The Land Unspoken

After a night spent partying (again), the group slept late into the morning, and it was with some alarm that Twilight awoke to feel the rays on her face from a sun that was almost directly overhead. She rather frantically wakened the others and they set off quickly. Their movement was rushed, but their hearts were significantly lighter than they had been the day before.

They were now climbing even more steeply than the previous day. Clearly their destination lay at the top of a mountain, but yet another day passed with no end in sight. As night fell, the tired group discovered a cave in the side of the mountain. The cave ran deep and at first they were nervous; after the giant falcons coming rather too close to Rainbow Dash who knows what manner of beast could have made its nest here? But after some brief exploration they found the cave empty.

Twilight took first watch and moved out outside, keeping her bags on her. The path they had been travelling was quite narrow and cut into the side of the cliff so on one side the cliff rose sheer above them and on the other it dropped away to nothingness. It was on the latter side that Twilight sat, gazing out at the darkening landscape and marvelling at how far they had come in such a short time. Little more than a week had passed since their departure from PonyVille, yet they were far into unknown territory, and moving still farther away from civilisation. Twilight shivered; the wind had picked up and the air had a frozen nip to it, but as she turned to go inside she came face to face with Derpy.

The pegasus had a piece of paper in her mouth, and walked past Twilight to sit next to her on the edge of the cliff. Twilight cautiously sat down next to her, and Derpy spoke.

“The view is beautiful, isn’t it?” she said dropping the paper onto her upraised hoof. “Here. I wrote this for you.” she offered it to Twilight, who lifted it up with magic, bringing it to her face. With surprise, she saw that it was a poem. So caught up in the thrill of the adventure was she, Twilight had almost completely forgotten about Derpy’s newly revealed writing skills. She began to read out loud, and with every word her eyes widened.

A kidnap, a heist, a friend is in need,

Six hearts will follow the trail.

Two earth, two flight, two of magical breed,

The storm’d seas of fate we sail.

A lightening rainbow, a darkling sky,

A shadow above me does loom.

I feel in my heart the end here is nigh,

As I labour, push on in the gloom.

For before me stands Xerox, a copy, a fake,

In which evil does live and arise.

Like a bruise, or a scar, his corruption does ache,

A land throttled by hatred and lies.

But beside me, so fearless, stands something far greater,

A candle to startle the dark.

Together, as one, we shall cast down this traitor,

With friendship, and courage so stark.

Twilight finished the poem and sat, speechless. “Wow” she began when she found her voice. “Derpy, this is… amazing!”

The pegasus blushed at the compliment. “Thanks. I thought I’d write it as a thank you for you letting me come with you. You know, I’ve never written a full poem before.”

“Wow” replied Twilight again, and Derpy laughed at the expression on the unicorn’s face “I… I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

“It’s okay. I enjoyed writing it!”

Twilight smiled again, then turned to place the poem carefully in her bag and caught sight of the entrance to the cave. There stood the other four, mouths agape at what they had heard, identical expressions of wonder on their faces. Derpy smiled again, then turned and walked back into the cave, the others moving to allow her in. As she passed, the spell broke and they all began bombarding the pegasus with questions. Twilight brought the poem back out of her bag and began to re-read it, smiling as she did so, and listening to the barrage of questions fade into background murmur as the others returned to the cave. She was still reading when Applejack approached her to take the next watch, and it was a long time before she fell asleep that night.

The next day it began to rain and the going was tough. The bad weather escalated quickly, and before they had covered a single mile they were forced to stop. The low visibility and nearby cliff edge made for dangerous going and so when they found another cave they ducked inside with cries of relief. This cave was much smaller, merely an alcove in the side of the mountain, but it served well enough as shelter. Twilight was first in, and immediately brought her books out to check for damage. As she looked through each one a title caught her eye. One of the books she had packed was on communications and as she flicked through she suddenly remembered something.

“Of course! Mindtalk! I can contact Fluttershy with this!” she said.

“But Twilight,” Rarity replied “are you sure you’re up to using that? You did say it consumes an awful lot of your energy”.

“I’ll be fine. It takes less energy the closer you are, and we should be very close now.” The protest from Rarity had been very half-hearted anyway; she, like the others, had perked up at the prospect of contact with Fluttershy. Twilight looked down at the book open on the floor in front of her and her horn began to glow.

Fluttershy was sleeping, there being very little else to do for the majority of her time, when she was jolted awake. At first she thought the voice calling her name was just in a dream, but then it came again. Her heart surged with joy when she recognised Twilight.

Fluttershy! Fluttershy, can you hear me?

“Yes! Oh Twilight, it’s such a relief to-”

Sorry Fluttershy, but I can’t keep this spell up long. I just needed to check you were safe. Where are you?

“I’m trapped in a castle. It’s at the top of a mountain; there are guards everywhere, but I-”

Again, Twilight interrupted her, her voice now notably strained. Okay, we’re coming up the mountain now. Sorry I can’t keep the spell going much longer. We’ll be there in a couple of days. Stay strong! The spell dissolved, and Fluttershy was left alone.

“Squee!” she exclaimed softly. Her friends were coming. Now, she just had to wait.

As the spell ended, Twilight collapsed. Applejack, who was closest, caught her as she fell and lowered her gently to the ground. By unspoken agreement, the five of them lay down around the unconscious unicorn, protecting her from the cold outside. They remained in this position for many hours while the storm howled outside. Even if the unicorn were to awake there was no way they’d be able to make progress while the gale raged on.

Darkness. A voice.

Twilight Sparkle.

W-What? Where am I?

That is not, perhaps, a question you will like the answer to. Let us just say your last spell drained you to the point at which you are hovering between life and death. You are on the brink of two worlds.

The brink of two worlds? What are you talking about? How can I get back to my friends?

I have the power to send you back.

Then what are you waiting for?

I wish to give you a warning. Xerox is meddling with forces he is unable to control. He is building something beneath his castle, a weapon of huge potential.

What is it?

I cannot tell you that, but you will find out in time. For now, make do with the knowledge that if he completes this weapon before you reach him it will mean untold tragedy for the ponies of your world.

My world? Who ARE you?

My name is not important. What is important is that you find Xerox and stop his weapon.

But how? Does he have some weakness, anything we can exploit?

Yes. The spell on a Replicus dissolves upon his, or her, death.

Great. So all we have to do is kill them and they’ll join us. Thanks. Can you tell me anything that isn’t entirely useless?

So many questions, so little time to answer them. I am sorry, Twilight Sparkle, but I must leave you now. Return to your friends, and may they aid you in defeating this tyrant.

“Wait!”

Twilight sat bolt upright, dislodging her friends.

“Uhh, Twi? You alright?” Applejack asked, leaping upright to find the unicorn staring sightlessly at the wall.

Twilight shook her head and refocused on her friends. She hesitated, then began to tell them what happened. They listened intently, and it was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence once she had finished.

“A weapon? What kind of weapon?”

“I don’t know! The spirit just said a weapon.”

“Is it something like a… a giant cannon or something?” said Pinkie Pie, “or a device that creates zombies?!”

“Somehow, I doubt it.” Twilight replied dryly, “but if Xerox completes it, our world is in danger. We need to end this as soon as possible.”

Fluttershy saw Ditto again the following day. The foal crept into the hall and, seeing the room outside the cage empty, rushed to her. With surprise, Fluttershy noticed a key dangling from his mouth. He pushed it through the bars.

“Here you go Miss Fluttershy!” he said “I said I’d pay you back! The guards almost caught me, but I escaped! Now we can run away together!”

Fluttershy took the key and, to the foal’s evident surprise, hid it under her wing. When he motioned to her to unlock the door, she shook her head.

“This cage isn’t the only thing keeping me here Ditto.” She began telling him of the contact from Twilight. As she spoke the foal moved into the cage to lie beside her and she saw hope blossom in his eyes as she mentioned the prospect of rescue. He settled down happily as she began to tell him all about her friends. Several content hours passed, but then Fluttershy mentioned how badly Xerox treated Ditto. She saw the little pony’s face fall and immediately regretted the comment. But before she could speak again, Ditto began talking.

“You know why he hates me?” he began, his voice the careful neutral of a pony holding back tears, “he’s a cripple too. He uses so much magic to keep himself in the shape he is. I see him sometimes, at night, when he releases the spell. He’s just like me. Small… and weak… I guess that whenever he sees me he sees all his own failures. So all his hatred, all his anger… it just goes to me.”

“Then why haven’t you run away before? Why not just… leave?”

“Go where? You saw what it’s like out there. Even moving quickly, it’d be four days to the nearest village. And with a leg like mine it’d take weeks. Anyway, he’s… He’s my dad. He’s a horrible, evil, person, but… I love him all the same. It’s something about family. No matter what they do, or who they become; something inside you will always be tied to them. I could run, but if he called me back I’d return. I just wouldn’t be able to help myself.”

Throughout the entire speech, the little pony’s voice had been shaking with barely suppressed tears. Fluttershy, only now realising the depth of the emptiness inside Ditto, squeezed him tightly in a hug, and when she spoke, her voice shook as much as Ditto’s had.

“Well… for what it’s worth, I’m here for you Ditto.”

The little pony smiled at this and returned the hug. Just then, however, a booming noise came from a side corridor and Fluttershy saw fresh terror paint Ditto’s face, wiping the brief smile away as quickly as it had come. Quickly she twisted herself into the now familiar position to shield him from sight as Xerox entered the room. This time he was flanked by two Replicus guards. Oddly, both Xerox and his guards now sported a small bag at their sides. The guards stood to attention at the door as Xerox approached the cage.

“Fluttershy…” He spoke softly and she shifted, alarmed. Ditto was not fully hidden under her, and if Xerox came too close he would see him. The stallion stopped some distance away however, and she let out a barely perceptible sigh as he continued.

“How are you? Are you sleeping well?” he began. The talk continued like this for some time while Fluttershy waited impatiently for him to get to the point. The position she had been forced to assume to hide Ditto was very uncomfortable, but she didn’t dare shift around too much for fear of revealing the little pony. She could feel his heart racing in terror against her belly.

Eventually Xerox finished his tirade of small talk. “You’ll be interested to know,” he finally told her, “that my runaway son was seen earlier today. If you see him, tell him I want him back. I’m prepared to give him another chance.”

His words contradicted those of his son, and Fluttershy was in absolutely no doubt who was telling the truth. Xerox did, at least, seem to be treating her with respect, or at least as much respect as could be offered when one side of the conversation was in a cage, so she gave him the courtesy of a reply.

“He ran through here earlier today, but I haven’t seen him since.” She estimated this was the time he had stolen the keys and been seen by the guards. She seemed to have guessed correctly as her lie passed without comment. Xerox merely nodded and retreated. Unfortunately for Fluttershy the guards remained and she was forced to stay in place, concealing Ditto beneath her.

More guards appeared on the upper balconies; clearly the castle was going into lockdown. Ditto, sensing his father had gone, poked his head out but Fluttershy quickly shifted to keep him out of sight and motioned him to be careful. He ducked down then slowly peeked over the top of her wing, spotting the guards.

“Don’t worry” he whispered as faintly as he could. Thankfully the hall was very large, and the nearest guards were far enough away not to hear them, providing they spoke very quietly. “There’s a hole in the back of the throne. I used to hide there from father a lot when I was younger. I’ll go under there for now.” He darted away. The throne was very close to the cage and Ditto timed it well, reaching the base of the throne unseen and disappearing inside. Then, out of sight of the guards, he stuck his head out of the hole and grinned at Fluttershy. She smiled back and he vanished again. Fluttershy now settled herself down to wait for her friend’s arrival, the spot in the centre of her curled body now feeling strangely cold and empty.

The top of the mountain was in the clouds, and it was one such cloud that obscured the vision of Twilight and the others, hiding the castle from sight until they were almost on top of it. As it loomed out of the mist, Twilight called a halt.

“Alright” she began “We need to scout out the castle. Dash?”

The pegasus snapped to attention when she was addressed. Twilight gave her instructions, and then, as the pegasus was about to take off, added: “oh and Dash? Don’t go chasing any butterflies this time. Just a nice, simple, scouting mission, okay?”

The pegasus grinned at her then rocketed skywards joyfully, performing some somersaults before heading towards the castle. Twilight watched her go with a sigh.

“I really hope there’re no guards on the wall” she said, failing to hide her amusement. A few hours ago the rainbow pegasus had finally recovered enough to fly again, and since then she had barely touched the ground. She had spent most of her time performing aerial acrobatics and, despite the fact their mission was supposed to be one of stealth, Twilight hadn’t the heart to stop her.

“That or they’re blind” added Applejack from beside her.

“The mist will stop them seeing her,” said Derpy loyally. “She’ll be fine.”

  Twilight had to concede the point. Rainbow Dash had very quickly vanished after her flamboyant take off. The mist was thickening, and visibility was lowering by the second. They could now only see the castle as a faint grey smudge through the white blanket that surrounded them.

Worried that Dash would be unable to find them again, Twilight began to move towards the fading grey smudge in her view, but before she had taken five steps the pegasus returned. She gave some surprisingly detailed information about the castle, and the terrain surrounding it, but Twilight’s heart sank with each word. The castle seemed to be in lockdown with guards everywhere. She wondered if their approach had been spotted, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. There must be some other reason.

“Fluttershy’s in the main hall,” Rainbow Dash finished, “there’s just one window in the back and I couldn’t see much, but the front doors lead straight to her. The hall is mostly open space. Four balconies around the sides lead out to the walls of the castle. If we can get onto the walls, we can get into the main room from above. Each of the balconies has a door below them at ground level. There’re twelve guards in the room in total, two on each balcony and one guarding each side door.”

“So no chance of getting Fluttershy out of there without attracting attention?” Twilight asked when the pegasus had finished.

“No way” she replied. “We’ll have to fight for this!”

Rainbow Dash’s voice carried an undertone of excitement that was not lost on Twilight and the others were leaning forward eagerly. They had long been awaiting the chance to get revenge on Fluttershy’s captor, and even Twilight felt a dull anger burning in her stomach at what had been done.

“Alright” she said, turning to face them all. “Here’s the plan…”