Diary of the Dead

Twilight and the rest of her friends bolted for the exit. They heard gunfire behind them, and she could only watch as Applejack took a bullet to the leg. Even so, the farmer hobbled along, determined to make it out alive. Feeling a little bit like defeated soldiers, the girls managed to scurry their way through a door before every guard in there opened fire. They raced into the forest outside the facility, catching their breath only when they understood that nobody was following them.

“Get Applejack down and elevate that leg!” Twilight barked when everyone was there.

They did so, not questioning her authority, and she began dressing the wound. While doing so, she winced at the sheer pain that traced Applejack’s face. Their friends gathered around her, offering words of encouragement and love. Pinkie got down and hugged her head, leading to a small smile from the wounded. She thanked them all for their friendship, but confessed that it felt like someone had driven a railway spike through her appendage. Twilight bandaged it with a first aid kit she’d brought, and Rainbow speedily made a compress from some natural elements.

“Here,” Twilight said when they’d finished, “now, keep that leg up high. We don’t want clotting.”

“Right,” Applejack grimaced, “leg up high, got it.”

“Listen, everyone,” Twilight said, turning to her friends, “we have two of our best friends trapped inside the lair of our greatest enemy ever.”

“Yeah, and just who are we fighting, again?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight stopped short. In her haste to help Applejack, she’d completely forgotten that three of her friends had no clue who their foe was. It wouldn’t be easy to tell them that kind old Mr. Shy, who’d always been there with pearls of wisdom, was actually an evil entity. But she needed to. They had to know of their opponent. If they didn’t, then any rescue mission would be compromised from the outset. So, she took a deep breath and prepared her mind.

“It’s…Fluttershy’s dad,” she said in a voice that was a lot weaker than she intended.

“What?!” Pinkie asked in shock, “you mean Mr. Shy? The man we just consoled at his own daughter’s, albeit, fake, funeral?!”

“Yes,” Twilight said, nodding her head, “and it’s up to us to stop him and his goons from whatever they’ve got planned.”

“Darling, we never found out what they’ve planned,” Rarity said.

“I know,” Twilight said, “but we will.”

“You mean, we’re going back?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight struck up a brave pose. “Yes, Rainbow Dash, we are,” she said, “for as long as the sun shines and the moon glows, we’ll do our best to rescue our friends. We have the ultimate power in the entire world: the magic of friendship.”

“Why do I feel like we use that every single time we bust some bad guys?” Rainbow asked dryly.

“Because we do,” Twilight said, “now, girls, listen up. No more sneaking around in the dark. We go in…and we do things our way. Deal?”

“Deal!” The girls said.

“But, darling, while I’m quite excited about our friendship and our geodes,” Rarity said, “there’s still the matter of the military aspect of the complex. Frankly, sweetie, they’re packing heat!”

“But we’re packing some of our own,” Twilight said, “and ours can beat anything as long as we stick together.”

“What about AJ?” Pinkie asked, “she’s in no condition to fight. Her leg will take months to heal!”

Twilight crouched down beside Applejack and gave her a look of concern. She knew exactly what her farmer friend was thinking without it being voiced. The two shared a close bond, and Twilight understood Applejack’s nature. Next to Rainbow Dash, she was probably the most loyal member of their group. Twilight knew that Applejack would want them to remain so to Fluttershy and Sunset. Their friendships were at stake, and Applejack had suddenly become expendable.

“AJ, I know it’s hard, but…you mind sitting this one out?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t have a choice,” Applejack said, “as much as I hate just sittin’ around bein’ lazy, it’s up to y’all to rescue Fluttershy and Sunset. You’ve gotta bring ‘em back! They’re a crucial part of our lives…and we can’t let ‘em slip away.”

“Applejack’s right!” Rainbow sang out in agreement, “let’s go kick some ass!”

“WHOO! ASS KICKING PARTY!” Pinkie shrieked.

“SHHH!” Twilight said, leaping on Pinkie and placing a finger on her mouth.

“Why, Twilight, I didn’t know you cared so much,” Pinkie said with a bit of sass.

Twilight smiled. “Oh, you. Listen, everyone, we can’t attract attention to ourselves. Lives are at stake here, and we must be willing to fight for them. Sunset and Fluttershy are in there, and god knows what they’re doing to them. One of the people that flanked Mr. Shy was this crazed lunatic carrying some kind of handcuffs. For all we know, they’ve already killed our friends.”

An audible gasp came from the girls.

“But,” Twilight said, holding her hands up, “perhaps not. We have to operate under the assumption that they’re still alive and waiting for us. We must be willing to spill our own blood in order to rescue them. That’s what friendship is, and it’s what we have to adhere to. Now, then, we move in three hours. Agreed?”

“Agreed!” The girls said.

Meanwhile, back in the lonely cell, Fluttershy and Sunset tried to console each other. It was difficult, what with one being taken and tortured every now and then. But, they managed to calm each other down somewhat. Fluttershy felt the cool, sweet touch of her friend, and Sunset bent her head around Fluttershy. By this point, she’d felt a lot of the same elements of pain that Fluttershy had. She knew that her friend wasn’t exaggerating in the least. Her body still stung from the last beating she’d received. They’d also asked her about a portal, and she knew they meant a portal to Equestria. Bravely keeping her mouth shut, she took a merciless bashing, returning to the cell with dried blood and in severe pain. But it was then that Fluttershy had received her and helped dress her wounds with her own clothes.

“Flutter?” An exhausted Sunset asked.

“Yeah?”

“Why does Mr. Shy want me gone? What’s his obsession with this portal? More than that…why has he beaten you so badly?”

Fluttershy gave her a look somewhere between fear and truth. “Sunset…you’ve no idea what you’ve just asked me.”