Infernals

Chapters

Act One: Secrets
Act Two: Lost in the Past
Act Three: Abyssal Outbreak
Act Four: Tales of the Past (Fox)
Act Five: Tales of the Past (Devil)
Act Six: Dire Preparations

Act One: Secrets

Act One:

Secrets

Applejack hummed a little ditty as she set up her apple cart for the day. Life in Ponyville had hit a quiet spot, which in the farmpony's opinion was all for the good. Between Discord, Twilight's tardiness spazz-out, and the Changeling invasion, to say nothing of all the smaller stuff that had happened, this past year had been full of excitement. Applejack was good and ready for a nice, normal year.

Thus it was that, at first, Applejack and the other ponies at the market barely even flinched as an ear-piercing shriek echoed from Carousel Boutique. Instead, she looked at Carrot Top, who was setting up her own stall nearby. "That's ten bits ya owe me, sugarcube," she said, holding out a hoof.

The carrot farmer sighed, and hoofed over the requested amount. "I could have sworn she'd freak out later this week. That's when Hoity Toity is visiting, isn't it?"

Applejack chuckled. "Carrot Top, she done freaked out over that already. Five times."

Carrot Top shrugged. "I guess. Oh, well, a bet's a bet." She paused a little. "Still, I wonder what caused her to freak out this morning?"

*****

The answer to that question wouldn't become known to the general public for a while. But it was well-known to two white unicorns, both residents of Carousel Boutique. Currently, one was in the bathroom, staring at her reflection, absolutely aghast. The other was in her room, doing her best to not break out into raucous laughter.

"This… this can't be right!" Rarity exclaimed, horrified by what she was seeing. "How could this have happened?!" She dashed over to the shower, and carefully inspected her bottles. "Nothing's out of place, I did everything correctly… so what is going on?!" She paused as she came to one bottle, and noticed that the lid was off-kilter slightly. She hadn't noticed earlier, while taking her morning shower, but now it was obvious to her detail-oriented eyes. She unscrewed the bottle, and allowed just a drop of what was inside to fall on her hoof. Her irises shrank to pinpricks. "Dye remover…?" She narrowed her eyes to fine slits. "SWEETIE BELLE!!!"

Sweetie Belle flinched at the volume in Rarity's shout. Geez, I knew she'd be angry, but I didn't think she'd be this loud about it. She really needs to loosen up. Her train of thought was derailed as she heard furious hoofsteps stomping up the stairs to her room. She debated whether or not to flee, but the choice was taken from her when Rarity flung open the door. The filly decided instead to go for the 'cutely innocent' routine. "Oh, Rarity! Um… did you get a new mane dye? It really suits you!" She batted her eyelashes and offered a big smile.

Unfortunately, Rarity was not to be so easily fooled. "Sweetie Belle. Where are my usual dyes?" she forced out through gritted teeth.

Sweetie, still playing dumb, cocked her head to the side. "Why are you asking me? I think this one looks really good on you! It even matches your coat!"

Indeed, Rarity's locks had become a snow-white, almost identical in hue to her coat. The older unicorn snorted. "Sweetie Belle. I know for a fact that you know this is my natural mane color. I also know that you're the only other pony to have access to my bathroom, and thus the only other pony who could have possibly slipped dye remover into my bottle of purple dye! So, I will ask you again." She stepped closer, glaring at the filly. "What did you do with my real dyes?"

Sweetie Belle nearly caved right then, but she strengthened her resolve. "I might remember what I did… if you agree to do me a favor."

One of Rarity's blue eyes began to twitch. "Are… are you blackmailing me, Sweetie Belle?!" she exclaimed.

The younger unicorn shrugged. "That's such a nasty word. I prefer the term, 'negotiating'. I have something you want, and you can do something I want. Fair's fair."

The fashionista was close to spitting nails, but she forced herself to calm down. "Sweetie Belle, I don't have time for your nonsense. Hoity Toity is visiting later this week, and I must have some ensembles ready for his perusal. I've finished seven of them, but I'd like an even ten, and I can't work knowing that my appearance is so grotesque!"

Sweetie Belle leveled an even stare at her big sister. "Rarity, I don't think you could ever look 'grotesque'. You're over-reacting." She sighed. "Besides, I know you finished the first seven ensembles within a day of getting the notice, but you've been stuck ever since then. I just thought you could loosen up a bit." She gulped. "And… well, I was kind of hoping we could spend some time together before his visit. You've been so busy lately, we haven't had a chance to hang out."

Rarity's anger cooled significantly at this, replaced by a slight feeling of guilt. Here she was, so high strung about a visiting fashion mogul, that she'd nearly been ready to throttle her own sister! She sighed. "I'm sorry, Sweetie. I know I've been a bit… crabby, lately. I've been snappy, irritable, and rude, and you haven't deserved any of it. I do need a break. I promise, once I get my dyes back, I'll 'hang out' with you all day. Goodness knows, we haven't done that since the Sisterhooves Social!" She smiled at the memory.

Sweetie Belle coughed. "Um, about that. I… kinda gave the dyes to Apple Bloom, and told her to go back to Sweet Apple Acres."

Rarity's eye-twitch returned. "You… you expect me to go all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres and all the way back, like this?!" She pulled at her mane. Aside from the white color, it was styled exactly the same way as Rarity always had it, with an ornate curl.

Sweetie Belle blinked. "Well, yeah. I mean, how else are you going to get your dyes back? I told Apple Bloom to hold onto them until you came looking for them."

Rarity was very close to having another breakdown, but was spared by a knocking from downstairs. Gathering her courage, Rarity trotted down from Sweetie Belle's room, the younger unicorn following at a distance. Coming to the front door of the boutique, the seamstress waited for the next round of knocks to finish before calling out, "Yes? Who is it? We're not quite open for business yet…"

"Rarity? It's me, Twilight," came the voice from the other side. "I got those new fashion magazines you wanted to look at, so I thought I'd deliver them myself."

The fashionista snapped to attention upon hearing her friend's voice and bit her lip in anxiety. While she cherished the friendship she shared with Twilight, Rarity could not let her see her mane like this; in her much-neglected natural color. She darted her head around her boutique while coming up with an excuse "U-Um, just a moment, darling! So nice of you to stop by today and give me my magazines!" She called out in mock sincerity.

"Couldn't I just, you know… come in? I'm sure you won't mind since it's just us!" Twilight called from the other side. "Besides, I already knew how much you wanted these magazines! What's keeping you from letting me in?" She asked in confusion.

Rarity grew more flustered as she drew blanks with what laid around in her current room "I'm a little busy at the moment! You sort of caught me at a bad time right now! B-But don't you worry, Twilight, you're free to come in! Let me just-..." She turned to her little sister "Sweetie Belle, could you be a dear and answer the door for me while I'm working?" She added her last word with desparate emphasis.

Sweetie Belle stared at her sister. "You could just answer – " The dark glare in Rarity's eyes caused Sweetie Belle to instantly change her sentence to, "I'll be right there!" She called out, sounding as if she were upstairs. With that, Rarity galloped up the stairs and into her room while Sweetie Belle nonchalantly trotted over to the front door and opened it, revealing Twilight Sparkle levitating a stack of magazines.

Twilight smiled down at Sweetie Belle. "Hello, Sweetie Belle! I'm sorry if I bothered your sister like this. All I wanted was to give her the magazines and maybe talk a little..."

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Well, you know how my sister is when she's 'in the zone'." She looked away despondently for a moment before she looked back up at Twilight "Anyway, she was in the middle of an order – "

"For Hoity Toity, right?" Twilight interrupted with curiousity. She frowned, looking slightly abashed "I forgot about that. Rarity really knows when to kick it into high gear whenever she has a celebrity for a client!"

Sweetie Belle giggled nervously. "Hehehe, well, what can you do, right?" She grinned widely, trying to put on the best poker face she can muster.

"Where are they? Where are they!? I know I at least kept a spare reserve in case of emergency…"

Both unicorns looked up the stairs, and Twilight broke the ice with an arched eyebrow "Did she run out of gems again?"

Sweetie Belle shifted her eyes at this. "Umm…" She quickly looked back at Twilight with the same wide grin. "Yeah! Never thought it would happen like this of all days!" She spoke with the guise in her voice faltering dramatically.

Twilight blinked at Sweetie Belle's tone. "But didn't she have a huge haul from the last time she went gem hunting with Spike?"

"Her order specifically requested each dress to be super shiny! What's shinier than gems?" Sweetie Belle replied instantly.

Twilight looked up at the stairs. "Oh, is that all? I could let her borrow Spike for the time being whenever she wants to take a break!"

Sweetie Bell kept her grin "I'll let her know that! So I'll just take those magazines and – "

"Oh, this is just disastrous! I'll have to go with Plan B…"

Both Twilight and Sweetie Belle stared at the ceiling in silence, as the sound of hoofsteps graced the stairway. They were then treated to the sight of an alabaster unicorn wearing a black cloak covering her entire body, mane included. She grinned at her lavender friend. "Why hello, Twilight! How can I help you today?"

Twilight gawked at the fashionista's appearance, and craned her head back. "Rarity? Why are you wearing a cloak? Aren't you working today?"

Rarity did not let up in her suspicious tone as she replied "But of course, darling! As for this cloak, I was only, erm…" She looked over to Sweetie Belle mouthing the words 'gems' and quickly turned to Twilight. "Looking for gems! While I searched high and low, I inadvertently wrapped myself in this thing! I only ignored it for the sake of continuing my search! It is such a pain to have my stash used up so quickly!"

Twilight blinked at Rarity before she smiled. "I was just telling your sister that you're free to use Spike to gather more for your dresses. Though, you might want to leave the cloak behind when you go gem hunting. Black material conducts heat. You wouldn't want to get all sweaty, would you?"

Rarity very nearly tore the cloak off at the mention of 'sweat'. It was only her desire to keep her 'condition' hidden from Twilight that prevented her from doing so. "Ahaha, yes, well, I will be sure to do so, Twilight. And thank you for the offer of using Spike. I will be sure to contact him later for my gem hunting."

Twilight nodded, but looked at Rarity curiously. "Still, how did you go through the last set so quickly? You just went gem hunting a couple of days ago."

Rarity chuckled nervously. "W-well, darling, I need my dresses to be at their best for Hoity Toity's perusal! And if that means using my entire stash of gems in the first few days, so be it!" She smiled widely.

Twilight looked skeptical, but shrugged it off. "Well, if you're certain, then I'll leave you to it."

"Yes, please!" Rarity exclaimed. A moment later, she realized that she sounded a bit too eager for Twilight to leave, and backpedaled. "I-I mean that I'm certain you're quite busy doing research for the Princess, or something, and I don't want to take up any more of your time!"

Twilight was now looking very skeptical. "Rarity, are you okay? Is there something wrong?"

"Wrong? Why, whatever do you mean? Nothing's wrong!" Rarity, while a better liar than Applejack, could still be a shining example of how not to act when put on the spot. She started backing away from Twilight, attempting to put some distance between them.

Twilight took her friend's sudden evasiveness as confirmation that something was wrong. "Rarity, I can't help you if I don't know what's going on. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are, Twi – !" Rarity was cut off as the cloak she was wearing got caught on her back hoof, tripping her, and sending her head-over-hooves into the back wall of the main room of the Boutique.

"Rarity!" Twilight dashed over to the alabaster unicorn's side, giving her a hoof. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh… I'm fine, darling," the white unicorn moaned, as she sat up. In doing so, her cloak slipped off, though she was too pain-addled at the moment to care. "Just a little bump, don't worry."

"Uh, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle interrupted. "You dropped your cloak."

"Cloak? What do you – !" Rarity's mind finally caught up with her, and she looked up into Twilight's wide violet eyes. Eyes that were resting on her mane. With a wail of despair, the fashionista fled up the stairs at a speed that would have made Rainbow Dash proud.

*****

Twilight waited for the ringing in her ears to die down, before turning to Sweetie Belle. "I'm assuming that was the actual reason she was acting so strangely?"

"Yeah," the young unicorn said with a nod.

Looking at her with a critical eye, Twilight continued. "And would you happen to be the cause of her change in mane color?"

Sweetie Belle gulped. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Twilight!"

Twilight sighed. "Sweetie, you're the only other pony who stays here on a consistent basis. Thus, you're the only pony who could have switched out Rarity's mane dyes for a different color."

Sweetie Belle blinked. "Wait, you knew her mane was dyed?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You'd be surprised at how many nobles in Canterlot hide their true mane colors behind dyes. I'll say this, though, not all of them are as subtle or tasteful as Rarity. I didn't notice until I saw her mane frazzled during that whole fashion fiasco the first time Hoity Toity came to Ponyville. I could barely see her roots."

"Oh." The young unicorn had not been expecting anypony to actually know Rarity's little secret. "She just doesn't like her natural color for some reason."

Twilight blinked. "Wait, that's her natural color?" When Sweetie Belle nodded, she sighed, and headed for the stairs. "Well, just because her mane's a different color, that's no excuse to shut out her friends!" She trotted up to Rarity's room, and knocked on the door. "Rarity? Come out, please. I want to talk."

"Leave me alone, Twilight!" came the wail from within the room. "My life is over, my shame betrayed! How could anypony take me seriously, knowing that I dye my mane?!"

Twilight huffed in exasperation. "Rarity, for the love of Celestia, your mane looks fine! Purple or white, it doesn't matter! Now, if it were brown, or green, I could maybe understand your problem, but it's not! So are you going to let me in, or will I have to get Pinkie Pie to sing outside your door until you go crazy?"

There were a few moments of silence, before the lock clicked on the door. Twilight opened it to see Rarity hiding her head under a pillow. Sighing, Twilight pulled the pillow off with her magic, despite the white unicorn's attempts to keep herself covered. Finally, Rarity let go, allowing her white mane to be seen. "Twilight, why do you even want to see me like this? I'm hideous!"

The lavender unicorn rolled her eyes. "Rarity, I don't think you could look 'hideous' if you tried. And trust me, your dye job is better than most of the nobles in Canterlot."

Rarity blinked, sitting up. "Wait, there are nobles who dye their manes?"

"Mostly the ones who want to look more 'impressive'," Twilight explained. "And believe me when I say that your natural color isn't as embarrassing as some of the ones I've seen."

"But Twilight!" Rarity protested, "Everypony knows my mane is purple! Any deviation from that will raise attention, and not the good kind! I'll be ruined! Hoity Toity would never speak to me again, to say nothing of Sapphire Shores or Fancy Pants!"

"You know Hoity Toity's mane is white, don't you?" the lavender mare asked sardonically. "And I think Fancy Pants wouldn't care less. Remember, he's the one who praised your dress design when all those other nobles belittled it."

"Well… you do have a point," admitted the fashionista, "but still! I don't want everypony laughing at me!" She bowed her head. "Not again…"

"Wait, what?" Twilight was blindsided by this admission from the prim and proper unicorn. "When did everypony laugh at you?"

Rarity sighed. "Ages ago, when I was first in school. Do you understand how rare having a white mane as a filly actually is? I was teased something awful. 'Grannie Rarity', they called me. 'Old mare', 'fossil', I've heard them all and then some. It got so bad that my mother moved us away from our old hometown to Ponyville, and she bought me my dyes to keep the same thing from happening. That was before I got my cutie mark, of course."

Twilight boggled at the idea that Rarity had ever been teased for her appearance. And yet… suddenly, her fixation on appearances made more sense. She had been minorly traumatized as a foal, and the memory stayed with her, even after all this time. Twilight trotted forward, and wrapped Rarity in a hug. "I'm sorry, Rarity. I had no idea this meant so much to you."

Rarity returned the hug with a fair amount of force. "Thank you for understanding, dear," she replied, wiping away some of the wetness in her eyes.

Twilight pulled back. "But I think you're giving Ponyville's ponies too little credit. Remember, not everypony here is concerned with their appearances. I think if you went out, you might get a comment or two, but nopony here would ever say anything malicious."

"You got that right!"

Both unicorns jumped as the door opened wider, revealing a light blue pegasus with a prismatic mane. Behind her were three other ponies; a yellow pegasus, an orange earth pony, and a pink earth pony. Pinkie Pie spoke first. "You can't be all mopey-dopey about something that happened when you were a filly! That's just silly!"

"Yer one o' the biggest names in fashion, and a local celebrity. Ah don't think anypony would say a thing against ya just fer changin' yer mane," Applejack elaborated.

"And you're… very nice," Fluttershy added, in her customary soft voice.

"Point is, even if your mane makes you look older than you are, you can't let it get to you," Rainbow Dash rounded out the eavesdroppers.

There were a few moments of silence, before Rarity bellowed, "SWEETIE BELLE!!!" After a few more moments, the filly in question peeked around the door frame. "Why did you let so many more ponies into my home when I was clearly not in the mood for company?"

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Pinkie said her Pinkie Sense told her that you needed friends. That was good enough for me."

Rarity sighed, then smiled at her friends. "Thank you, all. But, why do this for me? It's not like any of you can really know how I feel right now."

"Oh, really?" Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to the white unicorn. "Tell me how many other ponies have rainbow-colored hair."

The white unicorn blinked. "Ah… none that I can think of…" she trailed off lamely.

"Exactly," the speedster pegasus said with a nod. "I've heard every single bucking lesbian or gay joke in the book, and a few that weren't in the book at the time. So, trust me, I know how you're feeling."

Rarity looked down, shame-faced. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, Dash."

"Pff, it's old news to me," Rainbow said nonchalantly. "Anyway, we're not here to talk about me, let's talk about you. You're frightened of being teased again. I get that. But, when you have a fear, you can't just let it control you. You have to confront it head-on."

"Like you did with the Rainboom?" Pinkie asked.

"Right, exactly!" Rainbow nodded. "Only, I was kinda distracted at the time. I was focused on saving Rarity." She rubbed a hoof along the back of her head.

"If… if you want, Rarity, I could come with you to where you need to go," Fluttershy offered. "That is, if you don't mind…"

Rarity smiled gently at all of her friends. "Thank you all, so much. It means a lot to me that I can trust you all with this secret." She turned to Fluttershy. "However, dear, I believe I'd like Applejack to accompany me." The farmpony blinked at that, and Rarity elaborated, "Sweetie Belle said she gave my dyes to Apple Bloom."

"Did she, now?" Applejack gave Sweetie Belle a stern look, and the filly wisely decided to leave. "Welp, ah'm on break, so ah can take a quick jaunt to the Acres ta get yer dyes back. Ah'll need ta head back ta the cart right quick, though."

"Of course," Rarity said with a nod, stepping out of her bed. "Well, I suppose there's simply no putting it off any longer." With that, she headed down the stairs, grabbing a pair of saddlebags along the way. She and Applejack trotted up to the front door, and with a deep breath, the fashionista awaited the collective reactions of her fellow residents in Ponyville. Just remember what Rainbow Dash said… I have to confront my fear head-on, even if it means walking past everypony I see… who'll stare right back at my mane… oh my… Rarity was beginning to understand where Fluttershy was coming from with her obviously timid background. She wanted to acknowledge the words of encouragement she received from her friends, but a small part of her was screaming to go back and hide.

Applejack turned to Rarity with a comforting smile. "Are ya ready t' get movin', sugarcube? Doncha worry now! Ah'll be with ya every step o' th' way, an' iffin' anypony does feel like makin' a joke or two, they'll be gettin' a good demonstration of how I buck trees!" She winked at her friend with confidence.

Rarity could not help but return the smile in kind from Applejack's words "Thank you very much, Applejack. Shall we get going?" With her confidence boosted, the two made their way to Sweet Apple Acres through Ponyville.

It was like any other day when they passed by the market square: Customers came and went while the market vendors raked in their funds after selling their wares. Rarity gulped when she was nearing the epicenter with Applejack, and was inwardly relieved nopony noticed her yet.

This changed when Lyra and Bon Bon passed by the pair. Bon Bon did a double-take upon noticing Rarity and gave a low gasp before speaking in a high-pitched Manehattanite accent "Oh my goodness! What is with Rarity's mane?"

Other ponies in range of Bon Bon's outburst began directing their attention towards Rarity and Applejack and held their respective reactions ranging from surprise to intrigue. At every glance she spotted, Rarity began to feel her spirit withering away, gradually regretting to set foot in the heart of Ponyville with her current appearance.

Applejack frowned at this and remained close to her friend in hopes of at least getting her to Sweet Apple Acres and comforting her from there. Soon, the ponies around the two began to murmur to one another, their words growing in volume.

"Would you look at that…"

"This isn't like Rarity at all!"

"I never thought she would resort to this!"

"That mane… it just…"

"It's so… beautiful!"

Rarity thought she was hearing things when she looked around, and noticed the former expressions of surprise and intrigue fade to make way for many impressed smiles as the ponies began complimenting her mane left and right. Maybe Rainbow Dash was right… It's not so bad, is it?

Applejack herself smiled and whispered over at Rarity "Y'see there, partner? Ain't nopony in Ponyville gonna put ya down jus' cuz ya look different!" While she smiled, she inwardly frowned as she looked away, thinking, At least y'all don't have much t' hide yerself…

*****

Applejack trotted up the stairs of her home, mind churning as she thought about the events earlier that day. Apple Bloom had surrendered the dyes immediately upon being asked, much to Rarity's relief. Despite the acceptance of the townsponies, the fashionista was a creature of habit, and was eager to return to her 'normal' mane coloring. Still, she hadn't asked to use the bathroom at Sweet Apple Acres, instead opting to return to the Boutique while still being white-maned. Applejack took this as a good sign, that maybe Rarity would finally learn to bury the hurtful words of the past.

Still, the revelation of a secret that had been kept from her for years reminded her of her own secret, a secret she hadn't shared with anypony. Not even her family knew, at least not the whole story. Slipping into the bathroom, Applejack took a washcloth, and soaked it in warm water. She then brought it up to her face, giving a couple of good, strong wipes to her cheeks. When she was done, she looked in the mirror. Rather than the white freckles she displayed to the public, her cheeks were each adorned with three black whisker-like marks.

"A reminder of who ah used ta be…" she murmured, before rearing up on her hindlegs. She concentrated briefly, and a sigil appeared on her stomach; what appeared to be a spiral, surrounded by wavy lines, in a manner reminiscent of a sun. "And the reason ah can never go back…" She sighed, lost in memories that she now only barely considered her own. So absorbed was she, that she didn't notice the orange eye peeking through the partially-open bathroom door. Nor did she notice the eye retreat, and the owner flee to a room labeled 'Apple Bloom'.

Act Two: Lost in the Past

Act Two:
Lost in the Past

Apple Bloom was dumbstruck at what she had witnessed earlier with Applejack looking into the mirror; seeing the familiar freckles being easily wiped away to make way for what appeared to be whiskers, as if her sister were part cat. What in the hay is goin' on here? How long has Applejack had those lines on 'er face? She was reluctant to peer out of her door, wondering if Applejack would catch her again. The little filly made a note to run this by her fellow crusaders first thing tomorrow.

*****

Applejack took the time to register the reflection in the mirror before she decided to will the sigil on her stomach back into hiding. With how she reveled in her chain of memories, the farmpony felt it best to retire for the night and wait for tomorrow to come. She trotted into her bed and covered up with a hint of sadness on her mind, but it slowly gave way to tension when she went back to thinking about Rarity. Ah never thought Rarity had a secret o' her own… Maybe Ah should talk with her th' next time she an' Ah ain't workin'.

It was plausible, given how Rarity was able to hold out for so long despite the trauma she had faced as a filly and come to terms with her own secret being revealed. Applejack realized that her own secret was yet to be revealed, whether she liked it or not. With another sigh, the farmpony allowed herself to go to sleep, but not without hearing a name that seemed so distant, yet at the same time familiar.

Naruto!

*****

The next day, the rooster's crow was heard over Sweet Apple Acres while Celestia's sun began to rise. Like any other day, Applejack was already up and stretching her limbs as she began to trot towards the bathroom to begin masking her face before anypony could notice.

After a successful trek to the bathroom, Applejack shifted her gaze around before she pulled out a set of orange and white make-up and went to work. She kept her eyes peeled on the mirror while applying the orange set on herself, expertly covering each of her whiskers until they were out of sight. Next was the tricky part: Applying the 'freckles' on her face at the exact locations they are found in. She squinted her eyes to give herself more direct foresight as she slowly and carefully dotted herself with her white make-up. She was on her last one on her left cheek as Applejack took her time out of caution.

Her focus was instantly shattered when a light knock came from the bathroom door. "Sis, did ya lock yerself in th' bathroom? Ah need t' go!" The sound of Apple Bloom's voice was heard from the other side.

Applejack noticed that a streak of white was resting on her left cheek, and grew very irritated before taking a deep breath. "Just a minute, Apple Bloom! Ah'm kinda in th' middle o' somethin!" She went back to cleaning her left cheek and starting over. Why does she have to make things so complicated at all the wrong times? After taking care of her intricate disguise, she unlocked and opened the bathroom door and looked down at Apple Bloom.

The yellow filly stared back, tilting her head with an arched eyebrow. She then leaned her head in with her eyes squinted, as if trying to examine Applejack. The older mare took a step back from her sister, feeling confused. "Y'all alright, Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom backed up as well and gave a curt nod as she replied instantly, "Right as rain, sis."

Applejack was silent, feeling slight tension from how her sister gave such a halfhearted reply with a poker face to match. She passed by Apple Bloom after they stared at each other and made her way to the stairs. "Well, Ah'll see ya downstairs then…" The orange mare trotted down the stairs, leaving her sister to her own devices.

When Apple Bloom was sure her sister was out of sight, she ducked into the bathroom. She glanced around quickly, trying to see if anything was out of place. Nothing immediately jumped out at her, and she sighed in disappointment. As she turned to leave, however, she saw that one of the drawers wasn't fully closed. Opening it, as curious fillies are prone to doing, she spotted a makeup kit, consisting purely of orange and white facials.

"Ah'll be darned," she murmured, "AJ's really been hidin' somethin' from us. Her own family!" She considered going after her sister right then, but quickly reconsidered. Applejack would likely read her the riot act if she learned that Apple Bloom had been rummaging through her belongings. She'd gotten enough of such yelling during the whole 'Gabby Gums' incident. "Ah'll see what Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle think about this." She put the makeup kit back, and carefully closed the drawer. She went through her morning routine quickly, and met up with the rest of the Apples downstairs.

*****

"Alright, Apple Bloom, you've been antsy all day, so what's up?" asked Scootaloo, later that day. School had seemed to fly by for the earth filly, seeing as she'd been distracted by her musings. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, knowing that Apple Bloom never acted like this unless it was important, had headed off to the clubhouse right after school. Apple Bloom had joined them moments ago, just before her pegasus friend's question.

"Well, ah'm tryin' ta figure it out, myself, Scoots," the yellow filly replied. "Ah found out that AJ's been hidin' somethin' from the rest o' the family."

Sweetie Belle's eyes nearly bugged out. "Seriously? But, Applejack's the most honest pony around! She couldn't keep a secret if she tried!"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, well, ah never knew about this. Seems a few ponies have been hidin' somethin' about their appearances lately."

"Don't tell me Applejack's not really a blonde," Scootaloo muttered. The pegasus was a bit sore that her friends hadn't included her in yesterday's antics involving Rarity's dyes.

"Nah, it ain't nothin' like Rarity's little secret," the earth filly said with a shake of her head. "It's just… well, AJ went to the bathroom last night, right before goin' ta bed. Not too unusual, but when ah passed by, ah saw her soakin' a washcloth. She don't normally do that afore goin' ta bed, so ah decided ta watch. And ta mah shock, she goes and wipes her freckles clean off! She's been usin' makeup this whole time!"

"Really??" both of her friends chorused. Sweetie Belle then snickered. "Imagine if Rarity found out about that! She'd have a breakdown, since she thinks Applejack doesn't think much of appearances."

Apple Bloom snickered, too, but sobered quickly. "Yeah, well, it was what was under the makeup that kinda startled me. She has these black lines on her face, three on each cheek. Kinda looks like cat whiskers."

"Wait, are you saying she might be part cat?" asked Scootaloo. "But that can't be right. Winona loves her, and we all know that dogs and cats can't stand each other."

"Maybe it's some sort of birthmark?" suggested Sweetie Belle. "Some ponies have embarrassing ones. Though, whisker marks might not be all that bad."

Apple Bloom nodded at that. "Maybe, but ah heard her talkin' ta herself, too. She said somethin' about those whiskers bein' 'a reminder of who she used ta be', whatever that means."

"Oh! Oh! I got it!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Remember how she told us that she went to Manehattan, thinking that she'd get her Cutie Mark there? What if she got those whiskers as a tattoo while she was there, and she was so ashamed of that, she decided to start covering them up? Maybe she used to have freckles, but the whiskers overlapped them?"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pondered this, exchanging looks. "It would make a certain amount of sense," the unicorn admitted. "I mean, she does admit that her trip to Manehattan was one of the biggest mistakes of her life."

"Maybe…" Apple Bloom murmured. "But there's somethin' else. See, right after she said that, she reared up on her hind legs. When she did, this… design appeared on her stomach. It looked somethin' like this." She grabbed a piece of paper, along with a black marker, and began drawing. A few moments later, she showed the fruits of her labor to her friends: a spiral design encompassed by strange markings.

"Whoa. How'd you get that much detail, AB?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Ah got a real good look at it," the yellow filly replied. "Burned the thing inta mah memory. And AJ didn't even notice me peekin' in on her."

"These look Neighponese in design," Scootaloo observed. Seeing the bewildered looks her friends gave her, she shrugged. "What? I read nan-ga from time to time, and sometimes the untranslated stuff alongside the translations. I wanna go to Neighpon someday."

"So, can ya read it?" asked Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo shook her head. "Nah. I'm not that advanced, yet. Kanji is really difficult for somepony who didn't grow up with it."

There were a few moments of silence, before Apple Bloom stood up. "Well, ah think there's somepony in town who might be able ta help us out."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

*****

"So, you girls have a mystery on your hooves?" asked Twilight Sparkle, looking over the three fillies warily.

Apple Bloom stood with her friends and nodded with a determined smile. "Darn tootin'! We came across this here sketch, and since yer th' smartest unicorn in Ponyville, we figured y'all would know what this sign meant iffin' ya felt like helpin' us!"

Spike, busy sweeping the floor, frowned as he heard the Crusaders speak. "Are you sure you three aren't up to anything?" He asked cautiously with slight unamusement.

Sweetie Belle huffed. "This isn't anything bad we're doing! Honest!"

Twilight examined the drawing in the crusaders' possession and was intrigued with the otherworldly design. "I have to say, girls… This is a pretty interesting sketch. But can I ask what you plan on accomplishing with figuring out this drawing?"

Scootaloo frowned. "Please, Twilight! You're the only pony we can count on for this kind of thing! I'd do it, but I can't figure this stuff out for the life of me!"

"We only want to know what this design is! It could have something to do with magic!" Sweetie Belle chimed in.

Twilight rubbed her chin at this. She was normally not one to second-guess herself and get roped into another of the Crusaders' shenanigans. Then again, the design is intricate in structure, and the details are tempting for possible research, the scholastic unicorn thought. Out loud, she said "Well, I'm not busy with my studies, and you fillies seem pretty adamant about this…"

Apple Bloom's eyes twinkled as she beamed. "So yer gonna help us?" She asked expectantly.

Twilight chuckled at the yellow filly's vigor as she levitated the drawing in front of her. "I'll see what I can do for you three. Before I begin, do you have any base data or leads for me to follow?"

Scootaloo trotted up and pointed a hoof at one of the drawing's many ends. "If you look closely enough, you'll see that it looks a lot like kanji, like what can be seen in Neighpon! Do you have any books on that?"

Twilight gave the drawing a courtesy glance before she nodded in approval. "Good eye, Scootaloo! And yes, I believe I have some books about Neighpon, including their history! But if this symbol really does bear any semblance to magic or any specific spell in general, some cross-referencing is in order! Would you girls like to help me scoop out the details, since this is your mystery to solve?" She smiled down at the three.

Sweetie Belle flashed an eager grin. "Would we ever!?"

Apple Bloom held a grin of her own. "There's no way we're turnin' our backs on this'un! Right, girls?" She called to her friends with childlike valor.

Scootaloo held a determined smirk. "The sooner we solve this mystery, the sooner we get to the bottom of things! And hey! Maybe we could get a cutie mark for this if we're lucky!!"

Twilight's ears drooped, but she was lucky to brace herself when the fillies gathered and took a deep breath.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MYSTERY SOLVERS! YAY!"

Spike unplugged his ears and faceclawed. "And here we thought we had a break from this…" He muttered bitterly. He went back to sweeping the floor while Twilight and the Crusaders began to spread out and gather books to begin their research.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo searched under the N section of the library to see if she could fish out any books dealing with Neighpon and its unique culture. While she searched, Scootaloo noticed a nan-ga volume she hadn't read before, and decided to pull it out to read for later after solving the mystery of the drawing.

Sweetie Belle pulled out some magic books from different sections, and with Twilight's help, gathered them at the coffee table. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo joined the others with their own finds as well. With the books found, the four took their own respective book and opened them to study their contents.

Twilight, instead of reading a book on magic, was reading through a book on kanji and tried comparing each character to what is shown on the ends of the drawing encompassing the large spiral in the center. She tilted her head at the drawing as she flipped through the pages to find similar symbols found at the reference she was basing her search on. The signs on the drawing are hard to make out. Could there be some kind of trick to what's shown here?

Sweetie Belle was reading a history book, and gasped when she reached a certain page. "Everypony! I think I got something!" The others focused their attention on Sweetie Belle as she began reading the desired passage. On her page was a picture of two Neighponese ponies - one unicorn and one earth pony - performing a mysterious ritual with different markings in kanji. "It says here in this history book that the ponies of Neighpon had their own unique styles of magic that are somewhat similar to what nin-ponies display in their own fighting techniques!"

Scootaloo beamed at the picture. "Just like in some of the nan-ga I read!!" She proclaimed happily.

Apple Bloom was captivated by the image of the symbols strikingly similar to her drawing while Sweetie Belle continued reading. "Neighponese magic consists of not only traditional arcane spells, but more obscure arts along the lines of sacred seals, or contracts with creatures from different planes of existence!"

Scootaloo was already enthralled with the passage read, and she loathed history class in her school. The orange filly managed to keep herself from bouncing out of giddiness in a fashion similar to Pinkie Pie on a regular basis, yet the grin on her face refused to leave.

Sweetie Belle read on in the book, drawn in by the literature herself. "They practice sealing and contract magic usually out of personal belief of a higher power rather than Princess Celestia, and binding terrible beasts that choose to ravage their lands in the days of old. Most of said sealing magic often contains their own kanji as a symbol of their power, similar to ancient runes in traditional Equestrian magic!"

Apple Bloom tried to piece the information together herself until she came up with a conclusion. "So what y'all 're sayin' is… th' drawing we have is a sketch o' some kind o' magic seal?" She asked in surprise. The yellow filly was both troubled and confused as to how her older sister managed to keep a seal on her stomach for so long with hidden reasons.

Twilight compared the sketch in the history book with the drawing on the table and held a calculating glance. "I'm willing to agree with Apple Bloom on this, but that doesn't explain this particular seal here! I may not be entirely focused on Neighponese magic, but I doubt that the seal you have would have been practiced in their history..."

Scootaloo examined the drawing herself. "Maybe it's a new kind of seal? This can't be the kind of boring drawing you'd expect from a foal!" Her words earned a small glare from Apple Bloom as the orange filly grinned sheepishly at her friend.

Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin with a hoof as she looked at the page. "Maybe we need to go deeper? I'm sure we could figure this out if we just keep trying!" The group continued skimming through each piece of literature they gathered with heightened fervor after finding their first clue.

*****

Later, Twilight and the Crusaders' quest for answers proved to be fruitless, with how they drew up blanks in each of the books they found. Twilight was the most surprised to see that she was unable to figure out the origin of the seal, or what it's particular function is. The group continued to look through their books nonetheless.

Spike came into the main lobby while eating a brilliant amethyst, gulping down his last bite. "No luck on the mystery?" He asked nonchalantly, albeit sympathetically after noting the looks of disappointment on each of the ponies' faces.

Twilight sighed as she set down her book. "Not a single clue after what we found in Neighponese history! This is a very unique seal if I've ever saw one! I'm starting to think that we're on a wild goose chase, girls…" She announced to the crusaders with a regretful frown.

Apple Bloom turned her attention away from her own book and looked at Twilight incredulously. "But we can't quit now! We haven't even got very far int' th' books yet!"

Scootaloo flipped through an encyclopedia with a bored expression on her face before her mood lightened. "Say… how long have we been at this anyway? I'm getting kinda hungry…"

The front door opened, and the group in the main lobby turned to see Applejack trot into the library. "Howdy, Twi! Ah came t' pick up Apple Bloom fer supper!"

Scootaloo facehooved at the realization. "Of course! THAT'S why I'm hungry! It's already dinner time!"

Apple Bloom frowned "Do Ah have t', sis? Ah'm kinda busy at th' moment!"

Applejack frowned back at her sister. "No need t' get fussy, Apple Bloom. Y'all can continue this another time, right? C'mon back t' th' farm so we can eat!" As she looked at the group, she caught a glimpse of paper behind a pile of books, but dismissed it from only seeing a blank corner.

Sweetie Belle's stomach rumbled and she giggled awkwardly as she donned a light blush. "Sorry, everypony. I should probably get going, too…"

Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle with pleading eyes. "Yer quittin', too, Sweetie Belle?" She asked with complaint in her voice.

Sweetie Belle frowned at Apple Bloom "Sorry, Apple Bloom, but Twilight's right! This was nothing but a wild goose chase with how much time we spent trying to figure this whole thing out! Maybe we could have better results if we try harder tomorrow!"

Apple Bloom shifted her glance between her friends before she sighed in defeat. "Alright, Ah suppose tomorro's another day…" She trotted up to Applejack and waved to her friends "Don't ferget! We'll catch up on this tomorro'! See ya later, girls!" Twilight and the other crusaders waved goodbye while the two Apple siblings trotted out the door.

Applejack trotted along with curiousity welling deep inside of her. Ah wonder what's buggin' Apple Bloom. She's been mighty quiet th' whole time… The farmpony turned to see her sister with her head hung down, a thoughtful expression on her face. Her curiousity piqued, Applejack decided to pry at Apple Bloom and see what was wrong. "So, Ah heard that ya had some kind o' mystery with yer friends. Must be purty important iffin' y'all were involvin' Twilight!"

Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack smiling down at her and tried to respond the best way she could. "Yeah, but it's not much t' worry 'bout now. Ah'm gonna try harder with th' other crusaders and get our cutie mark later!"

Applejack's smile widened. "At least yer showin' commitment! It's good t' know that yer willin' t' keep it up! What's yer mystery 'bout, anyways?"

Apple Bloom was lucky not to flinch when her older sister asked the question. Knowing that Applejack was the Element of Honesty, she tried to twist the truth for the sake of keeping her mystery under wraps. "Well, it's somethin' t' do with magic, obviously. Who else knows 'bout magic better than Twilight?"

Applejack chuckled. "Ah hear that! Say, are y'all tryin' t' help Sweetie Belle with learnin' magic at a young age?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "No, we were jus' lookin' up some history an' stuff. Nothin' major!" The yellow filly paused in her words, and decided to ask a question. "Applejack, did ya ever learn anythin' while y'all were in Manehattan? Anythin' on magic?"

Applejack snorted. "Only that my real family was in Ponyville th' whole time! Ah wasn't too happy tryin' t' act like Aunt an' Uncle Orange! As fer magic, it's purty obvious considerin' we're earth ponies!" She gave a matter-of-fact smile with a tone to match.

Apple Bloom chuckled. "Right, sorry…" Reailizing that her efforts were in vain, she tried to change the subject. "So, what's gonna be fer supper t'night?"

Applejack perked up and grinned at her sister. "Yer gonna be excited t' know that Granny's makin' yer favorite soup!"

Apple Bloom beamed, her thoughts on Applejack forgotten for the moment. "Really!?"

Applejack winked "Oh yeah! She's makin' us that soup! Believe it!"

*****

Sweetie Belle trotted back to Carousel Boutique and opened the door as she made her way inside. She looked around as she called out to her sister. "Rarity! I'm home!" When no answer was heard, the unicorn filly trotted into the kitchen to see it was empty. "Hello? Rarity, where are you?" She decided to go upstairs to see if the fashionista was busy.

Inside of her room, Rarity was looking at a foreign object in silence as she sat on her bed with an open, long wooden box. With a neutral expression, she looked upon what appeared to be a well-crafted curved blade, that gleamed at the edge with its excellent structure. She even managed to scope out a faint reflection of her face upon looking closely at it. She smiled wanly as she put the sword back in its scabbard. Memories are nice, Rarity, but that's all they are. Though my memories aren't all nice…

A knock on her door startled her. She barely stifled a gasp of surprise and quickly levitated the sword into the open box as her sister's voice called out from behind the door. "Rarity, are you in there? I'm back from Twilight's and I'm very hungry!"

After locking the box and hiding it quickly and carefully underneath her bed, she replied. "Oh, welcome back, Sweetie Belle! I'm very sorry about not making dinner tonight! What say I…" She looked down in thought, before a distant memory filled with laughter gave her an idea. Rarity turned to the door with a hopeful smile "What if we go out for pizza tonight? Would that make up for my forgetting?"

As expected, Sweetie Belle let out a cheer. "Pizza night? Yay!!" After a moment of this, there was a brief pause. Then the unicorn filly asked, "Rarity, why did you lock your bedroom door? I don't hear you working at all!"

Rarity was thankful that her door was closed so Sweetie Belle couldn't see her awkward grin. "Erm, I was… powdering my nose? I have to look my best, you know!"

Sweetie Belle's eye-roll was nearly audible through the door, followed by trailing hoofsteps. "Bad enough you 'need' to keep your hair dyed even though everypony saw it…" continued griping as her voice faded.

With a sigh of relief, Rarity made sure to check on the box before she hid it under her bed once more. She then trotted to the door and unlocked it with her magic, and opened it up as she smiled to herself, more brightly than before Sweetie Belle's interruption. To think that particular memory crossed my mind… I guess I do have nice memories, after all.

Act Three: Abyssal Outbreak

Act Three:

Abyssal Outbreak

"Oh, my stars! I'm simply exhausted, Applejack! So much has happened ever since last week!" Rarity exclaimed as she flopped bonelessly onto a chair outside the cafe.

"Business for Hoity Toity been good, then?" asked the farmer with a knowing smirk.

"You have no idea," moaned the fashionista. "After I re-dyed my mane, I worked double-time on that order for Hoity Toity, finishing the last three dresses I needed, with time to spare! So I decided to 'hang out', as the saying goes, with Sweetie Belle for a day or two."

"Issat why Apple Bloom's got her tail in a bunch?" Applejack asked. "She was kinda upset that Sweetie was too busy t' help solve this mystery th' Crusaders have been working on. They even roped Twilight int' helpin' them, and they haven't had much luck so far."

"Really?" Rarity asked, momentarily forgetting her own exhaustion as she looked up at Applejack. "What sort of mystery could stump our Twilight?"

"Beats me, ah haven't asked," the earth pony replied with a shrug.

Rarity returned the shrug, then sank back into her histrionics. "Anyway, when Hoity Toity arrived, I was a nervous wreck. I thought for certain my designs wouldn't be good enough. But, my fears were unfounded. He praised them, like he did with my Gala dress designs a couple of years ago." She leaned back with a massive grin on her face.

"So, why all th' fatigue?" prodded Applejack, wearing a bemused smile of her own.

"He ordered five of every ensemble I had," the unicorn said simply. "And asked to have them by the end of this week."

Applejack winced. She wasn't big on 'fancy mathematics' as she liked to call them, but even she knew that five times ten was fifty, and fifty dresses in seven days was stretching even Rarity's considerable talent. "So, how long did it take ya t' finish?"

"Five days," groaned Rarity. "I've been cooped up in the Boutique for five days, working on that order. I do believe I've earned a bit of a break."

"No kiddin', Rare," Applejack said with a nod. "Ah know that ah get a bit out of it if'n ah spend more'n four days in a row out in th' fields."

"As you learned that one Applebuck season, no?" came the teasing reply.

"Guilty," the farmer replied with a grin of her own.

As their orders arrived, Rarity pulled herself up from her floppy position, and began eating her daffodil-and-lettuce sandwich daintily. Applejack was less refined, shoving her face into the plate of hay fries.

"Really, Applejack, I understand that you live on a farm, but is proper decorum while eating truly too much to ask?" Rarity asked, with a mock-frown of distaste. This argument was old hat between the two of them, and there was never any heat behind the words.

To her surprise, though, the farmer pulled her face out of the plate, calmly unfolded her napkin, and replied without a trace of her cowpony twang, "If you insist, madame Rarity."

The unicorn was dumbfounded for a moment, until she remembered one detail about Applejack's life. "Ah, aha! I forget sometimes that you lived in Manehattan briefly, dear."

The farmer grinned, switching back to her normal style of speaking. "Eh, ah don't go around mentionin' it all th' time, so ah understand. Ah don't really like talkin' like that, anyhow. Makes me feel like ah'm bein' dishonest t' myself."

"And we all know how much you value honesty," Rarity nodded. "Though, I can't help but wonder how I'd react if I never knew about that facet of your life, and you started speaking like that."

"Ya'd probably try t' rope me into usin' that voice more often t' get yerself inta high places in Manehattan."

"I wouldn't!" Rarity exclaimed, but wilted under the deadpan gaze of her orange friend. "Actually, I probably would."

Applejack smiled. "Glad yer bein' honest, Rare. Now, let's finish up an' – "

She was cut off as a flash of light heralded the arrival of a panicked-looking Twilight. "Oh! There you two are! Come on, we need to get to the library! The other girls are already there!" She'd barely finished before she started running off.

Rarity and Applejack exchanged bewildered looks, but left some bits on the table to pay for their meals, before dashing after the purple unicorn. Being a hard-working farmpony, it didn't take long for Applejack to catch up, and even Rarity managed to keep pace with them. "Twi! What's goin' on?!" the farmer asked.

"I'm not sure!" the student replied, her mane sticking out in places. "All I know is that a letter from Celestia came, telling me to gather you girls by the library, and that it was marked urgent!"

"Well, it seems we're just in time, darling!" Rarity pointed out. "Isn't that a Royal Guard carriage coming towards the library?"

Looking up, the other two mares quickened their pace towards the library, hoping to beat the carriage. It wasn't the typical two- or three-pony chariots that the Royal Guard employed to ferry individual ponies on the Princess's orders. This was a full golden carriage, meant to hold multiple ponies at once. Two Royal Guard pegasi flew in front of it, and two more behind.

The three mares got to the library, just before the carriage touched down. Their other three friends approached from inside. "I take it that's our ride?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'd… assume so," Twilight panted, the exertion from running having winded her.

The door to the carriage opened, revealing a white stallion with a blue mane. "Good, you're all here," Shining Armor said. "Inside, now!"

Twilight's initial glee at seeing her brother lasted less than a second at his brusque request. She and the others obeyed, climbing into the carriage without protest. The moment Fluttershy's tail was completely inside the threshold of the door, Shining's horn glowed, and the door snapped shut. This was apparently the cue for the pegasi, as they took off, carrying the vehicle towards its destination.

"Big brother, what's going on?" asked Twilight. "Princess Celestia's letter didn't give me any specifics."

"While I tell you all that, you might want to put these on," Shining replied, pulling an ornate chest out from under one of the seats. Opening it, he revealed six familiar pieces of jewelry: five necklaces and one tiara, more commonly known as –

"The Elements of Harmony!" Twilight gasped. She began levitating and distributing the Elements to their respective bearers, while taking the tiara of Magic for herself. "Is the situation really that serious?"

"Yes and no," the stallion replied cryptically. "Princess Celestia wants the Elements on standby, mostly as insurance. If all goes well, though, you won't have to do much of anything."

"Captain Armor, I'm getting tired of you evading the question at hoof," Rarity broke in, frowning. "What, precisely, is going on?"

Shining met her gaze. "Technically, it's 'Lord' Armor, since I married Cadence." He sighed. "But as for what's going on… simply put, there's been a breach at the Gates of Tartarus."

All the mares gasped. Even Pinkie Pie knew how serious such an event was. "How'd y'all find out?" Applejack asked, wondering how much damage had been caused.

"Princess Luna," was the guard captain's reply. "She barged into the throne room, completely unexpected, and shouted that there'd been a breach at the Gates."

"Wait, how the hay would she know?" Rainbow asked with a blink.

Shining gave a wry smirk. "Princess Luna commands more than just the night sky, you know. She's also the head overseer of Tartarus, being the predominant user of dark magic in the world. As such, she can detect when there's trouble in Tartarus. And if there's a breach at the Gates, it's… how did she describe it? Ah, it's 'a cacophony of one thousand bells mixed with the screams of one thousand bats, all clamoring in my head'. That's how she phrased it."

Everypony winced. "Is Princess Luna alright?" asked Fluttershy.

"She's fine," assured the stallion. "In fact, she's the one directing the Guard at the Gates at this very moment. We'll be landing near the Gates."

"How bad is the breach?" Twilight queried, nervousness fading now that she was assured the situation was well in-hoof.

"It's pretty sizeable," Shining admitted. "My guess is, Cerberus was sleeping on the job, and a few demons thought they'd get lucky with a jailbreak." He smirked. "Had they tried before Princess Luna came back, they might have gotten away."

"So, what's going to happen? Will we have to hunt down the demons through the woods like professional demon hunters? Oh, wait, none of us has a library with an armory in it. But maybe that's okay! Twilight has a library, so all she needs is – "

"PINKIE PIE!!!" was the collective shout. Even Shining had gotten in on silencing the hyperactive mare. He continued. "Like I said earlier, you're mostly going to be there as insurance. If, for some reason, a demon slips past Princess Luna and the Guard, the Elements of Harmony ought to take care of it."

"Understood," Twilight said with a nod. "You can count on us, right girls?"

"Right!" The fellow element bearers, save for Fluttershy, stood tall and confident as they voiced themselves in unison. The timid pegasus didn't mind Cerberus at all, but the fact she was about to face scary demons sent myriad shivers through her body.

*****

Out in the barren plains stood a large and ominous set of open gates, sporting a decadent gothic structure. There was a roar of agony and fear as a demon was flung through the gate, vanishing into the void on the other side.

Facing the demons was none other than Princess Luna, as she zapped her latest set of opponents and sent each of them flying into the gates. She was lucky to catch a demon that lunged at her in a magical grip, meeting its bewildered gaze with narrowed eyes of conviction. After she tossed the demon back into Tartarus, she called to her squadron of guards. "Keep at it, everypony! Make sure that not a single demon escapes this area!!"

The aforementioned guards were busy fighting their own opponents, though they did not have as much success individually as the Princess of the Night. The leader of the group, Pale Fury, managed to take down his opponent and knock him away before moving to aid his soldiers. "Yes, your majesty!!" He said as he leered his scarred eyes onto his next target.

The battle's rage simmered down with the dwindling number of demons. Luna finally seized the last one and tossed it back into the depths from where it emerged from. As she did so, her ears flicked at the sound of approaching wingbeats. The Princess of the Night looked up to see that her assumption was correct when she noticed a carriage being pulled by four Royal Guards descend and land near her.

The doors opened to reveal Shining Armor and the Elements of Harmony making their way out, only to see that the job was finished. Pinkie frowned upon seeing this. "Awwww, I wanted to fight some demons," She whined, only to instantly wave in her usual chipper mood. "Hi, Princess Luna!!"

Luna was able to smile at the visiting group, knowing that she and her guards managed to finish the job. "Greetings to you all!" She examined Twilight and the others wearing their elements and raised a hoof, "There is no need for further assistance, friends! Your princess has solved this problem easily! We shall see all of you in Canter– !"

"Your majesty!!"

Luna spun to face towards the gates after hearing Pale Fury's call. The guards were all crowded together in front of the gates and struggled with an unseen force. This changed when a powerful bellow was heard, followed by a heavy swing as the guards were flung back to reveal another demon wielding a massive sword.

It was bipedal and stood taller in comparison to the ones that were dealt with earlier, wearing ebony armor mixed with a tattered indigo garb that flowed in the breeze. Part of the garb made up of the hood that covered the demon's skeletal face as its eyes glowed an eerie yellow. Fluttershy was instantly frightened as she quickly hid behind Shining Armor, much to her friends' chagrin. Rainbow Dash and Twilight were equally nervous, though they stood their ground. Pinkie only awed obliviously at the demon's appearance as it leered at the group.

The demon pointed a boned digit at Luna with its free hand as the demon's jaw opened to give way to the powerful voice that was heard before. "You! Are you supposed to be the proclaimed overseer of Tartarus!?" It spoke in a male and commanding tone, albeit condescending.

Luna turned to face the newest demon with a glare. "Verily! And who art thou to address us in such a manner, demon!?" She commanded herself.

The demon laughed and placed his skeletal hand on his chest. "I… am Zabuchrion! And I seek someone worth my strength!!"

Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Rarity eyed Zabuchrion with a seemingly calm aura; not the least bit threatened by the demon's appearance.

Applejack appeared to be the same way as she looked upon the large sword and contemplated the demon's name, almost wanting to chuckle to herself despite the situation.

Luna stood her ground as her horn glowed. "If it is a skirmish that thou seeks, then have at thee!!" She pawed at the ground.

Zabuchrion took a moment to examine the standing ponies, namely Rarity, and reared his head back in laughter. "I'm to believe that you're what's left for me to face?" He said as he looked back at Luna,"For a warden of Tartarus, you seem to have a good sense of humor!!"

Luna bared her teeth and growled, "Thou would be wise not to bite off more then thou can chew, impudent fiend!!"

Zabuchrion spread out his arms as he held his sword and called out, "Then show me what you're capable of, so-called overseer!! Show me your power!!" He stood to see Luna slowly take the bait, but his gaze slightly shifted towards the alabaster unicorn mare behind her.

Luna called out with her Royal Canterlot Voice, showing that she was taken in by Zabuchrion's goading. "THY HOUR OF RECKONING IS UPON THEE, ZABUCHRION!!" She fired a bolt of lightning, which Zabuchrion easily jumped away from as it blasted the ground where he once stood, causing a small crater.

Zabuchrion scoffed once he landed. "A trifle! Surely one such as yourself can do without such petty aim!! Try and hit me next time! Or is it that your age is finally catching up to you?"

Rarity's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing Zabuchrion's taunts. Such a detestable creature should be lucky to roam Tartarus and not engage Princess Luna in combat… the fool… The fashionista almost felt compelled to join the fight rather than stand by with her friends and letting Luna handle it.

Applejack noticed her friend's expression and turned to Rarity with an arched eyebrow. Hmm… Somethin' don't seem right with Rarity… Is she that bugged 'bout this Zabuchrion feller?

Luna proceeded to gallop towards Zabuchrion and close the distance between them. The demon had other plans when he calculated the position where he stood as he raised his sword arm. Perfect... He reeled back his sword arm and swung it forward as he tossed it at Luna.

The princess of the night saw this and dodged out of the way. Luna would have uttered a quip to counter Zabuchrion's taunting had she not ignored where the sword was headed. She looked back, and her eyes widened on seeing that the sword was headed straight for Rarity. Luna called over to her, "Rarity!! Look out!!"

The warning came too late. Rarity had been too focused on Luna and Zabuchrion's fight to notice the danger she was in. As such, the warning served only to bring her awareness of her surroundings back to normal, just in time for the sword to bury itself, point-first up to mid-blade, into her chest. The force behind the throw pinned her against the carraige, where she hung spread-eagled for a moment. Then her body fell limp, leaving her looking like some mockery of a foal's prize specimen in their butterfly collection.

Everypony around the fashionista was overtaken by their own shock upon seeing their friend impaled by a demon's blade; the very scene stole their voices when most of them felt the need to scream out Rarity's name.

Applejack was the most shocked, yet was also burning with a steadily-growing ire as she turned towards the cackling demon that dared to slay one of her dear friends. She closed her eyes with a solemn frown as she felt the world around her stop for a moment. This feller's done forced my hoof… After she took a deep breath, Applejack felt a nostalgic sensation of power course through her body; this power was entirely different from her Element of Honesty. Come on, now… Ah know it's been a while, but Ah need yer help…

As she stood, Applejack's mane and tail began billowing in a gust centered on her, as a faint aura began forming around her. Twilight was the first to notice as her shock at Rarity's condition faded. "What the – …Applejack??"

The farmpony did not hear as she continued focusing on the power within her. The sensation coming from her was completely alien to the rest of her friends, the aura around her building to shine a brilliant red-orange. She bared her teeth and furrowed her eyebrows as she gave a light growl. Dern fox… Help me out!! Applejack planted herself in a stable position as the aura around her began to increase both its radius and intensity, whirling rapidly around her as she gathered the attention of her friends. Soon, the faux freckles on either side of her cheeks faded and gave way to her set of whisker lines; both sets slightly growing in size to resemble the stripes on Zecora's face. Her teeth grew sharp in appearance, resembling canine teeth seen on manticores.

Zabuchrion ceased his laughter on noticing the scene before him. He cocked his head in confusion that slowly turned to intrigue. Interesting… so he's not the only one with incredible power…

Even Luna was stunned to see Applejack being surrounded in such a powerful aura. "Tis madness…" She whispered as she stared at the earth pony in front of her.

When Applejack felt that she had achieved a good amount of power, she opened her eyes to reveal red, beastlike irises that leered at her new opponent as she spoke in a low, guttural voice, "Zabuchrion!! Yer dead!!" After a short paw at the ground, Applejack bolted towards the distracted demon. Instead of a regular gallop, however, the farmpony seemed to fly across the ground, barely touching her hooves down before lifting them again, almost rivaling Rainbow Dash's speed while she passed Luna.

The aforementioned pegasus's jaw dropped as she stared at the enraged earth pony, before turning to her friends. "I'm not the only one that's seeing this, right!? Right!?!" She asked in a heavily bewildered tone.

Twilight shook her head as she viewed Applejack with the same awe as her friends. "No, you're not… it's like Applejack became something else the moment we lost Rarity! I don't know how this happened!!"

Fluttershy moved out of her hiding place to watch, with the oddest sensation; it was as if her friend had become one of the many animals she looked after. The timid pegasus blinked at her transformed friend. …Applejack?

Applejack roared in rage as she finally reached Zabuchrion and swiftly turned herself around and positioned herself to buck the demon square in his chest with strength to match her unbridled fury. Zabuchrion gasped in pain as he was sent flying across the wastes, though not into the gates.

Zabuchrion recovered with a hack as he got back on his feet. This one's actually strong enough to face me! No matter… He got up and braced himself for another attack.

Applejack roared again as she leapt at her opponent, right foreleg reeled back for a punch. Zabuchrion managed to block, but he grunted when he felt the force put into the attack. He then proceeded to grab Applejack's foreleg and toss her away; however, the farmpony was able to recover midair after being sent back.

Luna was still stunned at the sudden transformation of Applejack into a near-feral state, but then remembered Rarity as she jerked her head towards the fashionista. I must hurry! All may be lost if one of the elements sheds their mortal coil!! She galloped to Rarity's side as she was held up by Zabuchrion's blade.

Of all the times to be caught up in a fight, this has to be one of them… And to think that I would even succumb to this particular habit of his. Funny; I remember being on the other end of this once, on the top of Temen-ni-gru. But in a way, this reminds me of what I used to seek…

Power… Endless power for me and me alone…

Power to protect those I hold dear…

Without power I cannot defend anypony, let alone myself…

I think, for the first time in this life, it's time to listen to the darker half of my soul.

Rarity's eyebrows furrowed as her forelegs twitched.

Pinkie noticed and gasped. "Everypony! Look!!"

Luna managed to reach Rarity, and also noticed the fashionista's movement. "She is still alive! Step aside, friends! I must keep her from dying!!" But before she could activate her horn, Luna gasped at what was happening.

Rarity, seemingly unconsciously, lifted her right foreleg over the blade that impaled her, and gripped it firmly as she began to pull. To add to the towering shock and confusion from the others, the blade moved out of her chest slowly while it was being pulled.

When it was out entirely, Rarity's horn glowed as it held the blade in a telekinetic grip. The most baffling thing was that there was no wound left behind, nor any trace, save for the blood staining the fasionista's alabaster coat. She then dropped onto all fours, as if nothing happened, and opened her eyes to reveal a cold and calculating gaze. "Now I'm motivated…" Ignoring what could be considered the most shock placed into her friends in one day, Rarity galloped with Zabuchrion's sword in tow, jumping into the fray.

Zabuchrion continued defending himself against Applejack's punches as she was caught in an anger-driven frenzy. When Zabuchrion grew irritated at his opponent's relentless onslaught, he snarled as he laid a punch square in Applejack's face the moment she was open, sending her back several feet from the demon. Zabuchrion chuckled. "I know not where you got this power, little pony, but I must say that you've actually piqued my interest!! Tell me, what is your name?"

Applejack growled. "Th' name's Applejack, and lemme jus' say that Ah'm not in th' mood t' talk right now after what y'all did t' my friend!!"

Zabuchrion nodded. "Good! Now I know the name of the one that actually stood up to me in battle!!" He conjured another sword of the same size as his former one and held it in a firm stance, "Come! Let me end you here!!" Before anything else could happen, he felt a breeze and quickly defended himself on his left when he noticed his old blade clashing against his new one. As expected from you…

He pushed the blade away, and looked to see Rarity wearing a look of cold fury as she levitated her new weapon. "And just what do you think you're doing to my friend, cretin?" She growled. Unnoticed by her, Applejack wore a look of mild befuddlement upon seeing the 'dead' unicorn stand ready for battle.

Zabuchrion scoffed. "So, you're still alive! I suppose I was wrong in assuming that all of Equestria was not ready for conflict!!"

Applejack, shelving her confusion, glared at Zabuchrion as she growled. "Ya'd be mighty surprised t' know what we've been through 'fore ya came along!!"

The demon cackled at that. "As if I'd expect you all to know the horrors of battle!" He pointed his blade at Rarity, "You and your friend's power is to be commended, but it is not enough for what lies ahead!!"

Rarity's eyes narrowed to slits as she readied her sword. "You will fall here…" She uttered coldly.

Applejack pawed at the ground. "Yer cruisin' fer a bruisin', partner!!" She broke into another superequine gallop towards her opponent. Rarity seemed to teleport forward as her sword was pointed towards Zabuchrion. The two mares simultaneously closed the distance and began a double-team on the demon.

Zabuchrion was lucky to evade Rarity's strikes while blocking Applejack's with his sword, but he was gradually overwhelmed by their seemingly primal ferocity. These two may prove to be quite entertaining with their combined strength! But let us see how far they can actually go! He swung his sword at Rarity and Applejack; Rarity dodging the blade while Applejack caught it in a forehoof. "Wh-What!?"

While he was stopped, Rarity saw the opportunity and swung her blade at Zabuchrion, striking him in his side and causing him to stumble in pain. From there, she continued slashing at him as her attacks became both faster and more focused, as if Rarity had practiced the ways of the sword before the fight.

The rational part of Luna's mind told her to join her friends, but she could only watch as the demon suffered under the relentless assault of Rarity and Applejack. Just what is going on!? Applejack being able to channel demonic power? Rarity wielding a sword as though it were second nature? There must be something about them...

Applejack grinned while she held the blade and called out "Alright, Rarity, it's my turn now! Lemme take a few shots at 'im!" She lightly pushed away the blade and began a pugilistic assault at Zabuchrion's chest, the demon grunting in pain with each hit.

Rarity smirked at Applejack's attacks. "It seems to me that your years of labor are paying off, Applejack!" she quipped.

Applejack knocked away Zabuchrion as he skidded a few feet from the last hit. The farmpony did not turn to Rarity, but smiled herself. "An' yer pretty graceful with that there blade!! Looks like we both got some explainin' t' do after this!!"

Rarity finally remembered her friends and felt a small pang of guilt and embarrassment. "Please don't remind me! Let's be rid of this brute and quell this sad attempt at a jailbreak, shall we?" She readied her blade and galloped towards Zabuchrion.

Zabuchrion recovered and readied himself as he ran towards Rarity and clashed swords with a snarl. The two combatants locked their intense gazes as they continuously swung at each other; the blades causing sparks to fly with each clash.

Applejack leaped up in the air and readied her hoof as she soared down. "Forget 'bout me, sugarcube!?" She shouted as she went to strike.

Zabuchrion growled. "Parasites! The both of you!!" He jumped away from Rarity's blade and braced himself for Applejack's attempt as his sword met the farmpony's hoof.

Applejack grinned. "Gotcha!!" While her outstretched hoof rested against the steel of Zabuchrion's blade, she twisted her body and swung a hindleg onto the demon's skull, landing a successful hit as he was brought down.

Rarity quickly galloped up to Zabuchrion and readied her blade. "There!!" She jabbed her blade into the demon's chest.

Applejack jumped away from Zabuchrion the moment Rarity landed her hit, and the fashionista followed suit as she left the sword stabbed in the demon's chest. The two leered at their opponent, thinking that they had killed him, but they both heard the demon breathing deeply.

Zabuchrion continued to breath with his head hung until he began a soft fit of laughter that grew in volume. He faced his mangled head towards the heavens as his jaw opened wide and gave way to a bellow of defiant laughter, nearly provoking Applejack and Rarity. "Yes… Yes!! This is the sensation! The impetus of conflict that he desires! You may actually prove to be good sport for when the moment comes!!!" He pulled the blade out from his chest and let it fall onto the ground with a loud clang before it dissolved into a black mist. He took a step forward, causing the two mares to tense up and prepare for another fight. However, the demon surprisingly changed course, dragging himself towards the open gates as if he were commanded to do so.

Applejack called out in anger, "Where do ya think yer goin'!? Ain't ya gonna stand yer ground an' fight!?"

Zabuchrion gave a dark chuckle as he neared the gates. "You shouldn't worry about me… I would gladly skirmish with you both, but I'm not so much a warrior as I am a messenger!"

Rarity took a step forward. "And just what are you getting at? What's the message that you were so keen to send to us!?" She called out in an interrogating tone.

The demon reached the gates and shifted his head back at a sideways glance towards his former opponents. "That there lies a greater battle for you and the rest of this land in the near future! I am but a herald for one who will gladly grace you with his presence once he sees fit!"

Applejack stomped a hoof. "Who's th' one pullin' yer strings then!? Bring 'im on out here so we can actually settle this!!"

Zabuchrion chuckled once more. "Such spirit! I'm pleased to know that there are beings in this realm that can actually fight! However, I've wasted enough time here. Enjoy your moments of peace, equines, for they might be your last!!" He took one last look at Rarity before he faced away from the group and dragged himself into the gates and disappeared into the darkness.

Act Four: Tales of the Past (Fox)

Act Four:

Tales of the Past: Fox

Applejack sighed as she closed her eyes. The aura surrounding her faded, and the whisker marks on her face shrank back to their normal sizes. "Well, dang. Here ah was hopin' we coulda finished the job," she complained.

Rarity nodded, a slight pout to her face. "Honestly, how uncooperative can one demon be?"

The farmpony opened her eyes, revealing her normal green irises rather than the bestial red ones she'd sported moments ago. "On another note, how the hay did ya survive gettin' impaled through the heart?"

"Ah. That," Rarity mumbled, now looking rather uncomfortable. "I suppose I do owe everypony an explanation."

"Indeed. Both of you do." The two mares turned to look at the Princess of the Night, who was wearing a critical expression. Beside her stood Shining Armor, who regarded the two mares warily. Behind both of them were the other Bearers, all wearing expressions of varying degrees of shock. Even Pinkie Pie looked dumbfounded.

Applejack sighed, then doubled over as a lance of pain shot through her. Rainbow Dash was the first to break from her stupor, and flew over to her longtime friend. "Hey, AJ! You okay?"

Coughing a little, the earth pony nodded. "Yeah. Just a small price ta pay fer usin' that power." Seeing the pegasus about to ask, she waved her off. "Ah'll explain later, an' only once."

Rarity nodded. "The same with me. What I have to say, I'd rather not repeat."

Rainbow sighed, but backed off. Princess Luna stepped forward. "If the two of you are ready, we'll go to Canterlot, where you can explain these events. You will explain to us, our sister, and your friends."

The two mares gulped a little. Neither of them was looking forward to this.

*****

Roughly an hour later, the six Bearers were gathered in a private conference room, along with all three Princesses and Shining Armor. Princess Cadence had been called down from the Crystal Empire for this, at Luna's request.

"Now that we're all here," the Princess of Night began, looking at Applejack and Rarity, "perhaps one of you can begin telling us how you were able to accomplish the events earlier."

Both mares sighed, and looked at the other. "Shall I begin, darling, or would you like to?" the alabaster unicorn asked.

"Ah might as well," Applejack replied. "Ah've been keepin' this secret since ah was born, after all. Not even mah family knows the full story." She then glanced around the room. "And ah'd thank y'all if'n it stayed that way. Th' only reason ah'm even tellin' y'all is 'cause most o' ya saw what happened anyway."

The other Bearers nodded, while the older ponies exchanged glances. After a moment, the Princesses and Shining Armor nodded as well, albeit with a touch of wariness on everypony but Celestia's parts.

Applejack drew in a breath. "Alright. Firs' thing's first. How much do y'all know about reincarnation?"

"Reincarnation: the rebirth of an individual as an entirely different individual," Twilight recited immediately. "Of course, such a thing is mere speculation, since nopony has memories from past lives."

"Ah do," the farmpony retorted, shocking the scholar into silence.

Luna coughed. "Would these memories of thy past life be part of how thou were able to wield magic earlier?"

Applejack snorted. "Weren't magic, Princess Luna. Leastways, not like unicorn magic." She sighed again. "Ah guess ah'd better start with some big stuff. In mah past life, ah weren't a pony. Ah weren't even from Equestria."

That certainly shocked everypony else. Even Celestia arched an eyebrow. It was Cadence who voiced the question on everypony's mind. "If you weren't a pony, then what were you?"

"Ah was somethin' called a human," the orange mare replied. "Picture a monkey, make it completely bipedal, take off most o' the hair, get rid o' the tail, make it stand about five ta six feet tall, and there's yer basic human."

"Fascinating," murmured Twilight. "I wonder how such a creature moves around, without even a tail for balance?"

Applejack smiled. "Humans have an incredible sense of balance, Twi. Although, ah admit, ah weren't the most coordinated of humans. In fact, ah was downright clumsy at times."

"So what was your name in your past life?" Fluttershy asked. "I mean, if you want to tell us…"

"S'alright, Fluttershy, ah don't mind," Applejack reassured the yellow pegasus. "Mah name was Naruto Uzumaki."

"Strange name," Rainbow Dash murmured.

"No stranger than ah thought 'Rainbow Dash' was first time ah saw ya," the farmpony snarked. Then her expression grew serious. "Anyways, we're gettin' off-topic. Y'all wanted t' know what happened out there, right? Well, ah need t' give y'all some backstory." She blew out a breath, then sucked it back in. "First thing ah gotta say is this: my childhood sucked."

Pinkie snorted. "Oh, come on, AJ. I know what it's like to have a bad fillyhood."

Fluttershy nodded. "Well, I mean, as bad as teasing is, anyway…"

Applejack sighed. "No offense t' the two o' ya, but ya really don't get what ah mean. Ah'm not talkin' about somethin' as small as being teased or bullied, or livin' a dull life. When ah was growin' up, ah had t' worry about mah very survival. Ah was an orphan, and a pariah. The orphanage ah stayed at kicked me out when ah was two years old, and the village leader had t' step in an' give me an apartment of mah own, along with an allowance."

Everypony was aghast. "How could the orphanage do that?!" exclaimed Twilight. "Isn't their job to care for orphans?"

"Like ah said, ah was a pariah, and that weren't even the worst part," Applejack said. "When ah was on mah own, ah could barely find anythin' t' wear or eat. Ah was overcharged or given rotten or spoiled food, if the storekeeper didn't throw me out right away. There was really only one place that would serve me without judgin' me. As fer clothes, th' only thing ah really had that was worth anythin' was this bright orange jumpsuit. Ah liked the color orange, so ah didn't mind too much."

Rarity smirked. "Well, it's a good thing you liked the color, seeing as you now live with it." She frowned. "Still, though, that's barbaric, treating a mere child like that!"

"Oh, that still ain't the worst part," the earth pony sighed. "The worst part was that every year, on mah birthday, a mob of villagers would gather, and try t' hunt me down and beat me within an inch of mah life. After the first close call, ah usually spent mah birthdays hidin' in the village leader's office."

If everypony had been aghast before, now they were downright horrified. "What kind of messed up village is this place?!" Rainbow snarled. "Why did they go through so much effort to make one kid suffer?!"

"Ah didn't know myself fer the longest time," Applejack admitted. "The village's name was Konohagakure."

"'Hidden in the Leaves'? That's an odd name," Twilight mused. She looked up to see Applejack gaping at her. "What? Neighpon has an interesting language."

The farmpony shook her head. "Anyway, this kept up till ah was about six years old. Around that time, the village leader decided t' enroll me in the Academy for the village's military. Once ah started learnin' how t' defend mahself, the yearly mobs backed off. The villagers still talked down about me, though. An' ah didn't find out why until ah was twelve, about t' graduate from the Academy."

"So why did the villagers hate you?" Luna asked, concern on her face.

Applejack took her hat off, and ran a hoof through her mane. "Well, that's another bit o' backstory. See, the year ah was born – matter of fact, it was mah own birthday – the village came under attack by somethin' called the Kyuubi no Kitsune, or the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. It was a massive thing, said t' be able t' level mountains with just one swing of its tail. The previous village leader died in the process of killin' it."

"At least, that was the official story."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "You're not saying…?"

Applejack's expression was grim. "Powerful though our leader was, he was just mortal. The Kyuubi was an ancient thing, too powerful t' comprehend. So, he did somethin' else." She reared up on her hind legs, bracing herself on the table, and closed her eyes. A moment later, a sigil appeared on her stomach, a spiral surrounded by wavy lines. "He sealed the Kyuubi within a newborn child. Me."

Everypony stared at the design, none more intently than Twilight. She recognized the pattern instantly. After all, she and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had spent the better part of a week trying to determine what the seal meant. And now, here it was in front of her. A part of her realized that Apple Bloom had probably invaded Applejack's privacy in order to get the design. She resolved to tell the orange mare once all was said and done here.

"So the Kyuubi is the reason thou were able to encase thyself in such an aura earlier?" asked Luna.

"Eeyup." Applejack let the seal fade, and sat back down. "And it's the reason the villagers hated me. Because – "

" – they could only see what brought them so much grief," finished the Princess of Night. "Tis something we are all too familiar with, Applejack."

"Ah guess ya would be, what with Nightmare Moon an' all," the farmpony sighed.

"So, how does the seal work?" asked Twilight, intrigued.

Applejack smirked slightly. "Welp, from what ah understand, it's designed t' do a few things. First off, my natural energy reserves are much higher than the norm. When ah was human, ah used to bounce around, kinda like Pinkie Pie."

"Sounds fun!" the party pony proclaimed perkily. "So why aren't you so bouncy these days?"

"Good hard work lets me moderate mah energy now, Pinkie. Ah didn't have the farm when ah was human, though, so ah could barely sit still." The orange mare smiled ruefully. "Which got me int' a fair bit of trouble when ah played pranks on the village."

"You used to be a prankster?" Rainbow's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Eeyup. One time, ah even painted over the monument on the mountainside near the village." Seeing the blank looks, she elaborated. "Basically, the equivalent of somepony paintin' graffiti on a statue o' Princess Celestia."

"Oh," came the collective reply.

"Yeah, ah was a right li'l hellion. Anyways, back t' the seal. It also gave me an advanced healin' rate. One o' y'all could break mah leg, an' it'd be back t' normal in a week at most. Ah tell ya, that sure came in handy a few times."

"I can imagine, what with those mobs," Rarity muttered darkly.

Applejack nodded. "The last part o' the seal basically filters the Kyuubi's own energy into mine, meanin' my reserves will increase the longer ah live. In times o' trouble, though, ah can tap int' the Kyuubi's power directly for a boost in mah abilities. That's what happened earlier."

"So that's why you looked more… animal-like," Fluttershy mused. "The feeling I got from you, it was like you'd become one of the animals I look after."

"Guess that makes sense," Applejack nodded. "Ah'm drawin' on the fox's own power, so ah take on more animal qualities."

"So what was with the pain you showed after that?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack grimaced. "Well, thing is, the fox's power is dangerous t' mortals. Usin' it a little ain't so bad, but if ah use it too long or too often, it'll start t' hurt me, and that ain't something mah healin' factor can deal with easily. Ah got off lucky t'day."

Rainbow grimaced. "No kidding."

Then Shining Armor asked the question Applejack had been dreading. "So, if all that's true, why do you remember it? And why do you still have the Kyuubi within you?"

Applejack sighed. "It all started after this one disastrous mission. One of mah friends up and decided to defect ta an enemy village 'cause he thought Konoha was holdin' him back. Me an' four others were sent after him ta try and bring him back. We failed, and a few o' us barely survived."

Here, the farmpony's eyes grew stormy. "An' while ah was recoverin' in the hospital, ah got some really unpleasant news…"

~~~~~

"Ehhh?!" Naruto exclaimed, staring at the two older people. "Whaddya mean, banished?!"

"Exactly what we said," Koharu, one of the Hokage's advisors stated. "By order of the Council, you are stripped of your rank of Genin, and of your citizenship of Konohagakure no Sato. You have one day to make your arrangements before you must leave. If you fail to comply, you will be escorted out of the village by force."

Naruto stared at the old woman as though she'd grown a second head. Slowly, he turned to regard the other woman in the room. "Baa-chan, tell me this is a joke!"

Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, looked to be no more pleased than Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but it was a decree signed by all of the present council members. My hands are tied, here." She glared at Koharu and Homura, the other advisor. "Though I'll be working on rescinding the order as soon as I possibly can."

"We merely did this for the safety of the village, Tsunade," Homura attempted to placate the woman's ire.

He failed, miserably. "So you banish one of the most loyal ninja we have?" Tsunade growled. "You realize once I bring this up to the Shinobi council, the civilian council is going to be in hot water?"

"So long as he's away from the village, Akatsuki won't target us," Koharu said.

Naruto glared. The mention of Akatsuki, the organization that was after the Kyuubi, got his dander up. "So you're banishing me because I'm a target?! What the hell kinda sense does that make?!"

"Enough!" Homura snapped. "You have one day, Uzumaki. Make the most of it." With that, the two advisors left the room, a fuming Tsunade right behind them. Back in the room, Naruto growled in annoyance, before hopping out of the window.

~~~~~

"Now, ah was naïve t' a lot o' things, but ah wasn't dumb, contrary ta popular belief. Ah knew that word of mah impendin' exile would spread quickly, and that the more hateful villagers would take advantage of it. Ah went ta mah apartment, ta try and salvage what ah could from it. But, ah got there too late. A mob had already raided the place, leavin' nothin' behind fer me. So ah was forced t' leave the village with nuthin' but the clothes on mah back. And it was while ah was alone in th' wilderness that ah got 'help' from the most unlikely of places…"

~~~~~

Naruto lay panting beside a stream. He didn't know how long he'd been running, nor did he care. All he knew was that he was far away from Konoha, alone, with nothing but the clothes on his back and the wounds from his battle with Sasuke. "Dammit! Why do those retards think that sending me away is a GOOD thing?! Are they hoping I'll die out here?!"

He wasn't expecting a response, so he was understandably startled when he got one. <I'd say that's an accurate guess, kit.>

Naruto blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "Dumb fox… you're the real reason I'm out here, aren't you?"

<Indirectly,> replied the Kyuubi. <It's not so much me, as it is those apes' fear of me. They fear you because you can access my power.> There was a mental snort. <And yet even with my power, you were unable to subdue the traitor. What a disappointment.>

Naruto growled. "Hey! Sasuke-teme cheated. That frickin' cursed seal gave him one hell of a power boost."

<Which can be traced back to the snake, Orochimaru. To think that one tail's worth of power wasn't enough to best something a mortal came up with… that galls me.> There was a pause. <So, what now, kit? Where will you go, now that Konoha's gates are barred to you?>

Naruto's anger faded into depression. "I don't know. Maybe I could try going to Suna… maybe Gaara would take me in."

"So what do I do, fox?" Naruto barely realized he was actually asking a sincere question to the demon.

<… As it happens, I have a way for you to remain outside the village AND beyond the Akatsuki's reach. However, the odds of you seeing the village again – or, indeed, anyone from this world – are very low. You'll have to give up this life of yours. Are you willing to make such a sacrifice?>

Naruto considered. It wasn't ideal, seeing as he had ambitions of becoming the Hokage. However, as things were, his dream wasn't likely to happen. He sighed. "I'm willing, fox. If protecting the village means staying away from it, I'll do it."

There was a sense of satisfaction from the fox. <Excellent. Now, you recall the handseals used in ninjustu, correct?>

Naruto snorted. "Duh. I just don't use them that often, because I'm so awesome!"

There was an odd sound, like something padded colliding with something furry. <Incorrigible kit… I'm going to tell you a pattern of seals, and I want you to repeat them until you've memorized them.> The Kyuubi then listed the seals in question, being slow and methodical so Naruto could keep up. Once it was satisfied he'd memorized them, it continued. <Now, I'm going to lend you a bit of my power. You'll need it for this technique.>

Naruto felt the now-familiar power of the Kyuubi coursing through him. He struggled to maintain his composure, and began the seal pattern. The moment he was finished with the last seal, a small red beam of light shot out from his hands. The beam seemed to split the very air, forming what appeared to be a red whirlpool, floating vertically in midair. Naruto stared at it. "Lemme guess. I gotta jump in that?"

<He can be taught,> snarked the Kyuubi. <Yes, that is your path out of this dimension. But be warned. Going through there means you will leave this life behind, literally. You will be given a new body and a new life on the other side. Knowing that, are you still sure you can go through with this?>

The boy felt a moment of uncertainty, but quickly squashed it. "I said I'd do this to protect the village, fox. And I meant it." He stepped towards the portal.

"Naruto!" a voice called out to him. Spinning around, he saw a man with long, wild white hair and a unique forehead-protector jump into the clearing. The man wore red geta on his feet, a green outfit under a red coat, and carried a scroll on his back. "There you are! I was wondering…" the man trailed off as he saw the portal behind Naruto.

"Ero-sennin, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya, the Toad Sage of Konoha, shook his head a little. "I'm here to make sure you're okay, kid. Tsunade asked me to take care of you while she works on getting that stupid order rescinded. I was planning on taking you on a training journey in the meantime."

Naruto sighed sadly. "What's the point? Even if I do go on that trip, it won't help the villagers' attitude towards me. The old man got enough flak from the village about me, and baa-chan doesn't deserve it. So, I'm just going to do what they want; stay away from the village." His mouth quirked into a smirk. "But I'm not going to let those red-cloud bastards get me, either. The fox offered me a way out, and I'm going to take it."

"Naruto, you can't trust the Kyuubi!" Jiraiya protested, stunned at this revelation.

"Can't trust the village, either," the blonde retorted. "They banished me because I failed to bring back Sasuke, not just because I'm a target of the Akatsuki. So, if I put myself beyond either of their reaches, I figure they'll be happy." He turned around, heading for the portal.

"Naruto, I – " Jiraiya was cut off.

"Jiraiya," Naruto said, addressing the man by his name for the first time since meeting him. "Tell the others… it was fun while it lasted." With that, Naruto dove into the portal. The last thing he heard was Jiraiya calling his name in a panic.

Then, oblivion.

~~~~~

"When ah got mah senses back, ah was in mah mom's arms in Ponyville General Hospital," Applejack finished. "Th' rest is pretty much history. Ah grew up on th' farm, 'cept fer a brief stint in Manehattan." She smiled warmly. "An' ah ain't never been happier."

There was silence from around the table. Then Rainbow Dash broke it. "So… you used to be a guy?"

Several facehoofs followed that statement. "Dashie, AJ just got finished telling us she used to be a super-duper soldier from another world, and the first thing you're curious about is that she used to be a boy?" Pinkie asked, sounded disbelieving.

"Well, yeah!" the prismatic pegasus said defensively. "I mean, does that… well, is she interested in…?"

Applejack picked up on what Rainbow was trying to say, and laughed. "Rainbow, ah assure ya, ah ain't no filly-fooler. Ah may have been a guy, interested in girls, but ah was born an' raised a filly in this life."

Rainbow sighed, looking relieved. "Okay, I was just worried you may have been my friend for… other reasons."

"Rainbow!" exclaimed Twilight. "There's more important things to worry about!" She looked at the farmpony. "AJ, I can't even begin to imagine how much it hurt you to leave everything you knew and loved behind. I'm sorry for your loss."

Applejack shook her head. "Don't be. Ah've come t' terms with it mahself. 'Sfar as ah'm concerned, Naruto Uzumaki died that day. Ah'm just Applejack."

"Tis not so simple to dismiss such things, dear Applejack," Luna protested. "This was who thou once were, not some dream or some such. To deny such a thing would be… dishonest, would it not?"

The bearer of Honesty flinched at the rebuke. "Ah… ah realize that, yer Highness. But… but when ah try t' imagine mahself as both Applejack an' Naruto… ah get scared. Scared that ah ain't a real pony… that ah'm a fake." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she buried her face in her forelegs. "That ah've been livin' a lie…"

Her friends looked at each other, startled by the admission of fear. Then Princess Celestia spoke for the first time. "I understand your fears, Applejack. But let me assure you, they are unfounded."

Applejack looked up, surprised. "Huh?"

Celestia smiled warmly. "If there was ever any doubt that you were truly one of my little ponies, it was dispelled when you were able to access the Elements of Harmony along with your friends to return my sister to me. It doesn't matter who you once were. What matters is that you helped give me back my little sister. Can you honestly tell me that, were you Naruto rather than Applejack, you wouldn't have done the same?"

Applejack had a sudden vision of a town left impoverished due to a tyrannical shipping magnate. The image was replaced by a red-haired boy with the kanji for 'love' on his forehead. She smiled wryly. "Nah, ah can't, yer highness. Ah was a bleedin' heart as Naruto, an' ah guess ah still am t'day."

Rarity smirked. "And here I thought I was the bearer of Generosity."

"Anypony can be generous, Rarity," the earth pony retorted. Then she glanced askance at the alabaster unicorn. "Speakin' loosely o' which, ah believe it's yer turn t' do some 'splainin'."

Author's Note

Take what you know of Naruto canon past the Sasuke Retrieval arc, and toss it out the window. I diverge from canon there, in case it wasn't obvious.

Act Five: Tales of the Past (Devil)

Act Five:

Tales of the Past: Devil

Rarity coughed slightly as attention was diverted to her, away from Applejack. "Ah, yes. My story." She took a sip of tea. "Well, similar to Applejack I possess memories of a life prior to this one. Unlike her, however, I was not born with those memories. I acquired them thanks to… unpleasant circumstances."

"Define 'unpleasant'," Twilight said. "Given everything we've been through, that has a pretty broad definition."

Rarity sighed. "Well, you all remember the story I told of how I got my Cutie Mark, yes?" There were nods around the table, save from Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor. Rarity, seeing this, elaborated. "Essentially, my horn's magic activated without warning, and led me to a rock quite a distance out of town. I was disappointed at first, considering I'd thought the magic was leading me to my destiny. And what kind of destiny is a rock, anyway? However, it was then that Rainbow Dash performed her first Sonic Rainboom, startling me. The shockwave from the Rainboom cracked the rock open, revealing gems by the score! I took the gems with me back to Ponyville, and started using them in my designs. I got my Cutie Mark later that night."

"Oh yeah, I remember Twily mentioning something about all of you getting your Cutie Marks around the same time," Shining mused.

Rarity nodded. "But what I've never told anypony is that I very nearly didn't make it back to Ponyville. Not even my parents know about this." Her gaze hardened. "And, as with Applejack, I would much prefer it to remain that way until further notice."

Her voice had taken on a noticeable steel-like quality as she made her preference known. Her friends shivered; hearing the fashionista speaking in such a cold voice was eerie. Even Pinkie Pie seemed disturbed. The older ponies were less affected, though still somewhat wary of the hard tone in the alabaster unicorn's voice. Eventually, though, everypony nodded in acquiescence.

Rarity, seeing this, drew in a breath. "Well, shortly after I found the gems, I was making my way back to the town, when part of the ground collapsed beneath me. I guess that the shockwave from the Rainboom weakened it. I fell into a set of caverns." She sighed, shivering slightly. "I will never forget what happened afterwards…"

~~~~~

"Ow…" the young white filly moaned as she picked herself off the ground. Glancing upwards, she glared at the hole in the cavern's ceiling. "Dumb ground, why'd you have to collapse while I was on top of you?" She looked around, and retrieved the gems she'd been carrying when she fell. "At least these are all intact."

Suddenly, Rarity felt something odd in her horn, like it was tugging her. "Oh, not again…" she groaned. However, the tug wasn't as forceful this time, instead merely pointing her at the walls. "Huh?" Going over, she tried pulling on what her magic was tugging on. She gasped in amazement as a large ruby was pulled out of the wall. What was more, there were more gems buried in the wall as well. "Oh, my! This place is a treasure trove!" She glanced at the gems she'd retrieved already. "Well, I can always come back to get more, I suppose…"

A telltale rock skittering out of place was her only warning. All of a sudden, two large, hairy arms picked the filly up from where she was standing, and held her upside down as their owner carried her down the tunnels. Rarity yelped and whinnied in protest. "Unhand me, you ruffian! This is no way to treat a lady!"

Her captor ignored her, instead carrying her through the caverns to an open area. In one corner of the area was an iron cage. Rarity was unceremoniously tossed inside. She groaned in pain; the landing had caused her to strain her ankle. She looked up at her captor, able to see him for the first time.

He was an ugly thing, like some bizarre cross of a canine and an ape, wearing a set of plated armor that covered most of his upper torso except for his massive arms. No eyes were seen beneath the steel helmet on his head while he ‘stared’ back with an annoyed scowl. "You noisy pony... Stay in cage and wait until we find use for you," he grunted in a deep tone before turning away and leaving the area.

Rarity was at a loss for words after her glimpse of the brutish captor and what came out of his grotesque mouth; she was now being held prisoner underground by an armored beast and was in fear of becoming a slave to him and his friends. Worse comes to worst, they could be pilfering the treasure she had found before falling here. She quickly got up, though suffered a brief twinge of pain from the strain on her ankle, and paced back in forth in her cage. "Oh no, oh no, oh no~! This isn’t good at all! What do I do now? What will I be reduced to? How will I get home? I refuse to reside in this filthy place forever! It’s too much of a burden to bear!" she complained with anxious fervor.

"Hello?"

Rarity stopped ranting as her ears picked up the voice of another filly. She looked around the open area, and saw that another iron cage was in the corner opposite her own. This one's interior was covered by the shadows cast by the stalactites above it. She inched her head towards the bars, though kept her distance by a few centimeters in order not to touch them, and squinted her eyes to make out a small shape in the other cage. Rarity could’ve sworn she also saw a set of glowing green eyes. "Hello? Is anyone there?" the voice asked with highly detectable fright.

Rarity called out to her fellow prisoner, "Yes, I’m here. Have you been captured by that ruffian as well?"

The shape in the other cage shifted, and the eyes furrowed as the shape began to shiver. "Y-Yes…I was playing with some of my guards, when all of the sudden those dog-things ambushed us and kidnapped me. They said they would use me for ransom." A sniffle was heard. "I want my mommy…" The unseen prisoner began to sob.

Rarity frowned, sympathizing with the crying prisoner; she, too, wanted to see her family again. Her eyes closed for a moment as she heard more sobbing, until they opened again to reveal a resolute gaze. "Don’t cry, my friend. I’ll do what I can to get both of us out of this horrible place!"

The sobbing was reduced to sniffling again, followed by a hopeful tone from the shape. "Y-You will? Really?"

Rarity smiled confidently "We both have our reasons to escape here, and I don’t believe we should be pushed around by those smelly beasts. Hang on while I try something…" she requested as she lit up her horn and levitated the smallest pebble she could find towards the lock to her cage. The fashionista-in-training squinted her eyes before lodging the pebble deep in the keyhole and began shifting it around inside.

Several clicks were heard before a loud one signaled her freedom as her door swung open. Rarity calmly strolled out with a smug smile, making sure to step carefully with her injured ankle. "Mother always said I had a good eye…" She focused her attention towards the other cage after pulling out her impromptu key. "And now for yours as well." Rarity made her way towards the lock, not paying mind to the prisoner inside and performed the same routine as her own, managing to open the cage. Rarity beamed at her success and took a few steps back to give the prisoner space to escape. Her cheerfulness instantly vanished when she got a more detailed look of who she had set free, placing a hoof over her mouth as her eyes widened.

Standing in front of Rarity was what would seem like a filly her size, only she wasn’t; she was certain the prisoner was not of a species commonly seen around Ponyville. Her 'coat' was a black chitinous hide; her four legs were adorned with several holes. The sight of her insectile wings and green, pupilless eyes was even more unnerving. A slightly crooked horn was seen on her head, poking through her small turquoise mane.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Rarity’s curiosity managed to overpower her shock. "Who-…Wha-…May I ask who you are, please?" she said, fighting the urge to grimace at her fellow escapee’s appearance. Remembering her manners, she quickly added, "My name is Rarity, by the way."

The insect-pony curtsied properly – a gesture Rarity thought she’d never see from such a bizarre sight – and smiled gratefully. "My name is Pupa, princess of the changelings. My mommy’s the queen," she proclaimed cheerfully, happy to be out of her cage.

"Wait a minute!!"

~~~~~

Rainbow Dash stared dumbfounded at Rarity after her outburst. "You mean to tell me you met the changeling princess? The changeling princess?"

This news had taken everypony by surprise, even the princesses, and all eyes were intently locked on the alabaster unicorn as she stared back at the group passively.

Rarity, while miffed at the interruption, sighed in defeat. "Indeed; even I was surprised to run into such a creature being held captive by those repugnant beasts. As it happens, from what we've seen of her mother, Pupa was almost her opposite."

Celestia piped up, having been silent. "I’m impressed that you would go out of your way to help a changeling in captivity, Rarity." She smiled warmly at her. "You really are the Element of Generosity for doing so."

Luna frowned. "I’m not sure how to respond to this, myself, considering our current status with the changeling race, namely their Queen Chrysalis." She nodded in respect towards Rarity. "But you saved an innocent – and a royal icon at that – from captivity, and I couldn’t be more proud of your demonstration of benevolence."

Rarity blushed at the praise she had received from the princesses, giggling mirthfully. "Well, we were both ladies of our own kind, and who am I to turn my back on one in her time of need?"

Shining Armor rubbed his temple with a strained expression after processing the information he had taken in. "Wow. I'm not sure what to think about this… One of our little ponies managed to save a changeling, and a princess to boot…" Cadence comforted her husband by nuzzling his cheek, though was just as befuddled about the news herself.

Pinkie tilted her head at a ninety degree angle "I’ll say, they’re the enemy!" She then drew her head back up straight and poked her chin with a forehoof. "Well, then again, this happened when Rarity was a filly, and the changelings weren’t a threat to us back then."

Fluttershy frowned. "I hope Princess Pupa didn’t turn out like her mother. She sounds kind from what we've heard so far."

Twilight was intrigued. "So you’ve actually managed to stumble across a royal changeling upon random chance after you were imprisoned by the diamond dogs?"

Applejack snorted "Mighty redundant t’ repeat a question after it’s been answered, Twi." She then faced Rarity. "Ah’m just as surprised, though. Ya actually met with a changeling before any o’ us and made friends with her. Mind tellin’ us th’ rest o’ yer story, Rarity?"

The fashionista nodded with a thin smile. "But of course, darling. Now, after the introduction with Princess Pupa…"

~~~~~

Rarity’s view of Pupa shifted as the changeling introduced herself. "You’re royalty?" she asked in surprise before looking down pensively. "That would explain your mention of guards…" She looked back up at Pupa, her determination coming back to her eyes. "Well, regardless, it’s about time we get out of this place so we can return to our parents. Shall we, your highness?"

Pupa grinned brightly, showing a set of sharp teeth that almost broke Rarity’s concentration. "Yes!" She quickly lunged towards the white filly, startling her until she wrapped her holed forelegs over her. "Thank you so much for rescuing me, Rarity! I won’t forget you!"

Rarity smiled nervously. "Yes, well, you should save your thanks until we’ve managed to escape." She looked towards the entrance to the area with a frown. This could be a problem. I don’t even know my way around here, and I could barely make out where I was being dragged… Rarity’s eyes narrowed. No! I shouldn’t let doubt get the best of me! Pupa is counting on me, after all. She gently broke Pupa’s embrace. "Now let’s hurry out before they come back." The two escapees went to gallop, only for Rarity to yelp in pain as she looked down at her ankle with a discouraged frown. "Oh, of course…" she muttered.

Pupa gasped lightly with a worried expression. "Are you hurt?" she asked in concern.

Rarity stared at her ankle for a moment before she shook her head at Pupa. "It’s nothing to worry about; a lady shouldn’t fuss about the little things, after all."

Pupa tilted her head before nodding reluctantly. "Okay, if you say so…" She and Rarity then departed from the area, though the latter traveled more carefully.

They looked both ways to make sure that no dog was around, and Pupa whispered to Rarity, "Which way do we go, Rarity?"

Rarity looked down in thought and hummed to herself before she voiced her decision while pointing to the right. "We’ll go that way. Come, Princess Pupa," she whispered back as they trotted off quietly.

Shortly after they left the area, the sound of a howl reached Rarity’s and Pupa’s ears, causing them to stop in their tracks and dart their heads around to find the source. Their captors must have learned of their escape and signaled for some other dogs to find them. Rarity turned to Pupa with a shocked look. "We have to hurry!" Rarity hissed as she mustered the strength to gallop with her minor injury, Pupa following close behind with fear in her eyes.

Rarity did not have time to plan each turn that she and Pupa took over the anxiety that had plagued her mind from letting their escape get compromised. She blindly ran, huffing in her pace and praying that she would find the way out through her own path. A fork had come up ahead and she decided to turn left, the changeling behind her following suit, but both skidded to a halt when they noticed two armored dogs running towards them from a far distance, growling when they spotted their prisoners.

Pupa shrieked, but Rarity gently nudged her out of her fear. "Come on! We’re going the other way!" The escaping duo chose to go down the right pathway, though the dogs were catching up to them. Their fears worsened when two more were spotted behind them and joined in to try and recapture them.

They felt that all hope would be lost the moment the dogs would get a hold of them, but Rarity felt relief wash over her body at the sight of a skylight up ahead in another area. Sanctuary! We’re almost out of here! They managed to reach the area, but Rarity looked up to see the hole she had made was too high for them, causing her and Pupa’s spirits to drop to unthinkable depths.

Pupa looked back and huddled next to Rarity as she saw the quartet of armored dogs slowly advance on them with their spears. "We’re trapped!"

Rarity and Pupa backed up near a wall of dirt as the dogs inched ever closer; It was as if their efforts were for naught. The former could not deal with being confined once again, if not put to work after her and Pupa have been captured. As she was being cornered, a boiling feeling brewed in Rarity’s chest. The more she thought about opposing her and Pupa’s containment, the more she wanted to properly punish the ones responsible for it. Her eyes narrowed as she took a stance. "You don’t scare us, you know. And we have no desire to go back with you whatsoever!" she snapped defensively, trying to intimidate the dogs.

One of the dogs pointed a spear. "We care not for pony’s opinion! Changeling princess is very important to us, and so are you! You go back to cage like good pony!" he snapped in command to the children.

Pupa hid behind Rarity and shivered while the white filly’s newfound courage grew. "Honestly, you lot could at least have the courtesy to work on your speech… But I digress! We’re not going with you, and that’s final! You’re nothing more than uncouth brutes for kidnapping a princess and hoping to get a reward from it!" she said, standing up to them as if they were mere bullies in a schoolyard.

Another dog snarled, "Pony acting noisy again. She’s starting to become less useful with more noise."

The lead dog snorted in agreement. "It was probably mistake to capture her, since she almost ran off with princess." A murderous glint was seen under his helmet as he bared his fangs at Rarity. "We shut noisy pony up permanently…"

Despite her natural color, Pupa went pale from what was said. Rarity, however, leered back at the lead dog as she pawed at the ground. Pupa saw the action and almost felt her heart go up to her throat; she almost lost her next words. "Rarity, you can’t honestly expect to fight them, can you? They’re armed and ready!"

Rarity snorted steam from her nostrils as her eyes were locked on the dogs. "I’m sorry, princess, but I’d rather fight my way out than linger here in this dirt-ridden place forever, and I promised myself to get you out of here as well. I would gladly take up arms and fight these monsters if it meant getting you out of here!"

Pupa couldn’t feel moved by Rarity’s speech over her rising fear and concern. "Don’t do this, Rarity! I beg of you! You’re the only friend I’ve ever had! I don’t want to lose you!" she pleaded.

Pupa's words broke Rarity's concentration for a brief moment. She herself hadn’t been friends with anypony, especially since her abnormally white mane had caused her to be ostracized by many. She never expected to not only meet a captive princess, but actually be considered a friend towards her; it was all the more reason to defend her to the bitter end. Without a response, she let out a battlecry and pounced on the nearest dog; the one who issued the death threat without hesitation.

Sadly, Rarity’s rush proved futile; she felt her stomach open up, followed by her back due to the dog mercilessly driving his spear through her body. She felt her coat become red from the blood that flowed from her wound. The armored dog gave a dark grin before slamming the filly’s body towards the ground while she was still skewered by his spear. "No more noise…Just how I like it…"

Pupa felt herself tear up from the haunting sight. "No…Rarity…" she whispered in profound sadness. Rarity looked up blankly before she felt her vision blur out, prompting her to slowly close her eyes as she laid on the ground with the spear inside of her.

*****

This was it for her now. To think that her act of courage would end up costing her very life… it was a heavy thought at first, but the weight lifted as she felt the warmth in her body drain away. But as she remained in her position, she felt the bleeding stop momentarily, causing her to open her eyes. What? What happened? She could see nothing but the spear that was still inside of her; it was the only company she had in what appeared to be an endless dark void. Where am I? Have I finally expired?

"Have you forgotten already?"

Rarity perked up at the familiar sound, and her eyes widened when she found a bipedal figure standing in front of her. His arms were crossed while the three folds of his blue trenchcoat flowed in a nonexistent breeze. He stared down at Rarity with disapproval clear in his ice blue eyes. He was even in a good position to pull the spear out of the white filly’s chest, but he simply chose not to. "Who you are… You’ve actually forgotten, haven’t you?"

Rarity stared in shock before her expression faded into stoicism. "I… was almost obligated to, since I was growing so used to living how I am now… I’ve forgotten that life can be full of suffering and torment, and that there exists all sorts of fiends that will do whatever they please."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Not just that… You’ve forgotten the key element to living your new life; the same element that has gotten you far before you were even given your new name."

Rarity’s expressiondid not change until she let out a sigh "Correct… Before I became a daughter, I was a son… A son of a legendary knight who had what I’d sought for so long."

The man nodded, and simultaneously, the two beings said "Power."

Rarity stared up into the void that surrounded her and what could be considered a shell of her former self "Might controls everything - and without strength, I cannot protect anything; let alone myself."

For the first time, the man cracked a thin smile "Now you remember… I do believe it’s time to exercise this profound philosophy, don’t you?"

Rarity hesitated before nodding. "Yes… It’s about time I’m reminded of who I once was if it means defending my newest friend…"

The man drew out a gloved hand towards the spear, holding it in his grasp as he began to pull it out slowly.

*****

Rarity remained frozen in her position while her killer was laughing at her injury, Pupa crying into her forelegs as she knelt by her side. After the lead dog finished his laughing fit, he turned to his cohorts "Grab changeling princess and lock her up again. I go dispose of corpse…"

Pupa stopped her crying when the command was given, and she backed away from the advancing dogs as they held out their paws to grab her. Before they could even touch her, however, Rarity’s horn began to glow, earning the attention of Pupa and the dogs. "Huh? Pony’s horn is glowing?" the dog asked in bewilderment.

As Rarity’s horn continued to glow, three lights appeared before taking the form of sharp and glowing swords that were pointed at the dogs ganging up on Pupa; they stared back at the swords in a mixture of wonder and fright. Suddenly, Rarity’s eyes shot open in a glare; this glare was entirely different from the one she'd had before. "Might…controls…everything…" she uttered as the swords were launched at the dogs, stabbing each of them in the face and sending them to the ground as blood splattered from their wounds.

The lead dog woofed in shock and confusion before he felt a hoof on his spear, and he broke into a cold sweat to see that it had belonged to the same pony he stabbed earlier. He whimpered in fear as he released his grip and hopped away from her as she pulled it out of her body using her magic, levitating it next to her while the end was coated in her blood.

Pupa stared in complete awe at the sight. She mumbled aloud, "My own subjects can only regenerate so much, and not from a fatal wound like that. Rarity's amazing…"

Rarity kept her cold gaze on the dog that continued to back away from the seemingly demonic filly. "Now listen, you mutt, and listen well," She said in a level, yet venomous tone, "my friend and I will not be prisoners in this impetuous cesspool you claim to be your home again. You will lead the two of us out of here unless you’re willing to suffer the same fate as your comrades lying next to me…Understand?" she asked expectantly.

The dog continued to whimper, and he frantically nodded at Rarity’s order as he quickly turned around and walked off at a pace to where the two children could keep up. Satisfied with her actions, Rarity smiled at Pupa. "Well, princess? Shall we escort you home?"

Pupa snapped out of her awe-induced stupor and nodded. "O-Of course! Let’s go…" she said, following Rarity and the traumatized dog. She would later tell Rarity that she was happy the unicorn had survived, if bewildered that Rarity had been able to come back from a should-be fatal blow like she had.

When they got to a pile of dirt leading towards a hole in the ceiling, Rarity shot one last spine-chilling glare towards the surviving dog before marching outside with Pupa in tow.

They both breathed fresh air the moment they were able to come outside to see the blue sky. Rarity sighed in contentment. "And after all of that, we’ve finally managed to leave." She looked back at Pupa. "I hope you’re okay, princess."

Pupa nodded. "I am, but please, Rarity," she neared Rarity with a warm smile, "call me Pupa from now on. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

Rarity stared before she nodded back with a smile. "Indeed we are. I’m glad to have met you, Pupa, even if the meeting could have been in better circumstances." The two children shared a hug after they exchanged their words. After breaking the embrace, Pupa smiled, but it vanished as she stared at Rarity in surprise, confusing the white filly. "Pupa? What’s wrong?" She saw Pupa examine her hooves, seeing some purple spots on it.

The sight was enough to fill Rarity with dread, knowing where the purple had come from.

~~~~~

Rarity smiled. "I expected her to make fun of me like everypony else I’ve met prior to our little escapade, but she understood where I came from, especially since she brought up how she herself was alone as a royal. She managed to help me with my dye problem and kept my secret hidden from everypony else." She sighed wistfully. "I miss her quite a bit."

Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. "You’re forgetting something, Rare. How was she able to go back to her own kingdom without getting discovered?" Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and even Shining Armor cast deadpan stares at Rainbow Dash, who facehooved when she realized the error in her question.

Rarity continued, ignoring her friend’s goof. "We managed to sneak back to my place and she helped me dye my hair before she chose to leave Ponyville and contacted some of her subjects to escort her home." She smiled at the warm memory. "Nopony suspected a thing." Rarity chirped playfully.

Twilight chuckled. "Somepony sounds devious." She then held a serious stare. "Speaking of devious…You implied that you lived your previous life as a male like Applejack, but you never told us his name."

With a nod, Rarity acknowledged Twilight’s request and identified herself in a straight tone, "In my past life, I was named Vergil, first Son of Sparda, the legendary knight. Sparda was a powerful demon who fell in love with a human priestess named Eva and conceived two children that happened to be twins." She placed a hoof on her chest. "I was the oldest, while my younger brother, Dante, was just as strong." Rarity looked down. "In fact, he was so powerful, he bested me several times, even when I was under the influence of another powerful demon known as Mundus."

Rainbow Dash arched her eyebrow. "And I thought Applejack’s names were strange; yours take the cake."

Rarity shot an annoyed glare. "Would it harm you to show some restraint for once, Rainbow? I mean, really…"

Twilight frowned at the cyan pegasus as well. "I agree. We’re busy trying to listen in and all you’re doing is criticizing the foreign nature of Applejack’s and Rarity’s stories." She turned to face Rarity. "But as far as what’s been explained, it doesn’t add up to you being here with this knowledge."

Applejack nodded in agreement. "Y’all seem t’ be goin’ outta order there, sugarcube," she said to Rarity.

Rarity hummed in realization. "I suppose I have been, haven’t I? Well, allow me to start from the beginning, then." She cleared her throat as she began to tell her story. "To put it simply, the father of my previous life had a lot on his plate. He was very powerful and quite the formidable foe to others, even his own kind; he was also a loyal general to Mundus, the emperor of darkness. But unlike other demons, he actually valued humanity, and later rebelled against Mundus to fight for their sake."

She took a moment to sip her tea after remembering she had her cup. "He fought and defeated Mundus before sealing him away and driving his forces back. However, he wanted to ensure that no demons were able to enter the human world, so he used his blood along with the blood of a priestess as part of a ritual that sealed off the connection between both the human world and the demon world." She frowned. "It cost him most of his power, but he knew it was worth it in the end. He ended up ruling over the humans benevolently before vanishing from the public eye."

Shining Armor hummed. "He must have been a legend for his heroics for a while, right?"

Rarity nodded to Shining Armor. "Quite so, actually. But after a couple of millennia, he finally reappeared and met with Eva, which led to my conception. However, Mundus had managed to send some demons into the human world and issued an attack on Eva, which led to a heartbreaking separation between not only our mother and us, but Dante and I as well… We took our own paths and eventually clashed whenever we crossed each other."

She wore a sad frown. "I wasn’t there when Eva had been extinguished, and I mourned her death and cursed myself for not only not being there for her, but not being powerful enough to prevent it. It led me on a path of destruction; all I cared about was gaining power and nothing else, and that was all that mattered once I had gained too much…"

Cadence and Fluttershy both frowned sympathetically after hearing about Sparda’s loss. "That poor woman…" Cadence mourned, until she perked up. "Wait a minute, was Sparda not around when she was ambushed?" She asked inquisitively.

Rarity shook her head. "Alas, no…Ever since his power had been drained from his seal, he had died of old age sometime after Dante and I were born." She shook her head. "It's almost ironic; having to die from losing a good amount of your own power that had kept you alive for so long."

Celestia stared neutrally. "Power can be too much to handle, even for those who seem capable of handling their own amount."

"It can also lead to a path of pain and destruction if misused…" Luna added in a serious tone.

Rarity frowned. "Oddly enough, it was what led me to my death." Everypony listened carefully as she continued. "After losing to Dante in our last battle in the demon world, I chose to remain, only to confront Mundus out my pride as a son of Sparda. I was defeated, and ended up losing my consciousness and being reborn as another one of his pawns…" She sipped her tea again. "I was unaware of my actions until I noticed something from Dante; one of two amulets given to us by our mother."

Twilight held a calculating glance. "Judging by her relationship with a demon knight, something tells me that those amulets aren’t just ordinary mementos."

Rarity smiled at Twilight’s prediction. "Perceptive as ever, darling. Yes, the amulets were indeed special; they were another part of the ritual that sealed the gate to the demon world, known as the Temen-ni-Gru."

Rainbow Dash widened her eyes. "And this Eva girl just gave them to you and your brother just like that?" She asked incredulously.

Rarity waved a dismissive hoof. "I’ll admit, it did seem risky and questionable in hindsight, but when Dante and I witnessed and harnessed our power, it made it all the more special to guard them with our lives." She frowned again, this time in regret. "That is, until my quest for power led me to breaking the seal between both worlds…" Her audience gasped.

Applejack stared at Rarity as if she were insane. "Had ya spit yer bit back then?"

Rarity gave a dry chuckle. "Well, I was under the influence of another dark individual named Arkham, who sought the power of Sparda for himself. Of course, Dante and I made quick work of him, even if he was able to possess it for a small moment."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Your past brother sounds pretty awesome!"

Rarity smirked. "He thrived on such compliments, but he also prefers the term stylish, like myself." She huffed. "But for a force to be reckoned with, he was too bone-headed and cocky in his many trials…"

Applejack smirked back "So kinda like me, then? He seems like a pretty nice guy."

Fluttershy frowned. "That was a pretty scary story…" A thought crossed her mind, and she began to shiver. "Oh dear…What if-…What if the demon world exists inside of Tartarus?" She mewled.

Rarity sent a reassuring smile Fluttershy’s way. "It would be highly unlikely, Fluttershy. Otherwise, I would’ve recognized those brutes that tried to escape from the Gates."

Applejack held up a hoof. "But y’all said that Mundus was th’ emperor of darkness an’ demons, an’ Tartarus is a land full o’ both. Ah don’t wanna scare ‘er, but Fluttershy’s idea makes sense almost." She smirked. "Hay, if he’s the boss that varmint was talkin’ about, he’ll be easy pickin’ fer th’ both of us."

Rarity smiled at Applejack’s confidence. "And you would be correct on that account." Her smile vanished quickly. "But it most definitely wouldn’t be him, otherwise I would’ve known." She rubbed her chin. "I’m still curious about who in Equestria’s history would be located deep within the bowels of Tartarus…"

Celestia coughed slightly, interrupting Rarity's musings. "I thank the both of you for sharing your stories with us. Now, let us move on to the other purpose behind this meeting; a purpose that may ensure Equestria's future."

Author's Note

Block-breaking chapter is back-breaking to write.

Many thanks, once again, to Dirty Bit, who thankfully didn't abandon me during my long period of writer's block.

With luck, this should kick-start my other muses, and I should release a new chapter of Pony Fantasy IV soon.

Act Six: Dire Preparations

Act Six:
Dire Preparations

Celestia earned everypony's attention as she began to speak. "The quelled jailbreak at the Gates of Tartarus has left us with an interesting lead; that we must ready ourselves for the trials and tribulations to come. Zabuchrion mentioned a higher power that he served. We have no knowledge of his master, but that shouldn't be the main concern after what was witnessed between him, Applejack, and Rarity." The solar princess gave off a serious glance towards the mentioned ponies. "We're in for a heavy battle in the near future, and your skills could very well mean the difference between lives lost and lives saved."

Rarity nodded to Celestia, matching the princess's gaze with one of her own. "I'm not one to simply ignore a message sent by a demon." She frowned. "But, speaking reasonably, how can we hope to win the upcoming battle with just Applejack and I alone? We could be met with an army of demons, and the two of us can only do so much."

Applejack sighed despondently. "Ah agree with Rarity, Princess. We'd be bitin' off more than we could chew if it's just us two against a large number of them varmints."

Celestia held up a hoof to the two mares. "I'm well-aware of what you're saying, and I realize I wasn't entirely clear with my intentions." She looked down at them both. "Rarity… Applejack… I would like for you two to pass down the skills of your respective pasts to your friends." This was said in a straight tone.

Rarity and Applejack both stammered and sputtered before the former regained a semblance of composure. Nervously, she said, "With all due respect, your majesty, I don't know if it would be wise to put our friends through such rigorous training with so little time on our hooves."

"Wise or not, do we have a choice?" Rainbow Dash's words caught their attention. A fire burned in her narrowed, rose-colored eyes. "We're gonna be up against something big here, right? There's no way you're gonna just brush us off now! We all gotta get ready to fight against whatever's sitting in Tartarus! I'm ready to learn whatever the both of you have to teach me!"

Pinkie grinned ecstatically after the mention of training. "So does this mean I get to learn to fight like Rarity and Applejack? Neato! I wanna see if I can be just as good with a sword. Oh! Or with martial arts so I can be all 'Shoryuken!' or 'Hadoken!' against the baddies we'll face!" Pinkie cheered while making graceless and random fighting gestures. Applejack and Shining Armor stared at her until she stopped and grinned sheepishly. "Well, at least until we figure out when we start training."

Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane, easily showing her discomfort with the matter at hoof. "B-But I don't know if I can fight. I've never really fought before…"

Twilight frowned at Fluttershy's reaction to the notion of training. "But you were there with us during the changeling invasion. I'm sure you held your own as well."

Rainbow Dash shifted her eyes awkwardly after Twilight's statement. "Erm, not so much, Twilight. She stayed by my side while we were fighting, and I took on the ones that came at us." She patted Fluttershy's head with a smile. "But I know you got potential, Flutters. If you could give your all when we sent water back to Cloudsdale, I know you can make those demons go back where they came from!"

Applejack rubbed her chin while thoughtfully glancing at Fluttershy, an idea forming in her mind. "Actually, Fluttershy could go far with certain ninja techniques iffin' she commits. That stare o' hers can be put t' use as well. Back in Konoha, Fluttershy's stare would be similar to usin' a genjustu."

Twilight tilted her head at Applejack. "What do illusory techniques have to do with Fluttershy's stare?"

Applejack was very impressed with Twilight being able to understand the term she had just used. The farmer took a breath, and said, "Well, y' see, genjutsu was basically used against opponents t' either keep 'em still and occupied, or as a means ta control 'em. Fluttershy's shown that she can jus' stare at somepony, and they'll stand perfectly still." She looked over at the timid pegasus with a grin. "Iffin' we train 'er right, her stare can do a lot more'n what it can now."

Fluttershy got up from her seat and backed away a few steps. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I only use the stare when I'm very angry," she stated nervously.

Rainbow Dash groaned in exasperation at her friend's timidness. "Fluttershy, for Pete's sake, Equestria's in danger! That's plenty of reason for you to get angry!"

Celestia stepped in, halting the potential argument. "I believe we shouldn't press Fluttershy right now, my little ponies." She turned to the yellow pegasus. "But Rainbow Dash is indeed correct; as much as it pains me, all of you need to be prepared for the worst. Now, we're not entirely certain when the time for action will come, but that doesn't mean we can't take your training one step at a time."

Shining Armor smiled at Rarity. "Personally, I wouldn't mind training in swordplay myself. You think I can get some lessons, too?" he asked politely.

Rarity perked up and grinned. "Well, I've never been asked to train a lord, nor have I ever thought to do so," she said bashfully. She then nodded to Shining Armor, a bright smile on her face. "I'll be willing to train you in my style of swordplay, provided I have your wife's permission."

Cadence giggled. "I think you know my answer for that, Rarity. We're in the middle of something that involves the fate of Equestria, after all."

Applejack coughed a little, drawing attention to her. "Iffin' we are gonna do this trainin', ah have somethin' ta say. Ah'll be startin' y'all off with the basics of the basics, and ah'll work y'all up from there. Until everypony doin' the trainin' gets through an exercise, ah won't start anypony on the next level. That clear?"

Although most of the ponies nodded, Rainbow Dash groaned. "The basics? We don't have time for that, AJ! We need to learn some awesome moves before the demons come back!"

While normally Applejack would roll her eyes, this time she slammed a forehoof on the table. The sharp BANG silenced the prismatic mare's whining. "An' without the basics, tryin' ta learn those 'awesome moves' will kill ya for sure! Ya need ta crawl before ya can walk, let alone run, Rainbow! Yer devil-may-care attitude about everythin' won't save you if ya end up dead because ya were trying something that was literally beyond yer limits!"

Applejack's sharp words left Rainbow speechless. There was no humor to be found in what the farmer was saying. She was completely serious. As Rainbow tried to re-orient her mind, Rarity spoke up. "The same will hold true for my training, as well. I can teach you all swordplay, but you will learn at the pace you all set. If you don't learn the basics, you will never learn the more advanced skillsets." She looked pointedly at Rainbow. "Swordplay is not something fun. A sword is a weapon. Swordsmanship is learning how to use that weapon to end lives. That is the simple truth."

Rainbow Dash shifted her glance between Applejack and Rarity, both mares crushing her bravado with their stares directed at her. She nodded in an attempt to soften their piercing eyes. “Got it. Sorry for acting so headstrong back there,” she said penitently.

Twilight tried to ignore Applejack’s intense demonstration of anger and raised a hoof. “I have a question involving what we’ll learn from Applejack.” The mentioned mare looked over at Twilight, her expression softening. “Last week, I was doing some reading with the Crusaders, and we looked up a history book that contained a section around Neighponese magic, some of which are similar to the techniques you described. Are we going to learn about seals commonly seen in that book or will you show us more unique skills from your previous life?”

Applejack hummed in thought as she poked her chin with a hoof. “Never really thought about how folks in Neighpon have their own brand o’ magic similar t’ ninjutsu.” She then shook her head at Twilight. “But yer right about the second option; what Ah’m gonna teach y’all can’t be learned from any book in Equestria.” There was a pause before she looked up pensively. “None that Ah know of, anyways…” She muttered to herself.

Luna stepped up and looked around. “If we’re settled upon the topic of training arrangements, then we must make haste and decide a proper place to do so.” She held up a hoof. “We propose the training grounds at the castle used by mine and our sister’s respective guards. All of thee can train there at thy leisure with the resources needed for thine advancements.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at the offer. “Sounds like a plan. Not like we had a mind to train back in Ponyville or anything.” She turned to her friends. “How about the rest of you? Are you all okay with this?”

“While the idea is good, I still need to let Spike know about this whole situation,” Twilight said before she looked down. “In fact, I should probably go back to Ponyville and pick him up so he won’t be left alone.”

Celestia nodded. “A good idea, my faithful student. Spike is just involved in this as we all are. I’ll send for a carriage to pick him up to save you all the trouble.”

Rarity broke in. "While you're on the subject, Your Highness, might you inform my parents and Sweetie Belle that I will be staying at the castle for an extended period of time? If we are to train like this, we should inform our families."

"Ooh, good idea," Pinkie said with a nod. "Might need to tell the Cakes that I'm on super-secret Element of Harmony business. Don't want them to think I'm playing hooky."

Twilight nodded. "I think we all have ponies in Ponyville that would need to be informed of our absences, Princess. When you send your carraige to pick Spike up, can the driver deliver some letters?"

"That's perfectly reasonable, Twilight," Celestia replied with a nod. Her horn flashed, and pens and paper appeared in front of each of the younger mares. "Here, everypony. Write down what you wish to convey to your loved ones."

As they wrote down their messages, Applejack raised a hoof. “Princesses, Ah have a suggestion.” Celestia and Luna turned to the farmpony with quizzical glances. “Can it be alright iffin’ we use yer garden fer our trainin’ also? Th’ trees can be mighty useful fer mah lessons on ninjutsu.”

Fluttershy's head snapped up at the request. “The garden? But what about the animals?” she asked, anxiety and concern lacing her voice.

Applejack smiled reassuringly to Fluttershy. “T’ain’t nothin’ t’ worry about, sugarcube. We won’t use th’ whole garden; jus’ a good section with enough trees so we won’t bother th’ little critters.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief at the conditions and nodded to Applejack. “Alright. I suppose I can agree with that then,” she said calmly, returning to her message to Angel.

Celestia smiled. “Then it’s settled; the royal garden can be used at your leisure for Applejack’s training.” She turned to Rarity. “Which leaves Rarity to make use of the training grounds in the castle.”

Rarity held up a hoof with a serious gaze. “I promise to carry out my duties properly, your majesty. All that matters is the progression of our training at the best pace possible.” She gazed at her friends, all of whom were staring back with their own respective expressions. “Perhaps once we've finished writing our messages, we should begin, since we’re aware that the time we have may not be vast.” The alabaster unicorn placed a hoof under her chin, a pensive look in her eyes. “Although, we’ve yet to work out proper arrangements as to who will be training with who for the first session or so.”

Twilight raised a hoof. “In that case, I would like to train under Applejack first, since I'm curious about the various arts she has under her belt.”

Applejack smirked at Twilight. “Ah’m glad yer eager t’ learn an’ all, Twi, but ya gotta remember that Ah’m not jus’ gonna train yer mind.” She trotted up to the lavender bookworm and prodded at her chest. “Ah’m also gonna train yer body, so y’all will hafta do some liftin’ an’ exercisin’.”

Rainbow hummed to herself before she grinned. “I’ll train with Rarity then. It’ll be awesome to be good at wielding a sword.” She looked up at the ceiling with daydreaming eyes. “Kinda makes me think about Daring Do and when she was forced to swordfight her enemies on certain occasions.”

Rarity huffed at the prismatic pegasus. “Did you not listen to me before, Rainbow? This is far from the fiction that you’d read from your novels; you’re going to be learning a skill that will be meant for taking lives while defending your own.” She narrowed her eyes at the athletic mare. “I expect you to follow along accordingly as we go. Your nature as a daredevil may be endearing at times, but any sort of tomfoolery during training will not be tolerated!”

Rainbow waved her hooves in a placating motion towards Rarity. “I get it, I get it! Sheesh…”

Pinkie grinned. “I’m gonna learn how to use a sword, too, then! Me, Dashie, and Rarity could be like the three… erm… capybaras?” She scratched her head as she tried to think of an adequate team name. “Muskrats? No…”

Rarity smiled awkwardly at Pinkie. “I’d rather we’d just stick to being ourselves rather than other animals, darling. No offense to your suggestions…”

Pinkie grinned at Rarity. “Maybe you’re right. No better to be than yourself, am I right?”

Fluttershy fidgeted her forehooves. “Well…Then I have no choice but to train with Applejack if what she’s saying is true. Umm…could we at least warn the animals now before we start training?”

Applejack chuckled at Fluttershy. “Sure ya can, Fluttershy. Meantime, we’d all best get situated b’fore th’ trainin’ actually starts.”

Luna nodded. “We concur. Let us each make with our own preparations and tasks before the regiment shalt commence.” After the decisions were final, each of the ponies vacated the conference room and went their own ways to ready themselves for the arduous trials that await them. The Bearers each left their respective messages behind, signed and sealed. The only ones that stayed were the royal sisters.

Celestia had her eyes closed in deep thought, and Luna simply observed her sister in silence until she saw fit to break it. “Sister… perhaps we should consult with possible allies beyond Equestria's borders. T'would be prudent if the threat we face could prove to be stronger than we think.”

“I could only hope that finding such allies would be an easy feat.” Celestia replied morosely as she opened her eyes, a tinge of sadness in her eyes. “I already feel horrible to bear the knowledge that we may not walk out of this battle - no… this war unscathed, and even moreso to know that our own Elements of Harmony are throwing their lives on the line as well.” She looked back at her sister. “A miracle for our situation, in any shape or form, would be very inviting, indeed…”

Luna turned to the door of the conference room. “Then what other option would we have if our little ponies do not master their training in time? If there could be any type of assistance out there, even beyond Equestria, would we not be able to reach out for it?”

Celestia sighed. “I cannot say for certain myself. All we can do is pray that such a miracle can show itself to us in our time of need…” She turned to her sister with a stoic gaze. “Come, Luna. We have our own duties as well.” The princess of the night shared a nod with her sister, and the two alicorns exited the conference room.

*****

The Everfree Forest was known to be a domain of both unnatural occurrences and dangerous creatures that were recorded in several encyclopedias around Equestria. Many of the predators that dwelled inside would either hunt for game or simply rest themselves in their respective nests undisturbed. Tonight was no exception, for the most part.

One creature, a lone cockatrice, gave a small squawk as he waddled by himself in search of an unsuspecting target to turn to stone. He gave a devious smirk at the thought of getting the drop on a random creature and triumphantly adding them to his collection of victims. He spotted a timberwolf close by that sniffed around for some food and easily marked his new prey with a killer stare. The cockatrice carefully snuck towards the timberwolf with the hopes of catching them off-guard and taking them by surprise.

This changed when something else took both of them by surprise.

A rift spontaneously appeared next to both the timberwolf and the cockatrice, earning their attention and frightening them into running from the sudden irregularity in the forest. The rift opened wider and spat out three shadows that flew at bullet speed into the nearby brush before it closed up completely.

The shadows were scattered in different bushes, but were close to one another. No other creature was nearby, thus there was no one to witness what happened next. One of the bushes rustled and revealed one of the shadows to be a silhouette of a pony rubbing their head. “Ow… Here I thought traveling to another world would’ve been easier,” a young feminine voice griped.

“Well, we should be in the right world if we’ve performed the technique correctly,” a patient male voice replied as a different shadow popped out of another bush. It scanned its surroundings carefully. “Are we certain that this is the place?”

A final shadow emerged from another bush, slightly larger than the last two. “We can’t be indecisive about this. I’m sure this is the world he chose to land in,” said another male voice, deeper with age.

The first shadow started in fear as she shrieked. “Wh-What's happened to us!? We’re horses!”

A shush from the larger shadow silenced the smaller one. “Quiet!” the male voice hissed. “We can’t let our new forms hinder us when we have a job to do. Let’s find a way out of this forest and get a better glimpse at our surroundings.”

“Of course.” The other male voice agreed. “Let’s get to higher ground and see if we cannot perform our techniques.”

There was a pause, then the three shadows vanished from sight. Along the Everfree Forest, there were three breezes of wind that passed across the higher parts of the trees. Said breezes had subsided once they reached the entrance to the forest that led towards Ponyville.

The three shadows observed the distant town from the trees they stood on. “Who wants to bet that town over there is full of horses, too?” the larger stallion said in amusement.

The middle shadow made a gesture of rubbing its chin. “I’m pretty sure that would be a fool's bet, considering our own forms. But at least we have an actual starting point to our objective.”

“Yeah. Hopefully, the villagers will listen to what we have to say,” the feminine voice said nervously, before the owner of the voice hopped down into the afternoon sunlight to reveal a young pink mare. She had a well-groomed pink mane that went down to her chin, with a blue bandana that carried a steel plate with a leaf symbol tied over her head. Her tail was as short as her mane, and just as well groomed. Her eyes were green and narrowed in determination. She wore a red dress with white rings on the shoulder and skirt regions, and a belt that held small compartments. On her flank was a fist over a red cross.

The middle shadow looked down at the mare. “There’s no need to be discouraged. I doubt we would come off as conspicuous in our new forms.” It hopped down to reveal a grey stallion wearing a blue mask over his muzzle and – like the pink mare – a blue bandana bearing a steel plate with a leaf symbol over his left eye. He wore a green vest with a blue long-sleeved shirt underneath, both of which had red spiral designs on the shoulders and back areas. His spikey white mane stuck out across the left of his head, and his cutie mark was an ominous eye over a bolt of lightning. “Of course, I’m being optimistic about us not sticking out like sore thumbs.” He inspected one of his forelegs with a bored glance. “Or in this case, hooves…”

“Oh, hardy-har-har.” The last shadow snarked as it jumped towards the ponies to reveal a large, middle-aged maroon stallion with a stout build. On his face were two red lines that went down from his eyes; both his mane and his tail were white, long, and spikey, and on his head was a spiked headpiece with kanji that a native of Neighpon would recognize as 'oil'. He was found wearing a green oriental garb under a red vest, with oddly raised wooden horseshoes. On his back rested a large scroll. His cutie mark was an orange frog over an unrolled scroll. He grinned over at the other stallion. “I’m glad you’re able to take this lightly, Kakashi. Here I thought you would freak out like Sakura.”

Sakura puffed her cheeks as she glared at the large stallion. “Well, when you arrive in another world in a different form, how else would you act!?” she snapped defensively.

Kakashi closed his uncovered eye. “All that matters is that we’re here now, so we should begin our search.” He opened his eye again, and looked over at the large stallion. “Shall we, Jiraiya?”

Jiraiya nodded with a serious gaze towards the town. “Yeah. With any luck, this could be the same world he’s in right now. We better get going while it’s still daylight,” he said as the three ponies trotted towards Ponyville with their objective set.

Sakura held a wistful glance as she traveled with her comrades. Naruto… I can’t believe you had to resort to this. I hope we can find you and take you back with us before things get worse.

Author's Note

Alright, so Dirty Bit and I have finally hammered this bad boy into shape. Enjoy!

Also, I should have another chapter of Pony Fantasy IV out within the week.