet now, before your friend hammers my face into the floor.”

“Thank you. Do you know where Rainbow Dash is?”

Spike turned to Zecora. “I wasn’t aware that we had captured Rainbow Dash.”

The zebra coughed. “I, uh, may have left her in the interrogation room.” Everybody present, with the exception of Zecora, gasped in shock. “Give her my apologies for the darkness and gloom.”

Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy all raced out of the room, leaving Spike and Zecora behind.

“We will talk about your insubordination later.” Spike growled, before following the four mares out of the command centre.

Zecora sighed. This was going to be a long day.

****

Twilight could already hear the screams of the pony behind the doors of the interrogation room from fifty metres away. Picking up the pace, she rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the ominous black door. She tried to use telekinesis to unlock the door, but the ignorant guards forgot to remove the anti-magic cuff that was still clamped tightly on her horn. Exasperated, she grabbed the doorknob with her teeth and twisted it. Unfortunately, all that did was injure her neck.

“Um, Twilight?” The librarian turned around to find herself face-to-face with Fluttershy.

The butter-yellow pegasus simply walked up to the door and twisted the knob in the opposite direction that Twilight had been turning it. The door swung open.

The purple unicorn’s hoof landed square between her eyes in a classic facehoof position.

All four mares, Spike close behind, rushed into the room where Rainbow Dash was being held captive.

The cyan blue pegasus in the room, the only pony behind the creepy doors, was screaming her head off.

At a spider.

“Rainbow, are you okay?” Twilight asked.

“Get it off get it off get it off get it off get it- oh hey Twilight, where’ve you been?” Upon noticing the new additions to her vicinity, Rainbow tried to act as if nothing had happened.

The cogs in Rainbow’s head finally began turning. “Wait… TWILIGHT! You’re here! Thank goodness, I wasn’t sure how long I’d be stuck in this dark room!” The pegasus started struggling to get out of her restraints.

“Dashie is scared of spiders?!” Pinkie fell down onto the floor and started rolling around in laughter. “You should have seen yourself just now!”

“I’m not scared of spiders!” Rainbow tried to protect her wounded pride as Fluttershy undid the chains that kept the cyan pegasus locked to the chair. “I’m not scared of anything!”

Twilight giggled. “Rainbow, everypony is scared of something! There’s no need to be ashamed of your fears.”

“Why do you all keep saying that I’m scared of spiders? I’m not!” Rainbow protested.

“Want a spider?” asked Pinkie Pie suddenly from behind the cyan pegasus. Rainbow Dash instinctively turned and promptly tried to scream, flee and faint all at once when the pink party pony shoved the arachnid in her face.

A round of laughter erupted from the ponies (and dragon) present, with the notable exception of the blushing Rainbow, sprawled out on the ground in the middle of the room.

“Ugh.” The cyan pegasus put her hooves to her face. “Applejack is never going to let me live this down.”

Suddenly, Rainbow’s ears shot up. “Wait, where is Applejack?”

Everypony turned to Spike, who coughed guiltily. “Um, well, when we rescued Applejack-”

“Wait, you were rescuing Applejack?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, yes.” Spike tilted his head. “What did you think we were doing?”

The cyan pegasus knocked her head on the chair and groaned. Fluttershy flew up to her, a concerned look in her eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Rainbow gestured towards Spike. “Just… just continue.”

“Um, okay.” Spike resumed his tale. “When we rescued her, there was something wrong with her body. Our mages discovered that she was infected with very strong dark magic. We’re trying to undo the damage right now. Although…”

“Although?” Twilight prompted.

“We’re… not sure we can cure it.” Spike admitted. “It’s too strong for us to disable safely. The only way we have devised so far, is to… kill her.”

****

A lone unicorn with a lavender coat stood on the balcony of Canterlot Castle, her dark purple hair waving in the breeze. A few hoofsteps behind her caused her to turn around.

Pinkamena, escorted by numerous earth ponies dressed in dark pink, trotted up to the balcony entrance and dropped to their knees.

“Princess Twilight.” Pinkamena whispered. For a few seconds there was no movement. Then, Princess Twilight slowly turned around. When she faced the pink earth pony, the pink mare decided to continue.

“I have rounded up the Terror Guard, just as you asked me to, your highness.”

The Princess looked at the guards dressed in pink. “Leave us. I must speak to Pinkamena in private.”

The Terror Guard obediently backtracked and left the vicinity of the balcony.

Twilight turned back to view Canterlot in all of its glory. This silence lasted for about five minutes before the pink mare’s back started to ache, and she spoke.

“Your majesty, may I know why you have called the Terror Guard?”

Twilight sighed. “If it were any other pony, Pinkamena, I would have stayed silent. But for you, my friend, I will satisfy your curiosity.”

“You should know that I do not call upon my most deadly assassins for just any job. A mere three days ago, I sensed a great disturbance in the flow of magic.”

“A disturbance, your highness?”

“Indeed. It felt like the whole time-space continuum was being torn apart. Only a few ponies have the magical brawn to be able to pull off such a feat. Myself included.”

Pinkamena pressed on. “Your majesty, what is this event’s true significance? Does this have to do with how Applejack managed to escape the guillotine?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. Except that she didn’t escape. I checked the stage afterwards, and the body was still there. Which can only mean one thing.”

The pink mare gasped. “You don’t mean…”

“Yes. I believe that you remember the day I tried the Future Sight Spell twenty years ago? Well, it seems that we have visitors from the past.”

Now Pinkamena understood. “You want us to eliminate them.”

“If they run loose, it could jeopardise all that I’ve accomplished during the past eight years. I cannot allow all of Equestria to fall into anarchy.”

“Your wish is my command, Princess.”

Twilight sighed once more as she surveyed the city. “I did not want to resort to killing myself, whether she is from this universe or not, but I have no choice.”

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, I command you to eliminate those impostors at all costs. Have I made myself clear?”

“Crystal clear, your highness.”

“Then go and complete your mission. Failure is-”

“-not an option.” Pinkamena finished.

To be continued in Repercussions: Chapter 5: Hostilities!

And so ends Chapter 4. Any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated. I also need all you viewers to help me decide something. Should I post chapters of about 7000 words all at once, or should I post chapters that are about 2000-3000 words long more often? You decide! Just post your vote in the comments.

It has also come to my attention that I have forgotten to put a disclaimer for this story. So here it is: I do not own My Little Pony or any of its characters. Hasbro owns that. All I own is the original idea.

Remember to check my blog for updates too. Just so you know how I am coming along with the stories. Goodbye for now, see you again in Chapter 5!

Repercussions Ch. 5: Hostilities

“What?!” All the mares present exclaimed simultaneously.

Spike hung his head in defeat. “I’m sorry. We’ve never seen anything like it before. It seems to be Discord-style magic, but its strength is phenomenal. The amount of magic put into casting that spell is probably more than five Princess Celestias could possibly hope to generate. Backup spells, counter spells, anti-intrusion guards, magic re-weaving procedure… it’s far too difficult to disable without causing permanent mental and physical damage to everypony present, and even then it might not work.”

Tears had already begun flowing down Rainbow’s face, a rare sight indeed. Twilight somehow found the strength to speak up. “Is it bad? If the magic isn’t affecting her too much, then maybe we could leave her as it is.”

Spike shook his head. “It is far worse than ‘bad’. Not only does she tell lies and nothing else, she also seems to want to sabotage our entire operation. We caught her in the middle of sneaking out of the base with our list of members on hoof.”

“Applejack telling lies? Now I know Discord is behind this.” Rainbow growled, anger saturating the tone of her voice.

“Unlikely.” Spike began. “The Elements of Harmony should have kept Discord frozen in stone for at least eight centuries, if not a millennium. Besides, there is one pony who has the potential to cast spells like these, the knowledge about Discord’s magic which is stored in a certain capital city’s archives, and has thousands of powerful unicorns at her beck and call to power her spells.”

“Me.” Twilight said.

“Yes. Princess Twilight has everything she needs to perform such heinous deeds.”

Ever the impatient and impolite pony, Rainbow decided to interrupt. “Can we just cut to the chase and get to Applejack already?”

The baby dragon snorted. “Must you be so rude? Fine, I’ll lead the way.”

The group of mares quietly followed Spike, not daring to speak lest they disturb the silence that seemed almost sacred at the moment. On the way, they passed many ponies, a mixture of fear, disgust, and hate present in their expressions. Pinkie’s heart nearly broke when she caught sight of numerous familiar faces from Ponyville, nestled among the ranks of those who looked at her with great apprehension. She tried to make herself inconspicuous, which was rather difficult, considering there was nothing to hide behind. She had no choice but to weather the stares.

Twilight could practically feel the tension in the air, every single pony present ready to draw their weapons at the slightest provocation. She made a mental note not to do anything suspicious.

Although it felt like an eternity, it probably wasn’t even ten minutes before they reached a stairwell that Rainbow recognised instantly.

“I hoped I’d never come back down here again.” Rainbow groaned.

Spike was about to respond, but a voice floated up from the prison cells below. “Ah’m tellin’ you, ah’m innocent! Ah didn’t do nothin’!”

The baby dragon had reached the edge of the stairwell by then, and gestured to the rest to follow. Twilight took one step forward, then suddenly stopped and lifted a hoof to her chin, seemingly deep in thought.

“Spike,” The purple mare started, “could you tell me why you were trying to save Applejack?”

“Wait, I didn’t tell you that yet, did I?” Spike asked. All the ponies shook their heads, even Pinkie, who chose not to respond in the usual energetic way she always did.

“Well, you see, the reason why we managed to find someplace to build our secret base under in order to keep it concealed is because Granny Smith and Big Macintosh volunteered Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack knew nothing about it, though. The fewer ponies knew about this, the less likely it would be for us to be discovered. Of course, we couldn’t possibly let a benefactor perish needlessly.” Spike turned his head towards the stairwell. “When we heard that Applejack was about to be executed, we sent Ditzy to Canterlot in order to save her.”

“Just one mare?” Twilight asked. “Surely you could have done better than that.”

“Maybe, but the more ponies we sent in, the more likely it would be that somepony would be killed or captured in the conflict. Dispatching fewer personnel would reduce the risk of conflict. We intended a swift and flawless rescue mission, simply swoop in and liberate the captive before anypony else knew what had happened. However, a delay occurred at the front gates, and Ditzy arrived late- but not too late.”

Twilight was impressed. Spike seemed to be able to think and strategize like a true commander now. “But why Ditzy, of all the ponies you could have sent?”

“Don’t belittle her. It may not look like it, but Ditzy Doo is one of our best fighters. She gave it her all while training. When Dinky was forcibly recruited into the unicorn battle squads, Ditzy didn’t like it one bit.” Spike’s head drooped noticeably. “And Dinky was subsequently killed while suppressing an uprising.”

The bookish mare’s mouth curved downwards into a grimace. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry.” Spike shook his head. “I already apologised to her a thousand times. She doesn’t really blame me, but I feel the pain in my heart all the same.”

“Why should Ditzy be angry at you? You didn’t do anything.”

“No, I did everything.” Spike admitted, though the context of the confession remained to be seen.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked.

Spike paused for a few moments before continuing. “I incited the rebellion.”

“What?!”

“Yes.” Spike’s voice was filled with remorse. “I was trying to start the rebellion in Manehattan, which was - and still is - a very large city. It houses dozens of factories which literally kept the entire nation stable. If the resistance could capture those factories, it would be a great boon to the war effort, not to mention give everypony a clear signal about our strength. Twili- I mean, Princess Twilight, couldn’t ignore such a direct threat to Equestria. So, she sent her personal unicorn battle squads to suppress the uprising.”

“That was six years ago. I was still relatively naïve back then, so one factor I didn’t include in to my calculations was… the number of casualties.” The baby dragon shuddered. “It was terrible. Hundreds upon hundreds of dead bodies… Dinky was lying under an archway, bleeding rapidly from her head. I could tell somepony dropped something heavy on her. After seeing Dinky lying there like that, having died a needless death, I swore never to do anything that may harm any living creature ever again.”

“And yet you are here, leading an underground rebellion.” Twilight observed.

“Well, that one’s a really long story. You see-” Spike finally noticed the extremely impatient glare Rainbow Dash was sending his way.

“I’ll tell you that later.” The baby dragon ended abruptly, proceeding down the stairwell.

****

Pinkamena navigated her way through the dark forest, taking care to avoid anything that seemed even remotely dangerous. The single battalion of seemingly harmless ponies followed her hoofsteps exactly, their eyes darting about constantly in search of danger.

The pink mare had tried using a scrying mirror to locate the fugitives, but as she had expected, they had managed to cloak themselves in an anti-scrying field. Thankfully, the scrying itself was just to be sure, as she already knew the general direction in which the imposters were fleeing, courtesy of a gem-finding spell the Princess’ unicorns had performed. She was following that line, and the first town along that line was Ponyville.

Finally locating a distant source of light, a rarity in this dense forest, she began to move faster. The rest of the Terror Guard noticed this and accelerated accordingly. Trained for stealth and lethal precision, the group barely made any noises that could potentially give away their position.

As Pinkamena had expected, the source of light was the exit from the dangerous Everfree Forest. The dirt path they were following continued on for a few more metres before evolving into a cobblestone road which split into two paths; one to a small cottage at the edge of the woods, and the other straight to the tight-knit community that was Ponyville. The pink mare followed the latter path, proceeding straight towards her target- and the future location of a bloody massacre.

They’re not going to come out for no reason. Pinkamena mused. So I’ll give them a reason.

Let’s see how they react when I force their hoof.

****

Rainbow got her wish. The mares were hastily ushered down into the chamber by Spike. Two guards defending the area immediately lifted their pikes to allow the general to enter.

A ghastly sight greeted the seven upon their entry.

Applejack was chained to the wall with heavy metal restraints that chafed at her coat. The bloody gashes on her torso, however, were clearly not the doing of the chains. The cause of the deep wounds was an azure-blue unicorn, who held a whip with spikes covering its every surface in her telekinetic grip. The whip lashed out again, creating another deep wound in Applejack’s flesh.

“Does that hurt?” Trixie sneered.

“No.” Applejack responded wearily, though the sweat accumulating on her face and the clenching of her teeth revealed that she was doing her best not to scream.

“Come on!” Applejack’s torturer exclaimed. “Just tell me all of your secrets, and then you won’t have to endure this anymore!”

“Ah won’t!” Applejack gritted her teeth as the whip landed on her coat once more.

“GET WAY FROM HER!” Trixie turned her head to see two sky-blue hooves rushing to meet her face. Within moments, her head hit the wall at the other side of the chamber. The attacker continued to rain blow after blow on her, while she curled up into a ball to reduce the pain. The whip, released from her weak grip, dropped to the floor. Thankfully, her aching body was given relief from the pounding her unexpected assailant was giving her when she heard Spike’s shout.

“Rainbow, that’s enough!” Spike thundered. “She’s only doing her job!”

Rainbow looked up, incredulous. “She’s doing her job?!” Flapping her wings rapidly, she dashed to Spike’s side. “You give ponies jobs like these?!” Just as the guards at the entrance began to charge towards Rainbow, a hoof, far too fast to avoid, struck Spike on the side of his head, sending the dragon crashing to the floor.

“Spike!” The remaining five mares gasped.

By now, the two guards from the entrance managed to restrain the prismatic-maned pegasus, spears aimed at her throat. “Sir, are you alright?”

The general stood up slowly, shaking his head twice to clear the pounding in his mind. “I’m okay. Release her.”

The guardsponies looked at each other uncertainly. “Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Do it now.”

Still unsure, but unable to ignore a direct command from their leader, the ponies released the pegasus. Rainbow decided to show her appreciation by crossing the room with great speed and bucking Spike forcefully in the chest. The dragon flew across the chamber and his head connected with the wall. The rainbow-maned pegasus didn’t stop there, however. She dashed towards Spike and let loose a barrage of punches aimed at the general.

“This… is… for… Applejack!” Rainbow shouted as her blows began to dent the extremely durable dragon scales that were Spike’s natural protection. The guards’ immediate and rapid advance to rescue their leader was stopped by his order.

“Stay back!” Spike ordered. “Don’t come near!”

The guards were once again uncertain of their next course of action. They hovered around the area hesitantly, trying to decide what to do. Twilight and her friends, still shell-shocked, didn’t move a muscle. Even though all of Twilight’s instincts were screaming at her to help Spike, she was too shaken by the spectacle to obey them. Even Applejack, still chained to the wall, remained silent.

Eventually, thought, Rainbow’s blows became less and less powerful as her fatigue increased. It wasn’t long before she had dropped to the floor, breathing heavily.

Finally, Spike, now covered in terrible bruises and with his right arm hanging at an awkward angle, stood up confidently, albeit shakily, and gave his soldiers an order. “Go and fetch the medics.” The guards, relieved to have a command they could carry out without any hesitation, sped off to call the base’s medical team.

Twilight managed to open her mouth to speak. “Spike, why did you let Rainbow do that?”

The dragon exhaled despondently. “I’ve been trying for many, many years to practice what I preach to my commanders.” Taking a deep breath, he recited, “A good leader is never a master of his people, but rather a servant to them.” He glanced at Rainbow and smiled. “My temporary injury is worthwhile if it keeps her on our side.” He tapped the pegasus’ head. “Still feeling angry?”

“Not… anymore…” Rainbow managed.

“Good… that means I’ve done my job.” Having said his piece, Spike closed his eyes.

And crumpled to the ground soundlessly.

****

Atop a nearby hill, Pinkamena gazed upon her new target with impassive eyes.

“I trust you all know what to do?” She spoke softly without turning her head.

A chorus of affirmatives echoed behind her.

“Excellent.” Her stare never leaving Ponyville, she gave one last command. “Go.”

The sound of shuffling hooves behind her signalled the departure of the Guard. Pinkamena remained where she was, watching intently as flames rose in Ponyville, devouring buildings and ponies alike. The screams of the dying rose into the atmosphere, drowning out all other sounds.

Her face remained stoic, but her heart had broken into a thousand pieces.

****

It was always such a joy to see what bringing Equestria under the rule of one reliable leader had done for the nation.

Princess Twilight rested on the pillow, surveying the prosperous empire she ruled, from the balcony of Canterlot Castle.

Cities, filled with ponies; happy ponies who lived their lives peacefully and without fear of sudden incursions by supernaturally powerful beings, as had been almost the norm during Celestia’s reign. Now, everything was tranquil, without any sign of conflict or-

Wait a minute. Was that a fire?

The Princess leaned forward to identify the source of the flames.

The village of Ponyville was being burnt to the ground.

The screams of the ponies echoed out across the valley, reaching even the Princess’ ears. However, she saw something her ears could never have told her.

Atop a hill near the burning village, a tiny, almost imperceptible pink dot could be seen on top of the mound of earth.

The Princess’ eyes widened in shock. What have I done?

****

Twilight stood stalwartly, alone, keeping a watchful eye over the dragon who had once been her number one assistant. The rest of her friends had gone to Rainbow Dash; after all, they had never been as close to Spike as Twilight had been. Even thought this wasn’t the Spike Twilight was used to, he was Spike nonetheless; and so Twilight had to stay with him. Fortunately, even against the sky-blue pegasus’ assault, Spike had emerged alive, and thankfully in a stable state.

She kept herself occupied by reliving the times Spike had spent with her. The countless times he had done something silly, or the occasions when he had snapped her out of insanity. Remembering the time when Spike had helped her recover after she had accidentally brought chaos throughout all of Ponyville with her Want-it-Need-it spell brought a faint smile to her face.

It wasn’t to last, however. A knock at the door snapped her out of her reverie. Twilight’s horn shone brightly, twisting the doorknob with her magic. The door swung open, revealing a grey pegasus mare with misaligned eyes.

“Ditzy?” Twilight spoke softly.

Instead of an angry expression, like the one on her face when she had met Twilight at the entrance, Ditzy’s face revealed only concern. “Spike okay?” She asked sadly.

Twilight nodded. “He’s okay. Just asleep.”

The grey pegasus visibly relaxed. “Sorry. We need him at conference now.”

“I’m afraid he’s sleeping.” Twilight gestured towards the slumbering general.

“Now.” Ditzy insisted.

Twilight shook her head. “He needs this sleep if he wants to heal.”

“But…” The pegasus sighed and hung her head. “Ponyville burning.”

“W- What?!” Twilight gasped. “How?”

“Don’t know.” Ditzy kept staring at the floor. “Never mind, I’ll leave now. Hopefully, we can still beat them, even if no Spike.”

When the door clicked shut, revealing the pegasus’ departure, Twilight buried her face in her hooves.

Rainbow Dash, what have you done?

****

“What we can do? We should be discussing about what we must do!” A white unicorn with a electric blue mane shouted. A musical note rested on her flank.

“Calm down, Vinyl.” A mint-green unicorn spoke. “We can’t just rush into this without considering the consequences involved. Do you know the possible repercussions if we rush in to save Ponyville with no proper plan?”

“I agree with Lyra, this might be a ruse.” Zecora said. “Indeed, if it is, we have much to lose.”

“So what, we’re just going to let ponies die?” Vinyl retorted.

“More will perish if we just send our forces in. They might even discover our secret base!” A blue pony with a mane like toothpaste responded angrily.

“You too, Colgate?” Vinyl said incredulously. “Is everypony against me here?”

“Actually, I agree with Vinyl.” An earth pony with a spiky brown mane said. “We can always make a new secret base. Lives are irreplaceable.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” Vinyl sighed, relieved. “How many more ponies are going to die while we sit here and argue?”

“Probably less than what would be lost if we do something in haste.” Zecora replied. “Let us not let the lives of our troops go to waste.”

“Do you realise the nature of the soldiers attacking Ponyville?” Lyra asked. “They are the Terror Guard, the most well-trained soldiers and assassins in all of Equestria! Pinkamena might even be there, leading them!”

“That’s great news!” Vinyl argued. “If we can capture the Princess’ right hand, it will be a great morale booster to the troops, and a detriment to Twilight’s forces!”

“If we can capture her.” Lyra emphasized. “This is the single deadliest and most powerful regiment of troops in all of Equestria! You’re insane if you think our meagre battalion of poorly-trained forces can defeat them!”

“No matter how well trained they are, there will be a way to defeat them! We have the element of surprise on our side!” Vinyl said.

“Don’t you think that there is a reason that they are attacking Ponyville?” Colgate responded. “Even Princess Twilight won’t senselessly massacre an entire town. No, they’re trying to draw us out, and if we go ahead with your plan, Vinyl, we’ll be falling right into their trap!”

“Actually, how about this.” the Doctor said calmly. “We can use our sewer system route to attack from unexpected angles while keeping the true location of our base secret, and at the same time, we can withdraw the personnel in the base to another location in case it is compromised.”

“But what if we manage to defeat the Terror Guard?” Lyra asked.

“Didn’t you just say that we couldn’t win?!” Vinyl shouted angrily.

“If we can’t win, then why are we sending our troops there in the first place?!” Lyra screamed.

“I didn’t say we couldn’t win. You said that we couldn’t win!”

“And rightfully so! If- No, when we lose, they can infiltrate the base through our sewer route!”

“That’s why we won’t lose!”

“Saying that won’t make the likelihood of victory better!”

“All of you, stop shouting.” Zecora said. It was soft, but everypony immediately stopped bickering and turned to listen. “And you,” the zebra told Vinyl, “stop pouting.” The unicorn’s face returned to its neutral expression.

“Now, what we need is an excellent plan.” Zecora waved her hoof. “All may speak, regardless of age or clan. If a solution we do not find, we will indeed be in a bind.”

The silence that followed was deafening, and eventually all the faces in the room became grim.

****

Any time now. Pinkamena thought, ignoring her pain as the fires raged on. If they don’t show up, all of Equestria will lose faith in the compassion of the resistance.

And if they do, I will be waiting for them.

****

“Quick!” Princess Twilight shouted to the royal guards trailing her. “If we move faster, we should still be able to save a few ponies!”

“Yes, your highness!” The soldiers responded, immediately picking up the pace.

“Shining Armour?” The Princess called out.

“Present, Tw- Princess.” The captain of the royal guards responded.

“Run ahead and prepare a pegasus chariot for all of us immediately.” Twilight ordered.

“Yes, Princess.” Shining Armour galloped ahead speedily, at a pace Twilight could not hope to match.

Directing her gaze at the burning village, Princess Twilight sighed. Even with the pegasus chariot that would shorten a three-day journey to about an hour, she was afraid that she would be too late.

I probably already am.

****

“Anypony?” Zecora asked. “Anypony?”

All of the ponies in the room were silent.

“In that case, our course of action is clear.” The zebra said. “We cannot do anything but to stay here.”

“Is that our only course of action?” The Doctor asked quietly.

“The odds that we can defeat the Guard are extremely slim.” Zecora responded. “Even with surprise, I suspect they can destroy us on a whim. In any case, when ponies hear of this destruction, they should doubt the government and its corruption.”

“So… they die.” Vinyl said, downcast.

“Yes.” Zecora nodded sadly. “We have no other choice in the matter. Between your plan and mine, I suggest we choose the latter.”

“But-” The white unicorn tried to argue.

Zecora interrupted. “Out there would be our soldiers’ blood and gore. Would you like to win the battle but lose the war?”

Vinyl hung her head. “…No.”

“If we stay here, many lives will be lost. But if we attack, greater will be the cost.” Zecora said.

“Let us take a vote. Just keep in mind, we are on the same boat.” she finished.

“All in favour of fighting the Guard.” Nopony raised their hooves. Vinyl looked like she wanted to raise hers, but she thought better of it.

“All who want to stay, though it is hard.” At first, nopony moved. Then, slowly and reluctantly, everypony rose their hooves one by one, sealing Ponyville’s fate.

“It’s settled then. Our actions we cannot praise, but we will stay in the base.”

The unspoken words hovered in the air. And let Ponyville die.

****

At last, nothing stood where the little village once had. Pinkamena watched as the Guard marched back in formation, showing no sign of fatigue.

“Well?” The pink mare asked.

“All of them are dead.” The leading guard responded. “All the buildings have been burnt down as well.”

Pinkamena gazed at the pile of ashes that used to be Ponyville. “Excellent. Any casualties?”

“None. Everypony has been accounted for.”

“Good. Have you brought my… friend here?”

“Already done.”

“Well then, did you send for the newspony yet?”

“Yes ma’am.” The guard saluted. “One of the best. Equestria Daily sent their most experienced reporter. I had one of my guards stall for time until we were done.”

Pinkamena turned her head just in time to see one of the terror guards approach with a brown-coated unicorn with a black mane in tow. “That is good news.”

The moment the newspony caught sight of the ashes that had been Ponyville, he gasped loudly and rushed to the top of the hill. “What happened?”

“Well, you see, I’m afraid that this is the doing of the resistance who is trying to overthrow the Princess.” Pinkamena spoke sadly.

As he continued to interview the pink mare, the reporter took images of the destroyed village. “Why would they do such a thing?”

“I have located their base, which is in the vicinity of Ponyville. I suspect that, when their attacker returned from the assault on Canterlot Castle a few days ago, somepony witnessed it. I received a report about a pony wearing a cloak matching that of the attacker passing through Ponyville. I think that the resistance realised this after a while, and they sent somepony to burn down the town in order to protect their secret, although they were a too late. All this is just speculation, of course. Though it seems to be the most likely theory.” Pinkamena accompanied her explanation with the appropriate hoof gestures.

“But how can you be so certain of the resistance’s involvement?” The reporter asked, having put away his camera and begun scribbling furiously at a pad floating before him.

“The moment I saw the fire, I managed to get here quickly, since I had already made preparations to attack the rebels’ base.” Pinkamena responded. “We were still too late, however, and everypony perished. Save one.” The pink mare beckoned to one of the Guard. The soldier nodded and left. He returned soon after, escorting an ash- and dust-coated butter-yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane. She was trembling violently.

“I- I- It w-was t-t-terrible…” The pegasus shivered, though clearly not from cold.

“She saw a pony wearing the same cloak the attacker had worn. Before she could stop the pony, however, the mysterious equine set a nearby building on fire and retreated.” The pink mare explained. “Is that right?”

The yellow pegasus nodded. “N-Not only t-that, I s-saw the same pony k-k-killing everypony else who t-tried to e-escape.” Upon finishing the sentence, the trembling pegasus curled up into a tight ball, shuddering terribly.

“The only reason she escaped was because she was on the outskirts of town at that moment.” Pinkamena said. “She lives in a cottage outside of town.”

“I see.” The reporter continued to scribble down notes. “I feel sincerely sorry for you. I believe you once lived in Ponyville as well, am I correct?”

The pink mare nodded sadly. “Yes, I used to live there, in a bakery called Sugarcube Corner.” She sniffled a little bit, allowing a few tears to fall out of her eyes, before raising her head to look straight at the reporter. “I didn’t want the destruction of my home to be in vain. I wanted everypony to know that the rebels can’t be trusted.” Her eyes narrowed. “That all they bring is misery.”

“It is clear now that their base is not in Ponyville.” Pinkamena continued. “Therefore, their base must be at or near establishments in the vicinity. Take Sweet Apple Acres, for example. I will be sending a team there shortly to investigate.”

“I see.” The reporter said. “Well, if that’s all, then I will-”

The sound of a pegasus chariot landing stopped him in his tracks. Both he and Pinkamena, along with the rest of the Terror Guard, turned their heads towards the royal chariot that had just landed on the hill. The door opened, revealing a contingent of royal guards, escorting-

“Princess Twilight!” Without another word, Pinkamena, along with the troops of the Terror Guard, dropped to their knees in respect. The reporter did so as well, though his bow was much deeper. The yellow pegasus who had curled up into a ball shakily transformed her posture into an unsteady kneel.

“Pinkamena.” Twilight’s voice, though at normal volume, carried much authority and power.

“Yes, your highness.” The pink mare responded, eyes never leaving the ground.

Twilight had noticed the reporter already, and took care not to divulge any possible secrets. “Why did I see Ponyville on fire, and why is there a reporter here?”

“I brought him here, to report on the massacre the resistance deemed fit to execute.”

The Princess turned to the reporter. “Is this true?”

“Yes, your majesty.” The reporter replied.

“If I may,” Pinkamena began.

“Speak.” Princess Twilight commanded.

“I humbly request your permission to organise a search party to scour the area for the resistance.” The pink mare said.

“You may.” Twilight replied. “The day after tomorrow.”

Pinkamena faltered. “But, your majesty, if we move out tomorrow, the odds of capturing the rebels would be much higher than if we gave them one day to retreat.”

“No. I too refuse to let this tragedy go unpunished, but I will organise a day of mourning tomorrow for the ponies who lost their lives here.”

“But- your highness-” Pinkamena protested.

“There will be a day of mourning, and it will be tomorrow. No armies may take action on a day of mourning. Have I made myself clear?”

The pink mare’s head dipped lower. “Crystal clear, Princess.”

“Good.” Twilight turned towards the reporter. “Add the day of mourning to your story.”

The newspony blinked dumbly for a few seconds before responding. “I will, your majesty.”

“Excellent. Leave us, please. I must discuss important battle plans with my lieutenant.”

Bowing once, the reporter retreated down the hill, heading back to his home town. Twilight turned to the yellow pegasus. “You too, Fluttershy. You may head back to your abode.”

“Alright.” Fluttershy said. She turned to leave, though not before directing a gaze at Pinkamena.

“You did very well.” The pink earth pony assured.

Giving her a small grin, Fluttershy spread her wings and flew off in the direction of her cottage.

Twilight turned her head. “Shining Armour, tell the contingent to await my command at the foot of the hill.”

The captain saluted. “At once, Princess.” With a single command, the battalion had rotated and marched in a measured cadence towards the bottom of the hill, accompanied by the two pegasi previously pulling the chariot.

Pinkamena gave an order to the Terror Guard as well. “Follow the royal guards, and do not return until I say so.” The guards nodded curtly and left the peak of the hill.

Soon, the only two ponies left atop the hill were Twilight and Pinkamena.

After a few minutes of silence, Twilight decided to begin the (likely unpleasant) conversation. “You did it, didn’t you?” she accused.

“Yes, I did.” Pinkamena responded coolly without hesitation.

Twilight tried her best to keep her voice level, although she could feel a few hairs sticking out from her normally well-kept mane. “You killed hundreds of ponies. Innocent ponies.”

“Correct, Princess.”

“What made you think that what you did was a good idea?”

“You said ‘at all costs’, your majesty.”

The Princess’ right eye began to twitch. “When I said ‘at all costs’, I did not truly mean you could do anything you wanted.”

“Princess, you and I both know that the longer the rebellion lives, the more lives will be lost in battles, be it civilian or military.” Still in her kneeling position, Pinkamena looked up at her Princess. “The hundreds of lives lost today could save thousands of lives in the future.”

“Regardless, massacring so many civilians is inexcusable.”

“Would you rather thousands- maybe even hundreds of thousands- of ponies die as victims of a bloody war, your highness?” Pinkamena asked.

Before Twilight could respond, the pink mare continued. “This one act has given us that much more of an edge. Sometimes, a small sacrifice is needed for the greater good.”

“The sacrifice is not yours to make.” Twilight growled.

“If it were up to the victims, the sacrifice would never be made.” Pinkamena retorted. “Do you recall the Manehattan Uprising?”

“All too well.” The Princess’ rock-hard resolve was beginning to crack. What if her lieutenant was right?

“That day, many ponies died because of the so-called righteous rebellion.” Pinkamena spat out the word righteous as if it was filth. “I even remembered the exact figure. Fifty-six thousand, four hundred-”

“-and twenty-three.” Twilight breathed. “How could I forget? My parents were among them.”

“And my sisters as well.” Pinkamena responded, embittered. “That was the day the resistance reared its ugly head.”

“What is your point?” The Princess asked.

“If the rebellion hadn’t tried to attack in its infant stages, we might be facing a large, professional army instead of the small raids being carried out by their forces.” Pinkamena explained. “Because of the fifty-six thousand casualties at Manehattan, we are now very well-prepared for whatever they try to throw at us. Because of them, Equestria is not under another Celestia-esque rule. Instead of a conflict with the magnitude of the recent Celestial War, we face an opposition too tiny to cause massive damage to us.”

“That sacrifice has bought us an edge over the rebellion. By no means was it free; but it was definitely worth it. This sacrifice has done the same. It was very, very difficult to burn my hometown to the ground, but hopefully I’ve managed to turn the opinion of the general public against the resistance. They will be far less likely to harbour any fugitives in the future, and soon the rebels will have nowhere else to hide.”

Twilight was silent for a while before responding. “Alright, you’re off the hook. But if you intend to do something like this again, you will consult me first and ask my permission.”

“Of course, your highness.” Pinkamena remained quiet for a few seconds before continuing. “In that case, can I lead the terror guard for the search tomorrow?”

Twilight took some time to consider the request. “You may, but in secret. But why not today?”

“Their forces will be on alert after the fire, and they possibly have many ambushes set up.” Pinkamena replied. “After they see the news tomorrow, they would be more concerned about leaving as opposed to organising ambushes. When that happens, I will be the one setting ambushes.”

“Clever.” Princess Twilight turned back towards the pegasus chariot. “I have to take my leave now.”

“As do I, Princess.” Pinkamena said. “My forces will be setting up camp here. We have a long day in front of us tomorrow.”

“As do I.” Twilight’s lips curved up into a tiny smile. “Many sacrifices await me tomorrow.”

“All for the greater good, your majesty.” The pink mare responded. “I have a date with danger tomorrow.”

“Mine is with boredom.” The Princess’ smile grew a little wider. “I wish you luck with yours.”

“And yours, too.” Pinkamena began to grin as well. “We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting, would we?”

“I would, though I’m afraid I can’t.” She rolled her eyes. “Aristocrats.”

“The best sedative.” Pinkamena agreed.

Trotting over to the chariot, she gave the pink mare one last glance. “Farewell… Pinkie.”

The pink mare smiled, a true one this time. “See you later, Twilight.”

A few minutes later, the battalion was boarding the chariot, and the pegasi were once again wearing the harnesses that enabled them to pull the vehicle. Last of all, the Princess boarded the chariot.

As she lifted off the ground, Twilight couldn’t help but wonder where the old days had gone.

****

“It’s over.” Ditzy reported as she flew through the entrance.

“How bad?” Lyra asked. The other commanders waited with baited breath, praying for the best.

“All gone. Every building, everypony… gone.” Ditzy’s eyes brimmed with tears. A series of gasps echoed throughout the room.

“I did not imagine it would be this bad.” Zecora whispered. “This is worse than I thought they’d have dared.”

“At least this will bring a lot of anger from the citizens of Equestria.” Lyra said.

“Maybe more ponies will join us.” Colgate suggested optimistically.

“That’s if Pinkamena doesn’t attack first.” Vinyl said glumly. “After Ponyville, her next target would probably be here.”

“Don’t worry.” The Doctor assured. “We set up so many traps here that I lost count of the actual number. If she attacks, our odds of defeating her will dramatically rise.”

“We should be safe, at least for tonight.” Lyra assured Vinyl.

“I’m not so sure…” The white unicorn sighed. “For all you know, something really, really bad could be happening even as we speak.”

“You worry too much.” Lyra said. “Even if that were true, it’s not like we can do anything about it.”

“But a very, very long list,” Zecora said, “of problems still exist.”

“For example?” Colgate asked.

“For example, our extremely easy food supply is all but gone. Destroyed is the town that once stood practically at our front lawn.”

“Well, there’s that…” Colgate admitted.

“The general, our greatest swordsmaster, is too injured to fight. He will have to rest, day and night.”

“Well, there’s that too.” Colgate said.

“Enough.” Lyra told Zecora. “We don’t need to add stress to despair.”

The zebra grumbled a little, but stayed silent.

“Besides,” Lyra said, “after what’s happened, what else could possibly go wrong?”

****

“Lyra! Lyra, we’re in trouble!” A voice called from outside the mint-green unicorn’s bedroom.

“Ugh…” Lyra reluctantly rose from her bed and opened the door, revealing a distraught zebra with a copy of the Equestria Daily in her mouth.

Now the unicorn was worried. Zecora often thought about problems, but she hardly ever panicked. The zebra that stood before her was nothing like the calm, collected Zecora she had spent hours in meetings with. She was so terrified that she forgot to rhyme.

“What is it?” Lyra asked anxiously.

“Look!” Zecora waved the newspaper in front of her. Lyra grasped it with her telekinesis and spread it out in front of her eyes to read it. The moment her mind registered the headlines, however, her eyes widened in shock.

Resistance Burns Ponyville to the Ground

Princess personally visits the scene, declares day of mourning

Lyra continued to read the newspaper in disbelief. “How can this be? How did they manage to pin this on us?”

“Courtesy of the unnamed witness.” Zecora growled.

“That means we’re in big trouble. Everypony must hate us now.” Lyra hung her head in defeat.

“That’s not all. Read the last bit.”

Lyra’s eyes focused on the bottom of the page. “They’re coming to Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow?!”

“I’m afraid so.” Zecora said grimly. “And with the general still incapacitated, moving base is not going to be easy.”

Lyra buried her face in her hooves. “Why does it seem that the whole world is against us?”

“There is no time to despair. We must get going immediately.” Zecora said. “Everypony must be far away from Sweet Apple Acres by nightfall.”

“I wish I could be a good strategist, and not just skilled at in-battle tactics. If the general were here, he would know just what to do.” Lyra sighed.

“We can always wake him up and ask him what to do.” Zecora told her. “He is quite the expert at anticipating the enemy’s actions.”

“Yeah.” The mint-green mare wiped her eyes which she hadn’t noticed were damp. “He will know what to do.”

Just as Lyra finished speaking, the door swung open, revealing a very dishevelled Twilight Sparkle, eyes red and puffy from crying. Her mouth opened to deliver a fateful message.

“Spike is in a coma.”

****

“Are you done setting up the traps here?” Pinkamena asked the guard.

“Almost.” The pony replied. “We just need to finish digging the pitfall traps, and then this area will be secured.”

“Good.” Pinkamena surveyed the field of Terror Guards hard at work, constructing and disguising the various traps. “Unless they enter the Everfree Forest, which would be suicidal in itself, they will have to pass through here.” She turned towards the ominous forest. “Are our forces guarding the path?”

“They are. With such a narrow space for battle, our few forces there will be able to hold them off until the rest of us reach their rear and attack them.”

“Excellent. Prepare everypony for the ambush.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The soldier snapped a salute and hurried off to rejoin the rest of the Guard.

Today, I will see the fruit of my sacrifices and my plans. The nation will finally be stable.

Today, the rebellion dies.

****

“Impossible.” Lyra breathed. “He can’t be. Not now!”

“What’s happening now?” Twilight asked, her expression becoming even more worried than before.

“Princess Twilight is sending her most experienced contingent to attack us tomorrow.” Zecora explained.

The librarian’s irises shrank in fear. “No, no, no, no! How could this happen to us while Spike is in such a precarious state!”

“We can’t panic.” Zecora said. “We have to act now. Alert the entire base. I want us moving out within the next few hours.” Twilight nodded and rushed off.

“This is not good. Not good at all.” Lyra shook her head.

Zecora glanced at her. “That is possibly the biggest understatement I have ever heard.”

****

The quiet, calm base had become a bustling hub of activity as everypony brought all the items they decided could be carried with them. The expensive equipment was loaded onto horse-drawn carriages, and ponies hooked themselves up to the harnesses.

Zecora, saddlebags resting on her back, gazed at the scene of activity from a high balcony, while Vinyl discussed possible escape routes with Colgate.

“There are two routes we can take; one, we can travel towards Ponyville, then head for Apploosa, or we can go through the Everfree Forest and then turn towards Apploosa.” Vinyl explained. “I think the choice is quite obvious.”

“I agree. We should go into the Everfree Forest.” Colgate said.

“Yes. We should- wait, WHAT?!” Vinyl exclaimed. Upon seeing the blue mare burst into laughter, the white unicorn frowned.

“This is no time for jokes.” Vinyl said with her most serious voice. However, the hint of a smile was present on her face.

“Actually, I agree with Colgate.” Zecora said. Colgate stopped laughing quite quickly, and Vinyl’s mouth hung wide open.

“You’re joking, right?” Vinyl asked.

“Joking I am not. On Ponyville’s path, we are easily caught.” Zecora produced a map of the area from her saddlebag. Pointing a hoof at Ponyville’s location on the map, she said, “On mourning days, armies cannot actively attack. However, a strong force we still lack. Our enemies, commanded by the crown, might still be camped out near the town.” Her hoof moved towards the Everfree Forest. “The forest, however, they would not camp there. Since they cannot attack, the forest should be safe for any stallion and mare. My knowledge of the forest’s monsters is great, it would be a much safer route, at any rate.”

After a few seconds, Vinyl glanced at Colgate with an incredulous look. “She’s right.”

“We shall take the Everfree route, then.” Colgate decided. “I shall alert the other commanders.” Standing up, she quickly departed through the door at the back of the balcony.

Zecora sighed and shook her head. I can’t help but feel that we are trotting straight into a trap.

****

“It’s because of me, isn’t it? Spike can’t help with any of this because of me.” Rainbow groaned. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

“Cheer up, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie told her friend. “Just because Spike is injured a teensy little bit doesn’t mean that anything is much worse! Besides, he’s just sleeping for a while! He’ll turn out okay! Just you wait!”

“Besides, everything is still going fine even though Spike isn’t here.” Rarity assured the prismatic-maned pegasus.

“But I was the one who hurt him!” Rainbow cried. “I shouldn’t have done any of that!”

“We all have our moments, Rainbow.” Fluttershy comforted her friend softly. “Everypony has done something they regret.”

“Well…” Rainbow sniffled.

“It’ll turn out alright.” Rarity said. “We just have to switch base, is all. Even if you hadn’t injured Spike, it wouldn’t have changed the fact that Sweet Apple Acres is going to be attacked tomorrow.”

“He forgave you, anyway.” Twilight said frostily. “I don’t know why, but he did.”

“See, darling? Everything is going to be fine.” Rarity said, ignoring the librarian’s tone of voice.

Rainbow was blissfully unaware of Twilight’s dissatisfaction. “I suppose there’s no point crying over spilt milk. What’s done is done. I might as well move on.”

“That’s the spirit, Dashie!” Pinkie cheered. “I know just what will turn that frown upside down!”

“What’s that?” Rainbow asked curiously.

“A SONG!”

Everypony who had heard Pinkie’s proclamation groaned in despair.

“I know! I’ll sing the song I first sang after I met Twilight!” Taking a deep breath, she began to sing: “When I was just a little filly and the sun was going down…”

****

“They’re heading towards the Everfree Forest, ma’am.” One of the Terror Guards reported.

“Really? I didn’t think they would do that.” Pinkamena’s eyes were closed, seemingly deep in thought. “Send the Guard to their rear stealthily. Engage when they encounter our forces in the forest.”

“As you wish.” The guard turned his head and issued a series of commands to the rest of the contingent, while Pinkamena brooded silently.

The pink mare, despite her outwardly calm expression, had flames of fury and vengeance burning within her.

Just a few more minutes, then I will have my vengeance. The rebellion will fall, along with its leader.

Today, you will die, Spike.

To be continued in Repercussions: Chapter 6: Deathmatch!

Repercussions Ch.1: Insight

Luna's luminous moon bathed Ponyville in a soft glow that lit the otherwise darkened town's many streets and alleyways. Celestia's sun had set many hours ago, heralding the end of the evening and the beginning of the night. Almost everypony slept soundly, the occasional snore breaking the total silence that had blanketed the town. Nopony had the endurance or willpower to stay awake so deep into the night. All except one.

Nopony would have been surprised to see the library's windows illuminated, nor the occasional silhouette of a pony that trotted in and out of view. It was a habit of Ponyville's resident librarian to continue studying deep into the night, and everypony knew it. Though one would have wondered why solid thunk noises issued constantly from the top floor of the tree.

Twilight continued to forcefully knock her head against the desk while she flipped through the pages of the book she was reading. The cover was emblazoned with the words: Star Swirl the Bearded’s Comprehensive Book of Spells lV, complete with the image of the light grey unicorn wizard himself occupying most of the first page. His serene expression, however, was a stark contrast to Twilight’s annoyed and exhausted look.

“No… no… no… no… NO!” Twilight finally gave up injuring her skull with the table and angrily used her magic to fling the book across the room. It joined a pile of another seven books gathered in the corner, all having suffered from Twilight’s tantrums. The unicorn stood up from behind her desk and headed towards the bookshelves for what seemed like the millionth time that night. A certain purple and green dragon sat up with a groan as Twilight slammed the door behind her.

“Geez, Twi, why do you keep making such a racket? It’s getting hard for me to sleep…” Spike scrambled to his feet as a colossal boom echoed throughout the tree. He rushed to the door and pulled it open. True enough, to his dismay, Twilight was situated underneath a large stack of books that collapsed on her from the shelves above. “Oh no!” he cried as he rushed down the stairs. “It’s gonna take me forever to clean this mess up!” He paused as Twilight gave him a stern look. “I mean, are you okay?” He quickly offered.

Twilight sighed and levitated the books back up to their respective shelves. “Spike, where is that book on magic spells?”

“All the books about magic should all be over there- wait, where did they go?” Spike scratched his head in confusion as he stared at the empty shelf. He suddenly remembered what Twilight’s number one rule was when it came to library books: Never misplace the book. He immediately threw himself to his knees. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I’m sure I left the books there! Please don’t punish me!” He begged, giving her his best “baby eyes”.

Twilight giggled, probably the first sign of contentment she had displayed that night. “Don’t worry, Spike, I took all the books up into my bedroom. I’m talking about the new one I bought a few days ago. It’s full of new spells I want to learn but I can’t remember where I left it. Unfortunately, I forgot the title too, so I had to look through the books on the shelf to see whether it was the one I lost.” She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for making you worry.”

Spike grumbled before getting up. “You could have just told me about it and I wouldn’t have had to do that. It’s a good thing nopony saw it.” He stopped short when he heard a familiar “who?”. He snapped his head to the right and saw Owlowiscious holding a blinking camera in his direction.

“Hey! What are you doing with Princess Celestia’s prototype camera! Come here, you!” Spike leapt into the air after Owlowiscious, who flew away before Spike could reach him. The dragon crashed into the ground with a resounding thud that probably woke up half the town. Spike continued to chase the owl around the room. He had just managed to grab hold of Owlowiscious’ leg when Twilight spoke. “Spike, let go of him. I need you to tell me where the book is.”

“Huh? Oh alright.” Spike reluctantly released his grip on Owlowiscious, who flew away with a triumphant “who”. "Just promise me that you won't tell anypony."

The librarian laughed. "Fine. If I tell anypony, then you can tell everypony that it was me who started the Smarty Pants incident."

"Deal!" Spike rushed forward to shake Twilight's hoof.

All of his bases covered, Spike racked his brain to remember where the book was. “Um, where did you last leave it?”

Twilight responded immediately. “I left it on the writing desk, but I already checked and it’s not there.”

“Hmm, the desk…” Spike pondered over this for a moment. “Wait! When did you see it?”

“Yesterday.” Twilight’s hopes rose as she saw recognition dawning on her young assistant’s face.

“Well, while I was emptying the bin next to your desk yesterday, I saw a new-looking book in it. I assumed that it was a library book damaged somehow by somepony, so I didn’t pay much attention.” Spike responded, guilt etched on his face.

All Twilight’s hope drained away instantly, leaving a dark void. She dashed off towards the front door, Spike straining to catch up. She majicked the library door open violently, resulting in a sharp crack that woke up the rest of the sleeping town. Spying the full trash bin standing outside her door, she rushed towards it and tipped it upside down with her magic. The trash bin, surrounded by a faint purple aura, obeyed Twilight’s command and emptied its contents out onto the road. There, on top of all the garbage, was a dirtied but recognisable book. Its title, stitched onto the cover by an expert hand, was: The Book of Spells Version XXVI. Underneath the title, added in black ink, were the words: The biggest book of spells ever written! Twilight gingerly levitated it with her magic and brushed the dirt marks off its sky-blue cover. She turned just in time to see Spike by the door, gaping at the mess she had made.

“Spike! You’re here!” Twilight exclaimed. “Just in time, too! Clean up this mess for me, will you?” Without waiting for a response, she trotted back into the tree, brushing past Spike, who was frozen in place, the only form of movement his twitching eye. Closing the door behind her, she ignored the very loud grumbling from outside the library as Spike lamented his fate. Twilight trotted back upstairs, opening the book in front of her. She scanned the contents page, sitting down and making herself comfortable as she did so. Her eyes stopped at a certain title.

“Future Sight?” her curiosity was instantly piqued. “Page 1035… Ah! There we go.”

The more she read, the more her eyes widened, up to the point where they appeared to be large saucers glued to the side of her head where her eyes should be.

“The others aren’t going to want to miss this.”

****

Spike rose groggily to his feet. His eyes struggled to reorient themselves, and when they finally succeeded, he was shocked to find himself outside the library, on the stone street that ran past the hollow tree. After a few more seconds, his brain managed to access his memories, and he remembered why he was sprawled on the street.

“I still can’t believe Twilight forgot about me and locked the door!” he complained. “After she made me clean up the mess she made and everything, she still- Wait, what is that stench?” Spike surveyed his surroundings, searching for anything that might be the source of the unbearable stink. It took a few seconds to realise that he was the one giving out the odour. He was on the verge of hammering on the door and hollering for Twilight to let him in when he caught sight of a purple haired, white coated unicorn, and then his brain ceased to function entirely.

“-the loud pop sound woke me up, and when I turned to the source, I found this letter lying on my bedside table! It was from Twilight, of course. She must have teleported it in. Who else could do that?” Rarity commented as she trotted towards the library, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie in tow.

“Ah hope she has a good reason fer draggin’ us here.” Applejack said, her voice thick with her trademark accent. “Ah could hear the noises all the way from Sweet Apple Acres, and ah knew it was her ‘cause she’s the only pony awake at two in the mornin’.”

“I could hear her too!” Pinkie Pie started, bouncing all the way. “I was sleeping, but then suddenly there was this thud that woke me up. Then I went to my window and saw that the library was the only place with the lights on so then I went GASP because since the sound came from the library, Twilight could be hurt! But while I was being such a Worrier McWorry Pants I heard another crack and then I turned and saw that Twilight just came out and then I was like oh ok Twilight’s fine and then I bounced back into my bed and fell asleep.”

“Wait, you fell back asleep? I couldn’t sleep at all after that!” Rainbow Dash complained as she drew up alongside Pinkie’s bouncing form, wings flapping vigorously. “I’m so tired!”

Applejack chuckled. “Ya always sleep till noon, freeloader! I gotta remember ta tell Twilight ta wake ya up early more often.”

The five approached, all oblivious to their surroundings. That is, until the smell emanating from Spike’s body hit them like a brick wall. All simultaneously began coughing and hacking, trying to cleanse their lungs of the putrid abomination that had found its way down their windpipes.

“What is that foul stench? It reminds me of the time Spike tried to move my garbage for me!” Rarity exclaimed in between coughs.

“Need to get into the tree and escape the smell!” Rainbow Dash wheezed.

As if on cue, the library door swung open, revealing Twilight Sparkle behind it. Her nose wrinkled up a little in response to the odour, but her reaction was minimal, considering that she had already acquainted herself with the smell the previous night. She turned to Spike, who was still staring at Rarity with a love struck expression on his face. Shaking her head, she quickly motioned to the others to come in. Applejack was the first to respond, rushing into the stench-free library. The others quickly followed suit, slamming the door behind them as fast as they could. Spike was only released from his trance by the soft *click* sound of the door’s lock, and then he remembered why he was still outside.

“Wait, Twi, you forgot about me! Twi? Twi? Let me in!”

****

“It’s still coming in, Twilight! Do something!” Rainbow gasped.

“I’m trying!” Twilight said, her horn glowing brightly. The stench permeated the room, causing everypony to gasp for breath desperately. After a few near-breathless minutes, Twilight’s horn finally stopped glowing, and she collapsed in a heap. Her friends would have rushed to help her, if they weren’t gulping down very welcome lungfuls of fresh air. The smell had dispersed, and the constant hammering on the door had been reduced to a soft thud.

“There!” Twilight rasped, standing up unsteadily. Her legs wobbled like jelly and threatened to give out beneath her. “I soundproofed and smellproofed the room. We’re safe now.”

Everypony took advantage of the lull in the conversation to take in more air to fuel their oxygen-deprived bodies. It was a few minutes before Twilight remembered why she had called them here.

Fluttershy remembered at the same time. “So, uh, Twilight? Can you tell us why you asked us to come? I-If you don’t mind, that is.”

Twilight’s legs finally steadied themselves, and she was able to trot over to the reception desk of the library and levitate the spellbook with her weakened magic. Flipping to page 1035, she dropped it on the ground in front of her friends, allowing her magic to recuperate.

Everypony leaned forward to inspect the page. Before they could finish, however, Twilight lapsed into lecture mode and began speaking.

“This spell is called Future Sight.” She began. “When activated, it allows those present to experience a possible future through their future selves’ eyes.” Murmurs of astonishment spread throughout the room. “However, this would mean that you can only experience events within your lifetime. In addition, you are unable to take control of your host, as you are merely a spectator. You will only be able to access the five basic senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. You cannot know what your host is thinking. Also, if one of your host’s lives end, all of us will be sucked out of the spell.” The atmosphere in the room shifted from excitement to mild disappointment.

“But just think about it.” Twilight’s eyes sparkled. “You will see how successful you could be! If you’re lucky, you can even find out how to achieve your goals in life through conversations with friends or some other means. This could be the key to your futures!”

“I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“We haven’t actually looked yet.” Twilight deadpanned. But it was too late. The others began to fantasize about their futures too.

“I’ll be the most successful fashion designer in all of Equestria!” Rarity squealed.

“I’m going to throw parties for everypony everywhere and all the time to help them turn their frowns upside down!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing with joy.

“I can meet and take care of animals all over Equestria! That’s my dream. But, um, whatever you want to do is fine.” Fluttershy muttered.

“Ah’ll sell so many apples and earn tons a’ money for the Apple family!” Applejack nearly shouted in glee.

“But we haven’t even looked yet! Your dreams may not come true! I don’t want you to raise your hopes too high and then get disappointed to the point that- you’re not really listening, are you?” Twilight sighed.

Without even emerging from their dream worlds, all five nodded in unison. “Nope.”

Twilight groaned. “Well, if you can’t beat them, join them.” She thought about what dreams she had. “I would like to be surrounded by books and have all the time in the world to read them. I wish my library had as many books as the Canterlot Royal Archive, or the Manehattan Public Library. Ah, wouldn’t that be just great…”

Twilight soon became aware of five sets of eyes staring at her as if she was mad. “What? I just happen to really like reading.”

“So ya invited us ‘ere so we could see our futures? That’s mighty kind of ya to think of us.” Applejack said, trying to change the topic.

Twilight looked sheepish. “Well, that, and I needed another unicorn to help me perform the spell. It’s too hard for me to do by myself.”

All eyes focused on Rarity. Finding herself the centre of attention, Rarity sighed. “Alright. What do I need to do?”

Twilight clapped her hooves in glee. “Okay, this is what you have to do. Rarity, stand in this circle and feed me power.” A chalk surrounded by a distinct purple aura worked its way around the library floor, leaving a white trail behind it. “Everypony else, just stand in the circle.”

Everypony moved to their assigned positions as Twilight prepared to begin the spell. Having memorised the Future Sight spell by heart, Twilight had no need for the spellbook. A purple aura surrounded Rarity, creating a power line to Twilight’s body. The magical build-up in her horn caused it to glow ever brighter. Soon, Twilight noticed that her vision was slowly becoming lighter and lighter until everything in front of her disappeared, and the world fell away.

The whiteness became her entire universe.

****

After what seemed like an eternity, the whiteness began to subside, and her sight slowly returned to her. As the whiteness slowly retreated from her field of vision, her surroundings became more apparent. She was in a large library, with oak wood bookshelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling. The line of bookshelves continued all the way until she couldn’t see any further. Twilight would have loved to bounce around like Pinkie Pie, screaming like a little filly who was surrounded by toys, except that when she tried to move, her limbs refused to acknowledge the command. Of course, she thought. I’m not in control of my future self’s body.

She would have expected her host to be more excited, but she was nonchalantly strolling along the shelves, gazing at books but never reading them. Twilight soon began to tire of this. She mentally hummed a tune, trying to kill time.

Twenty minutes and ten bookshelves later, her host finally selected a book and pulled it from the shelf with her magic. The book, trapped within a glowing purple aura, gently floated off the shelf and in front of her host. Twilight caught sight of the book’s cover: It had no title, just a smooth brown surface, inlaid with jewels arrayed in a pattern designed to look like the Elements of Harmony. However, there was one more feature that designated Twilight’s location.

Along the spine of the book was a label: Property of the Canterlot Royal Archive.

Twilight’s mind reeled from the sudden revelation. The Canterlot Royal Archive was out of bounds for everypony except the Princesses. Even she, the Princess’ prized student, had never been in here! Ever the pony to overreact, her mind instantly began jumping to conclusions.

'Oh no! Did I sneak in here without permission? Is the Princess going to punish me? She might banish me from Equestria! Or throw me in a dungeon! Or she might banish me then throw me into dungeon in the place that she banished me to! Wait, how did I even get in here? There should be Royal Guards protecting the Archive at all times! Or did the Princess allow me to come in here? But why should she do that? Maybe I needed something from here. I’m sure the Archive has many more books than my library in Ponyville does. Yeah, that makes sense.'

Just as Twilight began to relax, the sound of the massive doors of the Archive opening and closing reached her ears. The sound of hoofsteps echoed throughout the great chamber, accompanied by a clinking sound of metal hitting metal. Her host looked up just in time to see a flustered Royal Guard, clad in customary shining golden armour and sweating profusely, round the corner around the bookshelves and trot up to her.

“Your Highness, it is almost dawn. You must come and raise the sun to begin the day.”

'Princess Celestia is here?' Twilight thought. Her limited field of vision did not allow her to ascertain the Sun Princess’ presence, and as such, she was completely unprepared for what happened next.

Her host nodded. “Thank you for reminding me, Captain. Prepare the court for my presence after I raise the sun.”

The guard bowed. “As you wish, Princess Twilight.”

'What the hay is going on here?'

****

The whiteness slowly faded away, but was only replaced by an inky darkness. Fluttershy was thoroughly confused. 'Did something go wrong? Did Twilight mess up the spell? Oh dear, I hope-'

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shrill ringing. All her worries instantly disappeared as the blackness receded when her host opened her eyes. Now Fluttershy could see that her host was lying down on a bed. Her bed, to be exact. It was the clearly the bedroom of her cottage, but with a few differences. The number of bird nests among the rafters had doubled, and the walls were filled with mouse holes. Strangest of all, all the spaces unoccupied by animal homes were filled up with clocks. Also, Angel wasn’t the one waking her up. The rabbit would usually be in her face, waving a small hoofheld clock and pointing at it, indicating the time.

The strange ear-piercing ringing was coming from her right. Her future self groaned and slammed her hoof down on the offending object without looking. The ringing immediately ceased. A few seconds later, the clock on the far wall started chiming. Her host rolled over and covered her ears with a pillow in a pathetic attempt to block out the noise. With the bedside table now in view, Fluttershy caught sight of a smashed-in alarm clock, springs and other essential mechanisms scattered about the table.

Finally running out of patience, her host got up with a frustrated “Aargh!” and trotted over to the clock shakily. With the press of a button, the chiming stopped.

That was when all the other clocks in the room started producing their respective alarms.

Fortunately, her future self was probably used to this happening every morning. Amid the cacophony of ringing and chiming, she rushed over to a section of the wall with a panel labelled Clock Master Control and depressed the OFF button. The deafening racket instantly gave way to a total silence that was very welcome in Fluttershy’s tired ears. Her host turned to gaze at her bed, possibly contemplating getting back in, then shook her head to dispel the tempting thoughts. She ambled down the stairs calmly, avoiding the occasional bird or critter that came close to crashing into her.

Fluttershy took note of the surplus of animals as her host made her way downstairs, to the kitchen. On normal days, she didn’t even have half the animals now present in the living room. There was only one animal missing.
'Where is Angel?' Fluttershy thought, recalling his absence earlier. 'He would usually be helping me cook breakfast right about now.' Out of the corner of her host’s eye, she caught sight of the rambunctious rabbit’s basket, a lump beneath the blanket emitting loud snoring noises. 'Must still be asleep…'

By the time Fluttershy turned her attention back to her host’s cooking, she was surprised to find that it was already done. Her future self bent down to pick the plate up with her mouth and carried it off to the breakfast table.

Ordinarily, Fluttershy would take ages to cook her food without Angel helping her. The lack of easily manipulated front limbs was a hindrance, one that was overcome by Angel’s assistance.

Now at the breakfast table, her host hungrily wolfed down the meal. The daffodil sandwich and apple juice tasted heavenly to Fluttershy. Only then did she remember that she hadn’t eaten since the night before she found the letter by her bedside, not wanting to turn up late to meet Twilight.

Soon, the sandwich and the apple juice all but gone, Future Fluttershy trundled to the door, opening it with a hoof and stepping out into the harsh sunlight. The last thing that caught Fluttershy’s eye before the door shut was a squirrel clambering out of Angel’s basket, out from underneath the blanket that had covered it.

Fluttershy’s host, instead of trotting out onto the lane that led to Ponyville, turned ninety degrees and headed towards the backyard. As the obstruction that was the house slowly moved out of view and a small shrine with a tombstone in front of it appeared, Fluttershy internally cringed. Who could this grave belong to?

Her host adopted a semi-kneeling position in front of the shrine, prevented from fully kneeling by pony anatomical limitations, and gazed downwards at the tombstone. Small splashes of water dripped from her future self’s eyes as she wept. Her mouth opened, uttering a few words, “If only I hadn’t made that mistake… I still miss you, even after eight years. I would never forget the anniversary of your death.”

Fluttershy, however, did not pay much attention to her host. She was too transfixed and horrified by the words on the tombstone.

Carved into the solid grey, marble smooth rock, immortalised for eternity, were the words:

In Loving Memory of my Best Friend, Angel Bunny

****

Rainbow Dash did not have to wait long for the whiteness to disperse. She recognised her cloud kitchen instantly, as the fact that it was made out of clouds was a dead giveaway. Her taste buds registered the very familiar taste of one of Applejack’s apples instantly. Rainbow inwardly smirked. After all this time, she still resorted to stealing the apples off Applejack’s trees.

She inwardly frowned as another thought occurred to her. She might have just bought it.

A shout from below, deeper than she remembered but still laced with that unmistakable accent, echoed throughout the cloud house. “Rainbow Dash, yer no-good thief, come down ‘ere so ah c’n pound ya!”

Well, so much for that theory.

Her host opened her mouth and words came tumbling forth in a way that Rainbow would deem “cool”. Of course, anything she did was cool. She was the awesomest pony in Equestria!

“Yeah yeah, don’t blow your top, Applejack. I’ll be there soon, just need to get presentable.”

'Wait, presentable?' Rainbow thought. 'Since when have I ever cared about being presentable?'

Her host devoured the rest of the apple quickly and trotted to the bathroom. She found herself looking back at her in the bathroom mirror. She was clearly older, as could be seen by her height alone. She was much taller now, though she still doubted she would be able to match up to Big Macintosh. Her body was also more streamlined, and her wings were larger than when she last remembered. A few bruises and scrapes adorned her body, probably the result of some unfortunate flying sessions.

After combing her mane as best she could with her hooves, she began speaking again. “All ready! Now it just needs one last touch.” She proceeded to the cloud cabinet embedded in the wall, and pulled it open, revealing its contents.

Had Rainbow been in control of her body, her jaw would have dropped. All the way to the floor.

In front of her, hanging in her cabinet, was the blue and yellow-striped uniform of the Wonderbolts, replete with the customary goggles.

Without pause, her host donned the uniform, smoothing out any creases, then dived through the clouds at breakneck speed.

“Okay.” Rainbow heard her future self recite. “Goggles, check. Wonderbolt uniform, check. Trailing thunder clouds?” Her host turned to look behind her just long enough to note the dark-grey trails of thunder clouds appearing behind her. “Check.”

She sped up, accelerating towards Applejack’s tiny form. As Applejack grew larger in her sights, she angled herself upwards, trading speed for altitude. Finally, she turned and headed straight for the ground. Rainbow Dash winced, remembering that her sense of touch was still active during Future Sight.

'Man, have I gotten soft?' She thought. 'Now I crash on purpose?'

Just at the last moment, inches away from the hard, unforgiving ground, she pulled up with astonishing speed and agility. She let her hooves drag on the ground, creating friction. She slowed to a stop right in front of a very angry Applejack, whose rage was almost boiling over at this point.

“Rainbow Dash, c’n ya just come outta yer house without doin’ all those fancy-shmancy tricks a’ yers? ‘Specially since ya know ah’ve been waitin’ down ‘ere fer a good ten minutes now?”

Rainbow Dash gave the Applejack of the future a once-over. She, like herself of the future, was taller now, and her legs were more muscular. Her blond mane had turned more golden-brown, but otherwise, she looked relatively unchanged. Even her signature Stetson hat, now frayed and faded with time, was faithfully perched on her head.

“So yeah, Applejack, what do you want me for?” Her future self decided to play dumb first.

Applejack, however, had no intention of beating around the bush. “Rainbow, gimme one good reason why ya keep swipin’ mah hard work off the Apple Family’s trees. They. Ain’t. YERS!”

Rainbow’s host somehow managed to keep a cool exterior under the verbal assault. “Hey, I just thought that since you’re, like, the legal owner of Sweet Apple Acres now, you could spare your friend an apple of two. Congrats on inheriting the farm, by the way.”

“YA WILL NOT CONGRATULATE ME ON MAH KIN’S DEATH!” Applejack yelled, finally eliciting a flinch from Rainbow’s future self. “THAT’S NOT A GOOD THING! IT…it’s mah fault they’re gone. It’s all mah fault. Big Mac, Granny Smith, even… even li’l Applebloom! THEY’RE GONE AN’ IT’S ALL ‘CAUSE A’ ME!” By now, the enraged look on Applejack’s face had shifted to one of sorrow, the tears streaming from her eyes, muddying the ground beneath her.

Rainbow’s host reached her hoof forward in a comforting gesture, her voice taking on a softer, more compassionate tone. “There, there, Applejack, it’s not your fault that the manticore came to the farm while you were in Canterlot . Everypony knows that the Everfree Forest’s been wild lately.” Rainbow’s future self’s face contorted into one of rage. “Ever since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna died, all of Equestria’s been turned upside down. And we all know who we can thank for that.”

Rainbow’s mind was thrown into turmoil. 'The Princesses are dead? What happened? Who killed them? Applejack’s folks died, too? Because of a manticore? They should all be in the Everfree Forest! How is it wild, anyway?'

“Stop. Stop, ah can’t take it no more.” Applejack sobs were more drawn-out now. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her entire body shook every time she sobbed. “I don’t want ta think ‘bout them.” Rainbow’s host took a step forward, but Applejack slowly backed away. “Rainbow… I really appreciate ya tryin’ ta help me… Ah do… but… ah really want ta be alone right now.” Turning, Applejack ran off, back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Rainbow’s host waited until Applejack had disappeared from view, then let out a sinister chuckle. “Ha! Works every time.”

****

Applejack was horrified. She had heard every word and absorbed every ounce of information. It shocked her to the core. Was this all the future had to offer? Pain and suffering? Fate had chosen to conspire against her by robbing her of her family, one of the greatest joys she had in life.

Her future self fled down the path, away from the reminders of the horrors she had experienced… and, worse of all, been forced to live through. Trees and bushes along the path became a blur through the tears that clouded her vision. Still she ran, ignoring the burning pain in her hooves and her entire body screaming for oxygen.

After what seemed like an eternity, the monolithic structure of the barn loomed ahead. Her host, eyes still teary and red, pushed the door open and entered the darkened living room. Pictures of Big Mac, Granny Smith and Applebloom lined the walls. Their prized belongings, possessing no actual monetary value but worth billions in sentimental value, occupied most of the free spaces in the room. Granny Smith’s old rocking chair, which Applejack respectfully didn’t use. Big Macintosh’s plow. Applebloom’s bow, chewed up by the manticore but mostly intact. As her gaze fell upon each of them in turn, Applejack’s host shed even more tears for everypony she had lost. However, one object seemed out of place, belonging to none of the Apple Family members. It was a grey rag doll, old and aged with time. It had two button eyes, one red and one blue. It wore blue polka-dotted pants, its colours all faded. Next to it lay a quill, a notebook, and a picture of a lavender unicorn, framed in gold. Her host wandered up to the rag doll and pulled it down from the shelf it sat on. Her future self’s breathing turned from ragged gasps of pain to deep breaths of pure, unyielding anger. Applejack felt her host leap into the air and stomp the helpless rag doll into the dust. Every strike damaged the doll further, causing some tears and rips to appear on its surface. Both button eyes popped out, and whatever mop of hair it may have had left was ground to dust under her fury.

Eventually, her future self stopped, the pain overriding the anger. The angry breaths turned back into sobs as Applejack of the future clutched the semi-destroyed doll close to her chest, shedding more tears with every passing moment.
“What happened ta the Twilight who was mah friend?”

****

When the whiteness cleared from her vision, Rarity found herself staring straight at a newspaper enveloped in a white aura. Her future self was intently focused on the article on the cover. The front page displayed its content proudly. The headlines read: Rarity’s fashions once again win Best in Equestria! The remaining results of the competition were displayed in a table below the picture of an elated Rarity magically levitating the champion trophy, posing for the camera with a grace that only she could muster.

She was taller now, and her purple mane possessed a few almost unnoticeable grey hairs. But other than that, she was the same Rarity she knew from glancing in the mirror every day to style her mane.

Rarity felt her future self’s lips curl upwards into a smile. Even Rarity herself couldn’t help but feel proud of her success, even when she hadn’t actually succeeded yet. Rarity was so entranced by her accomplishments that she failed to notice the date on the top of the newspaper.

It was dated Year 5 of the Twilight Calendar.

Her host levitated a quill and a notepad from a nearby shelf over and began writing. The quill, held in the air by an invisible force, scribbled out seemingly random names on the notepad that rested on the table in front of her. Hmm… Rarity thought. Wait… those names…

Rarity looked at the newspaper, then at the notepad, then back at the newspaper again, comparing the names. True enough, future Rarity had copied down the names of the runner-ups in the fashion competition.

'It appears that I have not disposed of my habit to check out my worthy opponents’ designs,' Rarity mused. 'No wonder I’m the most famous designer in all of Equestria now.'

Her host ripped the piece of paper out of the notebook and rolled it up like a scroll. She then headed to the breakfast table in the kitchen, where an already prepared breakfast of toast and eggs accompanied by two glasses of orange juice sat on the table, next to a very excited Sweetie Belle.

“Good morning, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle chirped. She was no longer a filly; her body having outgrown that phase and formed into that of a young mare. A cutie mark of a black treble clef graced her flanks. “Do you like the breakfast I made today?”

Rarity’s host leaned forward to take a bite of the toast. Rarity winced, remembering how well Sweetie Belle cooked breakfast the last time she had the opportunity to. When her future self took a bite, however, she was pleasantly surprised. Rarity felt the brown, crispy bread on her tongue, producing a wonderful, tasty sensation that made Rarity wish that she could cook that well.

'I thought I’d never see the day when Sweetie Belle could cook better than I.' Rarity thought.

Future Rarity licked her lips, savouring the taste. “Why Sweetie Belle, that has to be the best meal you have made yet. Much better than the first time you tried to cook to earn your cutie mark.” They both shared a pleasant laugh, then sat down to finish the meal.

“Yesterday, a hundred thousand ponies turned up to hear me sing!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed in excitement while she gobbled down her breakfast. “The Canterlot stadium was completely full! I never thought I’d be this popular!”

Rarity felt her host’s lips adopt a soft smile. “That’s great Sweetie. I hope your concert tomorrow will be just as spectacular.” Rarity couldn’t help but notice that her future self didn’t mention the competition she had won. 'I suppose my future self doesn’t want Sweetie Belle to feel overshadowed by my… um… her achievements.'

When Rarity swallowed the last of her breakfast, she stood up and turned to Sweetie Belle. “I’m going out to check my competitors’ designs now.” Rarity told her. “Don’t practice too hard, or your voice might crack.”

“You got it, big sis!” Sweetie Belle excitedly trotted to her room to begin practicing. “See you later!”

“Goodbye, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity majicked the door open and trotted out into the morning sun, bringing the newspaper and quill along with her. As soon as she was out of sight, her future self ducked into an alleyway near Sugarcube Corner. Her surroundings instantly darkened. Rarity’s host selected an old, rotting wooden door in the side of the bakery and pushed it open.

Rarity couldn’t believe what she saw. The grey, dull walls were covered with pictures of ponies crossed out with huge red crosses. Rarity caught sight of a picture of Applebloom and Diamond Tiara taking pride on the wall behind a solitary brown wooden desk before the door creaked open and a very familiar pink earth pony trotted in.

“Hello, Rarity.” Pinkie Pie’s usual fluffy pink mane and tail had deflated, leaving them as straight lines that flowed directly downwards. She no longer bounced crazily, defying gravity and all known laws of physics, but instead trotted with a slow, steady gait. Her ears shot up into the air at every single noise. This was no longer the Pinkie Pie Rarity knew.
This was Pinkamena Diane Pie.

“Who do you wish me to eliminate now?” Pinkamena spoke cautiously, taking care not to let any emotions show through her neutral expression.

Rarity slid the piece of paper that was torn out of the notebook across the desk, avoiding the newspaper and quill and letting it rest before the subdued earth pony. “Here are the names. Find them, then take them out.”

“By manticore again? Or some other method?” Pinkamena’s expression turned from a neutral one to a curious one.

“Any method. I don’t really care.” Rarity’s host grinned evilly. “Just make sure they never get back up again.”

Pinkamena did not even wince when Rarity’s future self spoke those words. “Won’t the Princess suspect something eventually? It can’t be a coincidence that all your competitors are constantly murdered.”

Rarity’s host’s grin widened. “Twilight won’t betray me, not after all I went through to put her on the throne. She may be a Princess now, but she never forgets who her real friends are.”

“Okay. It will be over by tomorrow.” Pinkamena strode out of the room purposefully, shutting the door behind her.
Rarity’s host magically levitated the newspaper off the table where she had left it, and with two strokes of the quill, crossed out all the runner ups’ names.

****

Pinkie Pie watched on helplessly as Pinkamena trotted out of the small room, mouth clamped tightly around the paper containing all the target’s names. Pinkie did not want to experience her madness a second time. It brought back all too painful memories.

Pinkamena trotted up the staircase into her room. When the door opened, a metre-long toothless alligator greeted her. In addition, situated on various stools around a long table and complete with party hats, were Pinkie’s “friends” during her period of madness. A sack of flour, a pile of rocks, a bucket of turnips, and a small pile of lint.

Pinkamena dropped the sheet of paper onto the table and spoke up. “Okay, I’m going to be gone for a while, so the party will just have to go on without me. Madam Le’Flour, you’re in charge. I’m sure you can make Gummy’s twenty-first birthday party the best party ever!” The sack of flour sagged, the party hat falling off its precarious perch and onto the ground.

Without another word, Pinkamena trotted over to her bedside table and pulled open the drawer with her teeth. She extracted a long, sharp sword that glinted in the dim light. It had a hilt in the shape of a phoenix, with gold inlay and assorted jewels. The guard of the sword was made out of deep green jade, a pair of parasprites carved into it. The scabbard was made of gold and had rubies placed along its length at regular intervals. Pinkamena drew the sword out of the scabbard slowly, revealing the dark red of crusted blood that stained its otherwise perfect shiny silver hue. It was elegant and deadly, built to kill, not wound. Its design had Rarity written all over it.

Pinkamena hefted the blade onto her back, then covered herself with a dark cloak to hide the sword. She trotted over to the table to collect the piece of paper with the names of the targets. Trotting over to the window, the unlatched it and climbed onto the ledge. Eyeing the rooftop of another building, she leapt into the air and just managed to catch the edge of the roof. Pinkamena pulled herself up and galloped across the flat surface. When she spied a protrusion that could function as a table, she spat the paper out onto it and scanned it.

First Target: Jade Eyes
Location: Ponyville Dress Shop

She rolled the paper into a scroll once more and tucked it into one of the pockets of her cloak. She continued her mad dash to the end of the rooftop and nimbly cleared the gap between the two buildings. From her vantage point, she quickly located the Dress Shop, easily identifiable by the large carving of a beautiful dress dominating its rooftop. Pinkamena continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop, closing in on the dress shop like a predator stalking its prey.

The hunt was on.

****

The rag doll was thoroughly soaked by the time Applejack’s future self finally ran out of tears to cry. She sniffled in a very un-Applejack like way, gazing at the picture of a smiling Twilight after the first Running of the Leaves her lavender friend had participated in. Seeming to have made up her mind, Applejack’s host trotted out of the barn and to the apple cellar, where she kept all of the apples collected during the latest Applebuck Season. Opening the door, she stepped into the darkness of the cellar. She dragged a wagonful of apples out of the cellar, enough to sustain her for ten days. Lastly, she entered the barn once more, retrieving a sharpened chopper from the kitchen. Carrying the knife in her mouth, she trotted back outside where the wagon of apples patiently awaited her return. She pushed her head into the pile of apples as far as she could, then dropped the knife into it. Satisfied, she proceeded to the front of the wagon, where she began to don the harness dangling from bolts rammed into the side of the wooden vehicle.

“Ah’ve missed ya fer long enough, Twi.” Applejack’s host mumbled, directing her stare at the distant Canterlot, precariously built on the side of a mountain. “Ah’m goin’ ta git ya back.”

“Or die tryin’.”

To be continued in Repercussions Chapter 2: Elucidation!