Guilty Mareby nintendo917ChaptersPrologueDriftless EventsThe Nervous Nellie CriesHeaven or HellPrologue“Spike, have you dusted those bookshelves?” Twilight called out as she was inspecting her checklist. “I’m already trying to stack these books, what more do you want?” Spike replied, carrying a teetering tower of tomes. “Why are you so panicky all of a sudden?” “I told you Spike, the Princess has scheduled another visit to Ponyville after having to take care of the parasprite infestation in Fillydelphia. If it weren’t for that, she would have seen our town in the same state. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice, so I’m taking every possible precaution to make sure nothing catastrophic happens.” Twilight explained in a nervous tone of voice. “Well isn’t there a less bossy way to do it? Besides… sometimes things like the parasprites happen. Ya can’t take into account every possible scenario, it’s just not possible. Best we can do is doing the best we can to prepare for what we can prepare for and…wooaah!” Not paying attention to his footing, the little baby dragon started to lose his balance. Spike tried desperately to stabilize himself with the books he was carrying as if he was in some sort of desperate circus act. It wasn’t long before he became unstable, though, as he started to sporadically teeter to and fro before inevitably crashing down to the floor. Falling under the weight of all the textbooks, they plummeted to the earth with the majority of them landing on Spike’s adolescent noggin, temporarily stunning him. “Ugh… adapt…” As if completely oblivious to her assistant’s accident, Twilight’s only reply was “Get up Spike, there’s no time to be resting. We still need to furnish the library. There are still some confetti and plastic cups lying around from the party last night!” She swiftly dug Spike out from under the mountainous pile of books with her magic. “Uh... give me a break, Twilight. I've already wiped the desk, made the beds, cleaned the windows, raked the leaves, AND sent your editorial to News of Equestria magazine on proper book organization at the post office. All I'm asking is for a five minute break!” Spike demanded in a frustrated tone. “You don’t seem to understand, Spike. This isn't a casual acquaintance we’re talking about, nor is it anypony like Sapphire Shore, this is Princess Celestia. EVERYTHING MUST BE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY PERFECT TO A ‘T’!!!” Twilight exclaimed as she raised her voice in front of Spike. “... Just five minutes?” Spike pleaded as he began to enlarge his pupils as if he were some sort of sad puppy dog waiting to be put down. Twilight attempted to resist Spike’s eyes in a furious battle of wills, but it was for naught as she was successfully persuaded, and with that she let out a large grunt. “Fine, take a break. I’m gonna go check on the preparations for Celestia’s arrival,” Twilight said as she trotted out the door, on her way towards Ponyville centre. “YES!!!” cheered Spike. Ah yes… just as Twilight said, Princess Celestia is scheduled to arrive at Ponyville for the yearly Summer Sun Celebration; a ceremonial gathering commemorating the summer solstice. Normally, ponies everywhere would throw wild parties the night prior and stay up till dawn to watch the Sun Goddess raise the sun, just as she has always done every morning since the beginning. However, just as last year didn’t exactly go off without a hitch, this year will also have a setback of its very own. A catastrophe the likes of which nopony could never have hoped to foresee or prepare for. So without further ado... LET’S ROCK!!! GUILTY MARE Driftless EventsTwilight inspected the town around her, as every pony in Ponyville was putting in maximum effort for Celestia’s arrival. The residents were as busy as an entire colony of bees would be working towards supporting their queen, and in the case of Celestia, she was one “Killer Queen”. Of course, Ponyville’s ‘queen’ hadn't shown up just yet. Twilight observed at the marvellous decorations; the flowers that the other ponies put out were perfect, and they even managed to fit in Celestia's name in the banner this time. Banners draped from the roofs and balconies of houses, with Town Hall being the most decorated of course. Twilight then spotted a familiar white unicorn with a curly, purple mane trotting down the road with a rather uncommonly large shopping bag. It was Rarity, looking absolutely fabulous as usual. Twilight walked up to her to say hi. “Oh hello Rarity, what’s with the bag?” asked Twilight. “Why hello Twilight” Rarity cheerfully responded. “Oh, you mean this? It’s just a few supplies for a… appointment… later today.” “What kind of appointment?” she asked with sheer curiosity “Oh, just a little tidbit I've been eager to do for a while. I've been planning it for months now, and I’ll finally have it done!” Rarity answered with a look of excitement on her face. “Really? I'm a little busy, but I could make time. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll do the best I can to-” Twilight was about to finish when she was cut off by the marshmallow. “Huh? …Oh heavens no! I uh… I mean… Not that I necessarily detest your company, Twilight, but this uh… appointment I have planned is a bit personal. I’d rather be alone” “Personal? Well… what exactly do you mean? Can I get a few more details?” Rarity’s face started to contort in awkward fashions as she tried to come up with an excuse for why Twilight couldn't participate in her ‘appointment’, but soon proved to be a futile waste of time. “Uh… oh goodness, look at the time!” The white mare exclaimed, pointing towards what would be the human equivalent of a wrist, a wrist lacking a watch. “I should go, Twi. I cannot afford to be late. Bronaldo is to arrive at the boutique any hour now.” “Bronaldo? Who’s that?” Blast it! She had let that last part slip out. Nothing could be done now to fix Rarity’s mistake. It was time to take her leave, before any more sensitive information leaks out. Completely losing interest in her magically talented friend, Rarity abruptly turned a complete one hundred and eighty degrees on her on her hind legs and made a break for it. I would never normally be so rude as to simply walk out on a conversation with somepony, especially my friends. However, this is too important, and too private as well. I can’t afford to waste any more time. With that, the fashionista was out of sight, leaving a confused Twilight Sparkle behind. “What’s up with her today?” She couldn't understand what could be so urgent, and at a time like this. Looking towards the ground to contemplate, though, Twilight notices something on the ground. They were cloths that Rarity had left behind, most likely having been knocked out of her saddle during her dash. They appeared to be unfinished, but they also looked to be of an ‘adult’ style, or ‘intimates’. The cloths were all that was needed for Twilight to figure out, or at least have an idea, on what exactly Rarity was so busy for. The need for privacy, provocative clothing, and some colt named Bronaldo. It seemed as if her friend had an appointment indeed. A slow but steady blush started to appear on Twilight’s cheeks, realizing what would be the obvious truth to Rarity’s unorthodox behaviour towards her. “ Oh… she could have just told me…” Twilight stared at the ground once again in embarrassment and disappointment. Twilight’s encounter with Rarity was awkward, yes, but there was no time for embarrassment. She had a celebration to organize, after all! With her checklist ready, Twilight began touring around Ponyville and surveyed all the necessities for the ceremony. She was very impressed with the other pony's hard work and dedication; so far everything was going according to schedule. “So far, anyway. I'm not going to write everything off as ok just yet. I should definitely check up on everypony’s tasks to make absolutely sure nothing will go wrong. Most especially my friends. Rarity was already done with her responsibilities, but what about Applejack, Pinkie Pie, or Fluttershy’s duties?” Twilight wasn't sure who to see first, but thankfully she didn't have to make that choice. When she looked up at the early morning sky to think, she could make out the familiar streak of rainbow heading her way. It was no doubt her athletic friend Rainbow Dash coming to see how Twilight was holding up. Rainbow took a dive towards the ground, only to pull up at the last second to where she became perpendicular to the pavement. Barrelling towards the bookworm, she showed no signs of slowing down. Twilight was used to this, however, what with having known her for a few years now. As anticipated, Rainbow pulled up ninety degrees right in front of Twilight at the last second. Now back in the air, she relaxed her wings and allowed herself peek until free-falling back towards the ground. With a bit of grace and an overdose of swag, she finally planted her hooves to Twilight’s left. “Hey there, Twi. Awesome party last night! I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.” “Do you always have to be so flashy, Rainbow? Would it hurt to simply slow down and land next to me?” Twilight asked while popping an eyebrow. “Heh, well if I did that then-” “No, it wouldn't! In fact, you’d eliminate the risk of severely injuring yourself!” “Pfffft, but that wouldn't be fun. You only live once, Twilight, and I don’t want to spend my days sitting around in a safe library reading books all day when I could be practising my flying.” “I swear, Rainbow, one of these days you’re going to really hurt yourself. When that happens, you’re going to wish you listened to me, and-” At this point Rainbow had decided to tune her out. She showed up to have a friendly chat, not get scolded for how to live her life. Looking up at the sky she could see other pegasi flying around with such haste. Though the sun wasn’t out, ponies all around were acting like it was midday. Rainbow looked back at Twilight only to see that she wasn’t even close to being done berating her. “You’ll look at me and say you’re sorry, and I’ll simply reply back ‘I told you so’. I won’t be heartless though Dash. I’ll come by every day when you’re in the hospital to-” Ugh! She thinks she knows everything. Rainbow thought. She was starting to get annoyed now. She was starting to consider leaving her, but decided to look up once again to see if anything would be different. To her surprise, several large and heavy ceremonial equipment were falling towards the ground. More specifically, right on top of Twilight, who of course was too busy preaching to notice the imminent danger crashing down above her head. To Rainbow Dash everything was simple. This is what she lived for, after all. Those moments where nothing but a few short seconds were all one had to act upon were routine for her. It was part of her talent as a flyer. Nopony could beat her in a game of Chicken because of it! “I know you say that I’m such an egghead all the time, but you won’t feel that way when you’re bored out of your mind, unable to move in the hospital bed, and all you’ll have is a book to re-oomf!” Twilight was cut off thanks to Rainbow’s heroic actions. With a swift motion of her entire body, Rainbow slammed her chest against Twilight's left side, wrapping her forehooves around her midsection while twisting herself in the motion. In doing so, she made to where she was in between Twilight and the ground upon impact. The two rolled twice, progressing into a entanglement of hoofs and manes, until either of them were able to turn their heads towards what would have been Twilight Sparkle. Immediately after Twilight’s safety was secured, several objects met the very spot where Twilight was standing with multiple sounds of destruction. No doubt, somepony would claim responsibility for their screw up. As to who this pony might be, Rainbow didn’t care. They were going to get a piece of her mind, regardless. Rainbow then craned her head to look back at Twilight with a devilish grin. “Sorry Twilight, but I had to make a choice. Either let you continue scolding me and have you get hurt, our interrupt your senseless banter and save your sorry flank. Heh... the choice was easy.” “I...thanks Rainbow. I got carried away with that. I just... worry about you.” Rainbow’s devil grin melted into a warm smile. “Well you don’t have to worry so much, Twi. It’s my choice who I want to be. I want to be free to do what I want, and I want to fly.” “I know, Rainbow, and you’re right.” Twilight lumped her neck to see the debris laying where she once was. “...I won’t argue with you.” The two got up from their spooning position to see who was responsible for what would have been a very unfortunate accident. To neither’s surprise, it was none other than the ever clumsy Derpy Hooves, now wringing her hooves together out of embarrassment. Almost immediately, Rainbow flew up to the grey mare with and evident frustration. Straight up, she said “Dammit Derpy!” “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I just... I thought I could carry it all. I’m sorry...” “Sorry? Sorry doesn’t prevent a trip from the hospital. You could have seriously injured Twilight over here, who I might add is in charge of making sure everypony is doing their jobs. Next time you wanna save time, do it right or don’t to it at all.” “I... I-I’m sorry... I’ll do better next time...” Derpy was now on the verge of tears at this point. Rainbow cursed herself for this, remembering how emotionally sensitive she was. “Look... I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You work hard delivering mail everyday, and you’re working hard now carrying the heavy decorations to ponies who need them. But you have to be careful or you’ll hurt somepony.” The funky-eyed mailmare had already shed a few tears. They trickled down her cheeks and dripped to the ground from her now shuttering chin. She knew Rainbow was right, though. However, all that did was make her feel even worse. “Oh... I’m sorry...” “Instead of saying sorry to me, you should be saying sorry to Twilight.” Rainbow extended her right fore hoof towards Twilight, indicating for Derpy to apologies to her. Slowly, Derpy started to hover towards the librarian mare. Her body language as well as her face expressed to all who read them as the saddest mare in the world. Of course, it wasn’t the first time Twilight had seen this in Derpy. Just as she had gotten used to Rainbow’s over-the-top greetings, she has also come to learn the pony who delivers her mail almost every morning. She knew just what to do to cheer her up. “I’m sorry Twilight. I just don’t know what went wrong...” Derpy now hovered next to Twilights right side. Her cheeks showed a tint of red. To anyone who didn’t know her, somepony would say that she was truly hurt, and she was. However, her mood was more than salvageable. Looking dead at the eye that was focused on her, Twilight extended her right fore hoof out and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s alright Derpy. I’m alright and that’s all that matters.” “But Rainbow’s right. I could've really ruined your day.” “Don’t worry about it anymore, Derpy, it’s all in the past. Just make sure to take Rainbow’s advice to heart. Carry what you can, ok? It’s not like the stuff is going anywhere.” “...Thanks Twilight. I’m feeling a little better...” “A little better? That won’t do. Tell ya what, Derpy. After the celebration, I’ll treat you to as many muffins as my wallet can handle. How does that sound?” That did it alright. As if this whole thing had never happened, Derpy’s face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. The tears disappeared without a trace, her cheeks were back to normal, and her eyes weren’t flooded with sadness anymore. The only thing those googly eyes were filled with was joy and happiness. “Really!? Alright! Thanks Twilight, you’re the best!” “Haha, no problem. Just come by when this is all over. Just be careful from now on.” “Don’t worry, I will!” With that Derpy flew back up, now in high spirits, and took off towards city hall. “Hey! What about all the stuff you dropped!” Rainbow wasn’t going to let Derpy off just yet. Thankfully, Twilight had it covered. “It’s alright, Rainbow. Let her go. There’s a lot of broken décor here, but it’s nothing I can’t manage. I’ll just transport it to where it belongs.” “Well alright then. Hey listen, I better get going too. I’m in charge of making sure the skies are clear for when Celestia arrives, but I wanted to drop by and strike up a quick conversation. Yet once again you’ve managed to kill that chance. So I’ll catch you later, alright?” Twilight was just about to systematically wave her off with a simple ‘ok’, but she remembered what she had to do earlier, before Rainbow showed up. Twilight was having trouble figuring out which of her friends to visit first. “Sure, but I need to ask you something before you leave. I’ve been trying to decide which of our friends I should visit first. Ya’ know, to see how they’re coming along with their tasks as well as to see if I can help. Do you know which of them, other than Rarity, need help the most?” “Hmm... I think Fluttershy was having trouble with her chicken coop, but I was too much in a hurry to stop by and see for it myself. You might want to investigate that.” “Chicken coop? The celebration doesn’t have anything to do with... no, you’re right. Thanks Rainbow!” “No problem! Oh, and by the way, I’ll be hanging out at Sugarcube Corner during my breaks, so if you want to find me, I’ll probably be there. Alright, gotta jet!” With that, the rainbow-maned pegasus shot forth a mighty streak of the colour spectrum to parts unknown. Well, more like above the skies of Sweet Apple Acres, but that sounds less epic. Regardless, she was off, leaving Twilight to herself and her goals. “Alright... Fluttershy it is then.” Roughly a few hours prior... Two titans were engaged in a battle of epic proportions. At this very moment, the rogue bounty hunter Sol Badguy was at odds with the noble and dutiful International Police officer Ky Kiske. Just like a hurricane, the first half of the battle had ended. Now, just like the eye of a hurricane, the two stood before each other, not moving a muscle but with their weapons at the ready. “Just tell me what I want to know, Sol, and I’ll leave you alone! It doesn’t have to be this way!” Ky had approached Sol a while prior to discuss something, but Sol wasn’t his psychiatrist. “You’re making it this way. Now get lost, you've already wasted enough of my time.” Ky needed to know something, and only Sol knew the answer. Every time he was on to something, even during the incident with the Blackard Company, Sol was always in his way. If only he would just cooperate. “Why are you always so stubborn! ...You never change...” “Don’t make me tell you twice, boy.” Of course, words alone would not sway either fighter. As to what exactly Ky wanted, none new except for himself. They both knew that the fight was not over. In all honesty, Sol would rather have Ky screw off and leave him alone. Of course, nothing was ever that easy, and it never will be. It did not matter. If Ky wants a beating, then he’s going to get one. I’ll rock him like a hurricane. At the same time, Sol and Ky readied their respective signature weapons and dashed towards each other. At the moment where they’d have collided, Ky abruptly jumped into the air and waved his sword above his head, stretching his arms out as if to call upon the sky! Sol, however, instead went low to the ground. Taking a second to charge, he engulfed himself in flames and tanked towards where Ky was once standing before he performed his Vapour Thrust attack. Both attacks had missed their intended target, but by no means was the fight over. In the air, Ky twisted his body so as to face where Sol was. Extending his Thunderseal, he began charging electrical magic before finally releasing it in one powerful arrow of lightning. It travelled slowly towards the renegade firebender, who now was recovering from his Grand Viper attack. Quickly, Sol got up to his feet, turned around, and jumped high into the air. Dodging the charged Stun Edge attack, he pulled back his left arm and readied for a powerful fire punch to Ky’s pretty-boy face, who at this point had just landed on the ground. Without missing a beat, Ky gathered the magical energies from within his body to perform a strong explosion of sorts. This ‘burst’ that expanded around Ky’s body was a shimmering gold and violently pushed Sol back, preventing him from landing his Bandit Bringer. The scuffle ended with no damage being dealt to either of themselves. It was not over, though. Someone needed to be on their backs for that. Sol got up, dusted himself off, and flipped Ky off. “Pussy. If you can’t handle the heat, then get out of my face.” “Not until I find the answer to what I’m looking for. I just want to know what true ju-” Not allowing for Ky to finish that last sentence, Sol dashed forth and prepared to swing his Fireseal. Seeing this, Ky readies his weapon and prepared to block when suddenly a womanly figure appeared in between them. With her knee-high, red leather platform boots, tight red skirt, and goofy red witch hat, both knew who this person was. In unison, both Sol and Ky exclaimed, “I-No!” “Hello there, boys. Playing with yourselves again? Don’t worry, I’ll show you both how to have a good time.” With a swing of her cyan guitar, a portal appeared where I-No once was. It was bulbous and purple, and Sol was heading right for it! “Shit! I’ll get you, I-No, and That Man!” “Wait, Sol!” Ky tried desperately to retrieve his past comrade. If he allowed this to happen to Sol, he will never get his answer for what true justice is. However, his attempt was futile. Ky lunged forth to intercept and stop Sol from entering the portal. Half of this became true. Although Ky got in the way of Sol, he did not stop him. Ky was knocked into the portal by Sol and both were transported to parts unknown in the Backyard. “Oh yea, those chords are so in harmony with each other. Send the Princesses my regards, won’t you please?” With that, I-No laughed menacingly and in victory as not only was Sol out of the way, but Ky as well. Killed two birds with one stone. As the portal closed, another opened for I-No to take her leave. The Nervous Nellie CriesAs Twilight trotted her way to Fluttershy’s cottage, she began to voice out her thoughts as she passed by Ponyville main square. “What does Fluttershy’s chicken coop have anything to do with the Summer Sun celebration? All she needs to worry about are her birds for the chorus and the floral décor”. Twilight started to contemplate why it would be a good idea to help her animal loving friend just as she made her way across the southern bridge. “...Now that I think about it, though, she wouldn’t be able to do any of those things if something was bothering her. So I guess helping her with her chicken problem -is- a good idea after all.” All this thinking and pondering was definitely killing time for Twilight. Before long Fluttershy’s cottage started to come into view from the plot of road Twilight was on. It would be really rude to just leave her there. Granted, I'm too busy to invest any gratuitous amount of time. What with my responsibility as a ceremonial organizer. I still can’t ignore her like that, though, it’s just not like me. Just as Twilight finished her last thought, Fluttershy’s front door was but a few paces away, having just crossed the small bridge going over the cottage moat, which flowed from the Everfree Forest just beyond her friend’s humble home further back. Structurally and visually, labelling it a cottage wasn’t exactly accurate. A normal cottage would sport the usual tile roof and bland white or brown drywall. Structurally, Fluttershy’s home was more like a hybrid between a tree and a normal house; Though walls of the house were average, the roof, although having a similar shape to a normal one, was armored with leaves and foliage instead of tiles or shingles. It was as if the whole thing was a separate lawn. Visually, miniature animal houses and holes of all kinds were hung and laid out throughout the property. Bird houses were hung from the small trees around the cottage, as well as the cottage itself. Rabbit holes plotted the hill from the side of the path. There was even a lone dog house by the side Fluttershy’s. It was small, probably only big enough to house a small mammal, and sported a wooden door post in the shape of a carrot. Taking all that into account, a pony wouldn’t think of this place as a cottage. No, it was more of an animal hotel or nursery. The house itself was apart of the ecosystem which surrounded it. No doubt, the owner was most definitely environmentally friendly. The only thing that stood out like a horrible zit, however, was the partially incinerated chicken coop that stood from the cottage’s right. “Woah... what in Tartarus happened here? This seems much more than just a simple accident.” The chickens themselves looked as if somepony had taken a balloon and rubbed it vigorously onto their feathers. They weren’t just ruffled, no. They were frazzled. Twilight reached out a hoof, curiously. “Ow!” ...And charged with electricity, apparently. A sense of worry soon replaced Twilight’s mood as she tried to call out her friend’s name, only to be answered by the cool morning breeze which ruffled her mane, tickling her ears as the wind blew by them. I should try the door... see if she’s hiding in there... With an evident haste in her step, Twilight darted to the front door and began to knock. “Fluttershy? ...Fluttershy, are you in there? It’s me, Twilight. Are you ok? Are you hurt? ...ahhh, no answer... I sure hope she’s alright. What could have happened to the chicken coop?” Twilight went back around the cottage to take a closer look at the coop. From the viewpoint of a chicken looking out from the entryway, a portion of the coop’s left roof side was completely incinerated. The burns on the planks were cut clean, as if a lightsaber from those “Star Horse” movies had sliced through them. Upon closer scrutiny, however, the burns appeared to have been shaped from a spherical mass. Almost like a magical ball of energy had suddenly appeared in the space of the chicken coop. Thankfully, no chickens were occupying the ball’s space when it had appeared. Otherwise, there would only be pieces of the chickens lying about--a gruesome sight. Especially for Fluttershy.... Hey, what’s that over there? Twilight had tilted her point of interest from the chicken coop a plot of dirt a few trots away. It was tampered but not intentionally. The markings on them were similar to what a meteorite leaves behind after impacting the earth, and judging from the angle of the lines, the object, or objects, appeared to have come from the direction of the chicken coop. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that something came out of this ball... It's like the chicken coop suddenly became a cannon. This is all so strange..." Darting back to the coop, she lit up her horn to test for any magical residue, and sure enough her suspicions were confirmed. “This wasn’t just an accident. Somepony tried to attack Fluttershy with magic. ...Wait, that’s not right. If that were true, then the whole premises would have been decimated by now. Instead, only the chicken coop was damaged. Hmmm... regardless, magic is involved, but who could have-” “Twilight, Twilight!” Twilight was interrupted by the cries of a pony in peril. Turning around to face the Everfree’s entrance, she discovered the pony who was in such distress. However, it wasn’t a pony, but a zebra. It was none other than the herbalist Zecora, a good friend of Twilight and the others. She was running in a full sprint towards Twilight. Zecora, the zebra who lived in the Everfree Forest. Although initially perceived as an evil witch doctor by the citizens of Ponyville , everypony has long since known the real truth about her; a friendly potion maker who wanted nothing more than a few supplies. She now frequently visits the town for not only supplies, but also lends aid to the ponies with her knowledge of magical ailments. Several times has she helped Twilight and her friends with quirky illnesses like Poison Joke and Cutie-Pox. Zecora is indeed a true friend. Now, it would seem that Zecora needs a friend more than ever. "Twilight! Twilight! Come with me! There is chaos here in Everfree!" “Zecora? What’s going on? Is everything ok?” “Monsters of beastly size and brutal ways, are bringing wrath like it's the end of days!” “Monsters? What kind of monsters?” “Their shape and size are like an ape's, from their wrath, we must escape!” Zecora answered with yet another couplet of words. “Like a dragon, one breathes fire, the other calls down godly ire” “One of them almost set you on fire? Are they dragons?” “The one who wears devil's red, wears a clasp around his head; and in his hands a sword so big, It makes all the trees seem more like twigs. The other, an angel man in white, whose long blade bathes in light; his princely robe and hair of gold, makes him seem a god of old. This devil and this angel agree, only to do harm to Everfree; and in time I fear they will, bring their battle to Ponyville!” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These monsters were terrorizing the Everfree Forest, and Zecora needed Twilight’s help to stop them and re-establish peace. Though it was logical for Zecora to seek help from the bearer of the Element of Magic, her timing couldn’t have been worse. “Dear sweet Celestia... they’re really that strong? I understand, then. That ball must have been a portal then, and whatever came out of it must be those things terrorizing the forest! If they’re as strong as you say they are, then Ponyville could be in danger too, and if that’s the case, then we don’t have any time to lose. We need to move now, lead the way Zecora.” Zecora thanked the librarian from the bottom of her heart. Without a moment to lose, they both left Fluttershy’s humble cottage in a sprint towards the Everfree Forest. However Twilight just couldn’t help but think about the unfortunate timing of it all. Why now? Why now, of all days? Twilight merely assumed the universe had it in for her today. Like her father would tell her sometimes, 'Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. In no time at all, the librarian and the herbalist were engulfed into the darkness that was inside the Everfree Forest, heading towards the sounds of clanging metal and away from the cottage that now laid silent. Not a soul remained there, it seemed. The bird houses were empty, and nopony stirred in the home. Slowly, however, a quivering pink mane and several fluffy animals began to poke out from one of the holes in the ground. “A-a-are they gone...? ...Is it s-s-safe to come out...?” Heaven or HellDark, humid and eerie. That’s what anypony would describe the inside of the Everfree forest. Nothing was managed, the forest’s ecosystem sustained itself on its own. Its exotic wildlife was enough to warrant caution if and when somepony decided it was a good idea to trek through it, which was why Twilight was more on edge. No Manticore or Cockatrice could have done that much structural damage to Fluttershy’s chicken coop. Remembering Zecora’s description on what she was up against didn’t help either. These were aliens she was going to go up against. Powerful, magic-wielding aliens she knew very little about. The closer she and Zecora got, the more destruction she saw all around her. The Everfree Forest was known for one to be easily lost in it, what with its prominent darkness and abundant hostilities that lived there. Yet thanks to the decimated vegetation which had formed an easy path to the aliens, Twilight need not fear of getting lost, neither was there any worry of running into any wild beasts The forest was overlayed with battered up bodies, of various wild beasts. Timberwolves, giant spiders, and even a Manticore lay there without it’s fur, most likely burnt off by the monsters; Twilight had never even seen a Manticore completely naked before... Until now. They were beaten and wounded, no doubt caught in the crossfire by the deadly intruders. All of this for all to see, and Twilight was tasked with the role of hero and getting rid of them. If I’m going to do this, I need to find them without being seen. I’ll also need to be careful not to be caught in the middle of their fight, like these poor souls. Soon the sound of roars and cries of the monsters could be heard, but something was off. Twilight could have sworn she heard audible sounds. Almost like the monsters themselves were speaking Equish. As much as that perked Twilight’s fascination, it would have to wait. The sooner she and Zecora got to the magical monsters the better, which was why they both had broken into a full gallop towards the source of the forest’s agony. They had eventually reached a portion of the forest that had not yet been claimed by the monsters. Vegetation was still abundant, spared by the fires that had consumed all else. It was here that the cries and roars had reached maximum volume. Yet the moment Twilight and Zecora had arrived, all fell silent. The kind of silence that is heard when somepony crashes a party. Evidently, just like in that scenario, both of them felt as though they were being watched, like they had interrupted something. No, they are the intruders. I need to stop them before they decide to crash Ponyville. “...Zecora... you might want to hide. If they find me, I’d rather I be the only one in danger instead of the both of us. You can help out if you want after that, ok?” The herbalist nodded and jumped into a nearby bush, now completely hidden from sight and leaving Twilight alone to face the two beings of fire and lightning. After a few moments of hesitation, Twilight began to slowly move forward. All was quiet except for the sounds she produced. The sound of disturbed foliage and her pounding heart. This is nerve-racking! I feel like they’re going to jump me at any moment! Two steps....four steps... eight steps... nothing happened as Twilight continued to advance. Her ears were perked up, eyes darting in all directions. I’ve had enough of this. I wish they’d just come out already and- “GUNFLAME!!!” Suddenly a flash of light bloomed out of the shade as a surge of fire charged its way towards Twilight. Time seemed to slow down around her as she was abruptly thrown into a situation of life or death. An intense burst of adrenaline surged through Twilight’s veins as she avoided the burning, slithering trail. The flame kept burning forward until it eventually died out, and all that was left of the grass behind the fire’s path was replaced with ash and cinder. What in the hoof was that? Twilight exclaimed in her mind. It looked like magic, but in all my years of studying, I've never seen such a powerful cantrip. Twilight continued to examine the mysterious forces, until she heard more screaming within the looming blackness of the woods. "STUN EDGE!!!" In response to the flames Twilight had narrowly avoided only moments ago, an arrow of lightning shot forth from the darkness behind her. Twilight tried to jump out of the way, but the sudden bolt of plasma flew through the air with the speed of a certain rainbow-maned Pegasus. She would not be able to avoid this next assault in time! As quick as this revelation had dawned on her, a blessing in the form of a tackling Zebra knocked her hard on the ground, taking the wind out of her lungs as the neon-blue arrow whizzed right over her head, grazing the tip of her lavender horn. “Twilight, you are much too slow. Back on your hooves, we have to go!” No sooner did Twilight begin to formulate a response to her savior did the two monsters burst forth from the forest depths, into the air and on a collision course with each other! “VOLCANIC VIPER!!!” “VAPOR THRUST!!!” Blue and orange-red sparks flew in all directions upon their initial impact, snowing hot embers onto the forest floor beneath them. The monsters finally landed on the burning woodland floor right in front of the two ponies. It was the first time Twilight got a good glance of the two behemoths. She was more fascinated than afraid as she witnessed that the creatures were not only bipedal, but were well clothed. Their outfits were rather unique, and nothing she'd never seen in any of Rarity's designs. The beast closest to Twilight was definitely wearing the devil's red, but it didn't stop there. He closely resembled a glam rocker who lost a fight with his closet: dressed in casual wear, rags, leather, and belts (and belts, and belts, and belts). The other one, the 'angel man' had a mop of golden hair and blue eyes that seemed to not only contain divinity, but commanded respect. His poise, his white robes, his mannerisms--all were the hallmark of a prince of rigid upbringing. Devil and Angel. Hunter and Soldier. Heaven and Hell. However if that wasn’t enough to fascinate Twilight, one of the monsters started to speak. “To hell with you, Ky,” uttered the monster in the red headband. “I’ll find my own way out of this crazy place.” “We’re going to work together if we are to figure out where we are, but you’re going to have to follow my lead, Sol,” replied the uniform wearing beast. “My goodness, these creatures are... intelligent,” said Twilight. “This could be my chance to actually sort things out without resorting to violence.” As Twilight came to this sudden revelation, she stepped forward in order to communicate with the two strangers. Twilight began to make her speech towards the two men. “Excuse me, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I...” However she was interrupted by the two men’s constant ramblings. “I’ll figure it out myself... I don’t need your help kid,” Sol said with a grunt. “What makes you think you could even navigate yourself out of this crazy world anyway?” Ky facehoofed. (What did you call that action when the appendage has fingers, anyway?) “Sol, why must you be so difficult?” he asked, plainly. “Hello?” Twilight repeated, but it was no use. It’s as if these two were so caught up in their hatred towards each other that they weren’t even aware of their current surroundings. “Just leave me the hell alone,” Sol yelled. “HEY!!!” Exclaimed Twilight. “Not until you see to reason!” Ky cried as they both raised their swords in unison, both piercing the air above them. Sol carried a broad, rectangular blade while Ky’s was more narrow and pointed. “You don’t have the balls,” Sol grunted with a long smirk on his face. “If I have to knock some sense into you, then so be it,” Ky replied. The two warriors then began to charge right at each other, both intending to cause damage. “GRAND VIPER!!!” Sol called out as his entire body enveloped itself in a shell of fire as he began to charge towards his opponent. “RIDE THE LIGHTNING!!!” Ky cried while being encased in a barrier of pure electricity as he dashed towards Sol. “LOOK OUT!!!” Twilight yelled as she jumped out of Sol and Ky’s respective paths. The two titans collided as they made their marks, and with that the fight continued. It was no use, no amount of reasoning could even grab their attentions. Perhaps she didn’t yell loud enough? No... Even if she tried again, these two were already in the heat of their duel. In quick desperation, Twilight pounced back into the woods in order to consult with the striped herbalist. “Oh no, Zecora,” exclaimed Twilight. “These two just won’t listen to me.” “This is a dire situation indeed, we must not let this epic conflict proceed,” Zecora said with a clever limerick. “If we let their fight go on, it is Ponyville that they might stumble upon. For it shall spell sheer doom, as all of Ponyville may go... KABOOM!!!”. “OH NO OH NO OH NO!!!” Twilight panicked as she galloped in place. “What do we do then?” “What answer do you expect me to tell? You're the one with fancy spells,” Zecora stated as she pointed at Twilight’s horn. Twilight stopped. She blushed and looked away, feeling so silly that she'd forgotten her greatest advantage. “Well... I could teleport them to someplace far away... No, that would be a bad idea, they’d just fight there instead. I could instead transport one of them somewhere secluded and void of life.” Twilight focused her attention back at the fight, trying to decide who to teleport and who to leave behind for questioning. After witnessing the blond-maned knight in white and blue attempt to reason with the red guy, she decided it was best to keep him and send the red one to an area that was barren and empty. Twilight had now come up with a plan and was ready to act on it. She focused all of her magic energy towards Sol Badguy, concentrating on someplace that was ‘void of life’. Her initial thoughts were of the moon, but decided against it. As powerful as she was, Twilight couldn't teleport somepony whole astral bodies away. So she tried to think of another place that could work, but before she could select a destination a stray stun edge collided with the tip of her horn. The lightning based magic mixed with hers, turning from purple to a dark navy blue, and shot back towards Sol, who was in the middle of attempting yet another Gun Flame. “Augh!” The shot hit its mark well as Sol lit up like a light bulb. The electrical energy surged through his body, which now glowed a bright dark blue, before the magic started to expand and engulf him in a dark purple bubble. “What the!... What is happening now!? Could this be I-No’s doing!?” Ky was at a lost for words as yet another phenomenon flashed before his eyes since the past twenty four hours. He tried to save Sol like last time by diving into the bubble, which didn’t turn out so well, but failed as it suddenly collapsed into itself. Twilight was at this point struggling to maintain consciousness. She begins absent-mindedly reciting a segment of a poem that she once read through in her recent studies as smoke rolls from her mouth and electricity sparks from her mane. “Mama, just killed a man. Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead.” Still, she accomplished her goal. Using the last of her strength she witnessed the bubble explode, leaving no trace of Sol. Not being able to stay on her hooves she started to fall to the ground, but not before being caught by Zecora. Indeed, she was a true friend. Holding the librarian in her hooves she turned to face the bewildered Ky, who had yet to discover their presence. “Thanks to Twilight, the battle is at its end. It is time now to make a new friend.” She spoke in a whisper, making sure that the knight in blue remained in ignorance until she was ready to reveal herself.
Prologue“Spike, have you dusted those bookshelves?” Twilight called out as she was inspecting her checklist. “I’m already trying to stack these books, what more do you want?” Spike replied, carrying a teetering tower of tomes. “Why are you so panicky all of a sudden?” “I told you Spike, the Princess has scheduled another visit to Ponyville after having to take care of the parasprite infestation in Fillydelphia. If it weren’t for that, she would have seen our town in the same state. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice, so I’m taking every possible precaution to make sure nothing catastrophic happens.” Twilight explained in a nervous tone of voice. “Well isn’t there a less bossy way to do it? Besides… sometimes things like the parasprites happen. Ya can’t take into account every possible scenario, it’s just not possible. Best we can do is doing the best we can to prepare for what we can prepare for and…wooaah!” Not paying attention to his footing, the little baby dragon started to lose his balance. Spike tried desperately to stabilize himself with the books he was carrying as if he was in some sort of desperate circus act. It wasn’t long before he became unstable, though, as he started to sporadically teeter to and fro before inevitably crashing down to the floor. Falling under the weight of all the textbooks, they plummeted to the earth with the majority of them landing on Spike’s adolescent noggin, temporarily stunning him. “Ugh… adapt…” As if completely oblivious to her assistant’s accident, Twilight’s only reply was “Get up Spike, there’s no time to be resting. We still need to furnish the library. There are still some confetti and plastic cups lying around from the party last night!” She swiftly dug Spike out from under the mountainous pile of books with her magic. “Uh... give me a break, Twilight. I've already wiped the desk, made the beds, cleaned the windows, raked the leaves, AND sent your editorial to News of Equestria magazine on proper book organization at the post office. All I'm asking is for a five minute break!” Spike demanded in a frustrated tone. “You don’t seem to understand, Spike. This isn't a casual acquaintance we’re talking about, nor is it anypony like Sapphire Shore, this is Princess Celestia. EVERYTHING MUST BE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY PERFECT TO A ‘T’!!!” Twilight exclaimed as she raised her voice in front of Spike. “... Just five minutes?” Spike pleaded as he began to enlarge his pupils as if he were some sort of sad puppy dog waiting to be put down. Twilight attempted to resist Spike’s eyes in a furious battle of wills, but it was for naught as she was successfully persuaded, and with that she let out a large grunt. “Fine, take a break. I’m gonna go check on the preparations for Celestia’s arrival,” Twilight said as she trotted out the door, on her way towards Ponyville centre. “YES!!!” cheered Spike. Ah yes… just as Twilight said, Princess Celestia is scheduled to arrive at Ponyville for the yearly Summer Sun Celebration; a ceremonial gathering commemorating the summer solstice. Normally, ponies everywhere would throw wild parties the night prior and stay up till dawn to watch the Sun Goddess raise the sun, just as she has always done every morning since the beginning. However, just as last year didn’t exactly go off without a hitch, this year will also have a setback of its very own. A catastrophe the likes of which nopony could never have hoped to foresee or prepare for. So without further ado... LET’S ROCK!!! GUILTY MARE
Driftless EventsTwilight inspected the town around her, as every pony in Ponyville was putting in maximum effort for Celestia’s arrival. The residents were as busy as an entire colony of bees would be working towards supporting their queen, and in the case of Celestia, she was one “Killer Queen”. Of course, Ponyville’s ‘queen’ hadn't shown up just yet. Twilight observed at the marvellous decorations; the flowers that the other ponies put out were perfect, and they even managed to fit in Celestia's name in the banner this time. Banners draped from the roofs and balconies of houses, with Town Hall being the most decorated of course. Twilight then spotted a familiar white unicorn with a curly, purple mane trotting down the road with a rather uncommonly large shopping bag. It was Rarity, looking absolutely fabulous as usual. Twilight walked up to her to say hi. “Oh hello Rarity, what’s with the bag?” asked Twilight. “Why hello Twilight” Rarity cheerfully responded. “Oh, you mean this? It’s just a few supplies for a… appointment… later today.” “What kind of appointment?” she asked with sheer curiosity “Oh, just a little tidbit I've been eager to do for a while. I've been planning it for months now, and I’ll finally have it done!” Rarity answered with a look of excitement on her face. “Really? I'm a little busy, but I could make time. Just tell me when and where, and I’ll do the best I can to-” Twilight was about to finish when she was cut off by the marshmallow. “Huh? …Oh heavens no! I uh… I mean… Not that I necessarily detest your company, Twilight, but this uh… appointment I have planned is a bit personal. I’d rather be alone” “Personal? Well… what exactly do you mean? Can I get a few more details?” Rarity’s face started to contort in awkward fashions as she tried to come up with an excuse for why Twilight couldn't participate in her ‘appointment’, but soon proved to be a futile waste of time. “Uh… oh goodness, look at the time!” The white mare exclaimed, pointing towards what would be the human equivalent of a wrist, a wrist lacking a watch. “I should go, Twi. I cannot afford to be late. Bronaldo is to arrive at the boutique any hour now.” “Bronaldo? Who’s that?” Blast it! She had let that last part slip out. Nothing could be done now to fix Rarity’s mistake. It was time to take her leave, before any more sensitive information leaks out. Completely losing interest in her magically talented friend, Rarity abruptly turned a complete one hundred and eighty degrees on her on her hind legs and made a break for it. I would never normally be so rude as to simply walk out on a conversation with somepony, especially my friends. However, this is too important, and too private as well. I can’t afford to waste any more time. With that, the fashionista was out of sight, leaving a confused Twilight Sparkle behind. “What’s up with her today?” She couldn't understand what could be so urgent, and at a time like this. Looking towards the ground to contemplate, though, Twilight notices something on the ground. They were cloths that Rarity had left behind, most likely having been knocked out of her saddle during her dash. They appeared to be unfinished, but they also looked to be of an ‘adult’ style, or ‘intimates’. The cloths were all that was needed for Twilight to figure out, or at least have an idea, on what exactly Rarity was so busy for. The need for privacy, provocative clothing, and some colt named Bronaldo. It seemed as if her friend had an appointment indeed. A slow but steady blush started to appear on Twilight’s cheeks, realizing what would be the obvious truth to Rarity’s unorthodox behaviour towards her. “ Oh… she could have just told me…” Twilight stared at the ground once again in embarrassment and disappointment. Twilight’s encounter with Rarity was awkward, yes, but there was no time for embarrassment. She had a celebration to organize, after all! With her checklist ready, Twilight began touring around Ponyville and surveyed all the necessities for the ceremony. She was very impressed with the other pony's hard work and dedication; so far everything was going according to schedule. “So far, anyway. I'm not going to write everything off as ok just yet. I should definitely check up on everypony’s tasks to make absolutely sure nothing will go wrong. Most especially my friends. Rarity was already done with her responsibilities, but what about Applejack, Pinkie Pie, or Fluttershy’s duties?” Twilight wasn't sure who to see first, but thankfully she didn't have to make that choice. When she looked up at the early morning sky to think, she could make out the familiar streak of rainbow heading her way. It was no doubt her athletic friend Rainbow Dash coming to see how Twilight was holding up. Rainbow took a dive towards the ground, only to pull up at the last second to where she became perpendicular to the pavement. Barrelling towards the bookworm, she showed no signs of slowing down. Twilight was used to this, however, what with having known her for a few years now. As anticipated, Rainbow pulled up ninety degrees right in front of Twilight at the last second. Now back in the air, she relaxed her wings and allowed herself peek until free-falling back towards the ground. With a bit of grace and an overdose of swag, she finally planted her hooves to Twilight’s left. “Hey there, Twi. Awesome party last night! I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.” “Do you always have to be so flashy, Rainbow? Would it hurt to simply slow down and land next to me?” Twilight asked while popping an eyebrow. “Heh, well if I did that then-” “No, it wouldn't! In fact, you’d eliminate the risk of severely injuring yourself!” “Pfffft, but that wouldn't be fun. You only live once, Twilight, and I don’t want to spend my days sitting around in a safe library reading books all day when I could be practising my flying.” “I swear, Rainbow, one of these days you’re going to really hurt yourself. When that happens, you’re going to wish you listened to me, and-” At this point Rainbow had decided to tune her out. She showed up to have a friendly chat, not get scolded for how to live her life. Looking up at the sky she could see other pegasi flying around with such haste. Though the sun wasn’t out, ponies all around were acting like it was midday. Rainbow looked back at Twilight only to see that she wasn’t even close to being done berating her. “You’ll look at me and say you’re sorry, and I’ll simply reply back ‘I told you so’. I won’t be heartless though Dash. I’ll come by every day when you’re in the hospital to-” Ugh! She thinks she knows everything. Rainbow thought. She was starting to get annoyed now. She was starting to consider leaving her, but decided to look up once again to see if anything would be different. To her surprise, several large and heavy ceremonial equipment were falling towards the ground. More specifically, right on top of Twilight, who of course was too busy preaching to notice the imminent danger crashing down above her head. To Rainbow Dash everything was simple. This is what she lived for, after all. Those moments where nothing but a few short seconds were all one had to act upon were routine for her. It was part of her talent as a flyer. Nopony could beat her in a game of Chicken because of it! “I know you say that I’m such an egghead all the time, but you won’t feel that way when you’re bored out of your mind, unable to move in the hospital bed, and all you’ll have is a book to re-oomf!” Twilight was cut off thanks to Rainbow’s heroic actions. With a swift motion of her entire body, Rainbow slammed her chest against Twilight's left side, wrapping her forehooves around her midsection while twisting herself in the motion. In doing so, she made to where she was in between Twilight and the ground upon impact. The two rolled twice, progressing into a entanglement of hoofs and manes, until either of them were able to turn their heads towards what would have been Twilight Sparkle. Immediately after Twilight’s safety was secured, several objects met the very spot where Twilight was standing with multiple sounds of destruction. No doubt, somepony would claim responsibility for their screw up. As to who this pony might be, Rainbow didn’t care. They were going to get a piece of her mind, regardless. Rainbow then craned her head to look back at Twilight with a devilish grin. “Sorry Twilight, but I had to make a choice. Either let you continue scolding me and have you get hurt, our interrupt your senseless banter and save your sorry flank. Heh... the choice was easy.” “I...thanks Rainbow. I got carried away with that. I just... worry about you.” Rainbow’s devil grin melted into a warm smile. “Well you don’t have to worry so much, Twi. It’s my choice who I want to be. I want to be free to do what I want, and I want to fly.” “I know, Rainbow, and you’re right.” Twilight lumped her neck to see the debris laying where she once was. “...I won’t argue with you.” The two got up from their spooning position to see who was responsible for what would have been a very unfortunate accident. To neither’s surprise, it was none other than the ever clumsy Derpy Hooves, now wringing her hooves together out of embarrassment. Almost immediately, Rainbow flew up to the grey mare with and evident frustration. Straight up, she said “Dammit Derpy!” “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I just... I thought I could carry it all. I’m sorry...” “Sorry? Sorry doesn’t prevent a trip from the hospital. You could have seriously injured Twilight over here, who I might add is in charge of making sure everypony is doing their jobs. Next time you wanna save time, do it right or don’t to it at all.” “I... I-I’m sorry... I’ll do better next time...” Derpy was now on the verge of tears at this point. Rainbow cursed herself for this, remembering how emotionally sensitive she was. “Look... I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. You work hard delivering mail everyday, and you’re working hard now carrying the heavy decorations to ponies who need them. But you have to be careful or you’ll hurt somepony.” The funky-eyed mailmare had already shed a few tears. They trickled down her cheeks and dripped to the ground from her now shuttering chin. She knew Rainbow was right, though. However, all that did was make her feel even worse. “Oh... I’m sorry...” “Instead of saying sorry to me, you should be saying sorry to Twilight.” Rainbow extended her right fore hoof towards Twilight, indicating for Derpy to apologies to her. Slowly, Derpy started to hover towards the librarian mare. Her body language as well as her face expressed to all who read them as the saddest mare in the world. Of course, it wasn’t the first time Twilight had seen this in Derpy. Just as she had gotten used to Rainbow’s over-the-top greetings, she has also come to learn the pony who delivers her mail almost every morning. She knew just what to do to cheer her up. “I’m sorry Twilight. I just don’t know what went wrong...” Derpy now hovered next to Twilights right side. Her cheeks showed a tint of red. To anyone who didn’t know her, somepony would say that she was truly hurt, and she was. However, her mood was more than salvageable. Looking dead at the eye that was focused on her, Twilight extended her right fore hoof out and pulled her in for a hug. “It’s alright Derpy. I’m alright and that’s all that matters.” “But Rainbow’s right. I could've really ruined your day.” “Don’t worry about it anymore, Derpy, it’s all in the past. Just make sure to take Rainbow’s advice to heart. Carry what you can, ok? It’s not like the stuff is going anywhere.” “...Thanks Twilight. I’m feeling a little better...” “A little better? That won’t do. Tell ya what, Derpy. After the celebration, I’ll treat you to as many muffins as my wallet can handle. How does that sound?” That did it alright. As if this whole thing had never happened, Derpy’s face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. The tears disappeared without a trace, her cheeks were back to normal, and her eyes weren’t flooded with sadness anymore. The only thing those googly eyes were filled with was joy and happiness. “Really!? Alright! Thanks Twilight, you’re the best!” “Haha, no problem. Just come by when this is all over. Just be careful from now on.” “Don’t worry, I will!” With that Derpy flew back up, now in high spirits, and took off towards city hall. “Hey! What about all the stuff you dropped!” Rainbow wasn’t going to let Derpy off just yet. Thankfully, Twilight had it covered. “It’s alright, Rainbow. Let her go. There’s a lot of broken décor here, but it’s nothing I can’t manage. I’ll just transport it to where it belongs.” “Well alright then. Hey listen, I better get going too. I’m in charge of making sure the skies are clear for when Celestia arrives, but I wanted to drop by and strike up a quick conversation. Yet once again you’ve managed to kill that chance. So I’ll catch you later, alright?” Twilight was just about to systematically wave her off with a simple ‘ok’, but she remembered what she had to do earlier, before Rainbow showed up. Twilight was having trouble figuring out which of her friends to visit first. “Sure, but I need to ask you something before you leave. I’ve been trying to decide which of our friends I should visit first. Ya’ know, to see how they’re coming along with their tasks as well as to see if I can help. Do you know which of them, other than Rarity, need help the most?” “Hmm... I think Fluttershy was having trouble with her chicken coop, but I was too much in a hurry to stop by and see for it myself. You might want to investigate that.” “Chicken coop? The celebration doesn’t have anything to do with... no, you’re right. Thanks Rainbow!” “No problem! Oh, and by the way, I’ll be hanging out at Sugarcube Corner during my breaks, so if you want to find me, I’ll probably be there. Alright, gotta jet!” With that, the rainbow-maned pegasus shot forth a mighty streak of the colour spectrum to parts unknown. Well, more like above the skies of Sweet Apple Acres, but that sounds less epic. Regardless, she was off, leaving Twilight to herself and her goals. “Alright... Fluttershy it is then.” Roughly a few hours prior... Two titans were engaged in a battle of epic proportions. At this very moment, the rogue bounty hunter Sol Badguy was at odds with the noble and dutiful International Police officer Ky Kiske. Just like a hurricane, the first half of the battle had ended. Now, just like the eye of a hurricane, the two stood before each other, not moving a muscle but with their weapons at the ready. “Just tell me what I want to know, Sol, and I’ll leave you alone! It doesn’t have to be this way!” Ky had approached Sol a while prior to discuss something, but Sol wasn’t his psychiatrist. “You’re making it this way. Now get lost, you've already wasted enough of my time.” Ky needed to know something, and only Sol knew the answer. Every time he was on to something, even during the incident with the Blackard Company, Sol was always in his way. If only he would just cooperate. “Why are you always so stubborn! ...You never change...” “Don’t make me tell you twice, boy.” Of course, words alone would not sway either fighter. As to what exactly Ky wanted, none new except for himself. They both knew that the fight was not over. In all honesty, Sol would rather have Ky screw off and leave him alone. Of course, nothing was ever that easy, and it never will be. It did not matter. If Ky wants a beating, then he’s going to get one. I’ll rock him like a hurricane. At the same time, Sol and Ky readied their respective signature weapons and dashed towards each other. At the moment where they’d have collided, Ky abruptly jumped into the air and waved his sword above his head, stretching his arms out as if to call upon the sky! Sol, however, instead went low to the ground. Taking a second to charge, he engulfed himself in flames and tanked towards where Ky was once standing before he performed his Vapour Thrust attack. Both attacks had missed their intended target, but by no means was the fight over. In the air, Ky twisted his body so as to face where Sol was. Extending his Thunderseal, he began charging electrical magic before finally releasing it in one powerful arrow of lightning. It travelled slowly towards the renegade firebender, who now was recovering from his Grand Viper attack. Quickly, Sol got up to his feet, turned around, and jumped high into the air. Dodging the charged Stun Edge attack, he pulled back his left arm and readied for a powerful fire punch to Ky’s pretty-boy face, who at this point had just landed on the ground. Without missing a beat, Ky gathered the magical energies from within his body to perform a strong explosion of sorts. This ‘burst’ that expanded around Ky’s body was a shimmering gold and violently pushed Sol back, preventing him from landing his Bandit Bringer. The scuffle ended with no damage being dealt to either of themselves. It was not over, though. Someone needed to be on their backs for that. Sol got up, dusted himself off, and flipped Ky off. “Pussy. If you can’t handle the heat, then get out of my face.” “Not until I find the answer to what I’m looking for. I just want to know what true ju-” Not allowing for Ky to finish that last sentence, Sol dashed forth and prepared to swing his Fireseal. Seeing this, Ky readies his weapon and prepared to block when suddenly a womanly figure appeared in between them. With her knee-high, red leather platform boots, tight red skirt, and goofy red witch hat, both knew who this person was. In unison, both Sol and Ky exclaimed, “I-No!” “Hello there, boys. Playing with yourselves again? Don’t worry, I’ll show you both how to have a good time.” With a swing of her cyan guitar, a portal appeared where I-No once was. It was bulbous and purple, and Sol was heading right for it! “Shit! I’ll get you, I-No, and That Man!” “Wait, Sol!” Ky tried desperately to retrieve his past comrade. If he allowed this to happen to Sol, he will never get his answer for what true justice is. However, his attempt was futile. Ky lunged forth to intercept and stop Sol from entering the portal. Half of this became true. Although Ky got in the way of Sol, he did not stop him. Ky was knocked into the portal by Sol and both were transported to parts unknown in the Backyard. “Oh yea, those chords are so in harmony with each other. Send the Princesses my regards, won’t you please?” With that, I-No laughed menacingly and in victory as not only was Sol out of the way, but Ky as well. Killed two birds with one stone. As the portal closed, another opened for I-No to take her leave.
The Nervous Nellie CriesAs Twilight trotted her way to Fluttershy’s cottage, she began to voice out her thoughts as she passed by Ponyville main square. “What does Fluttershy’s chicken coop have anything to do with the Summer Sun celebration? All she needs to worry about are her birds for the chorus and the floral décor”. Twilight started to contemplate why it would be a good idea to help her animal loving friend just as she made her way across the southern bridge. “...Now that I think about it, though, she wouldn’t be able to do any of those things if something was bothering her. So I guess helping her with her chicken problem -is- a good idea after all.” All this thinking and pondering was definitely killing time for Twilight. Before long Fluttershy’s cottage started to come into view from the plot of road Twilight was on. It would be really rude to just leave her there. Granted, I'm too busy to invest any gratuitous amount of time. What with my responsibility as a ceremonial organizer. I still can’t ignore her like that, though, it’s just not like me. Just as Twilight finished her last thought, Fluttershy’s front door was but a few paces away, having just crossed the small bridge going over the cottage moat, which flowed from the Everfree Forest just beyond her friend’s humble home further back. Structurally and visually, labelling it a cottage wasn’t exactly accurate. A normal cottage would sport the usual tile roof and bland white or brown drywall. Structurally, Fluttershy’s home was more like a hybrid between a tree and a normal house; Though walls of the house were average, the roof, although having a similar shape to a normal one, was armored with leaves and foliage instead of tiles or shingles. It was as if the whole thing was a separate lawn. Visually, miniature animal houses and holes of all kinds were hung and laid out throughout the property. Bird houses were hung from the small trees around the cottage, as well as the cottage itself. Rabbit holes plotted the hill from the side of the path. There was even a lone dog house by the side Fluttershy’s. It was small, probably only big enough to house a small mammal, and sported a wooden door post in the shape of a carrot. Taking all that into account, a pony wouldn’t think of this place as a cottage. No, it was more of an animal hotel or nursery. The house itself was apart of the ecosystem which surrounded it. No doubt, the owner was most definitely environmentally friendly. The only thing that stood out like a horrible zit, however, was the partially incinerated chicken coop that stood from the cottage’s right. “Woah... what in Tartarus happened here? This seems much more than just a simple accident.” The chickens themselves looked as if somepony had taken a balloon and rubbed it vigorously onto their feathers. They weren’t just ruffled, no. They were frazzled. Twilight reached out a hoof, curiously. “Ow!” ...And charged with electricity, apparently. A sense of worry soon replaced Twilight’s mood as she tried to call out her friend’s name, only to be answered by the cool morning breeze which ruffled her mane, tickling her ears as the wind blew by them. I should try the door... see if she’s hiding in there... With an evident haste in her step, Twilight darted to the front door and began to knock. “Fluttershy? ...Fluttershy, are you in there? It’s me, Twilight. Are you ok? Are you hurt? ...ahhh, no answer... I sure hope she’s alright. What could have happened to the chicken coop?” Twilight went back around the cottage to take a closer look at the coop. From the viewpoint of a chicken looking out from the entryway, a portion of the coop’s left roof side was completely incinerated. The burns on the planks were cut clean, as if a lightsaber from those “Star Horse” movies had sliced through them. Upon closer scrutiny, however, the burns appeared to have been shaped from a spherical mass. Almost like a magical ball of energy had suddenly appeared in the space of the chicken coop. Thankfully, no chickens were occupying the ball’s space when it had appeared. Otherwise, there would only be pieces of the chickens lying about--a gruesome sight. Especially for Fluttershy.... Hey, what’s that over there? Twilight had tilted her point of interest from the chicken coop a plot of dirt a few trots away. It was tampered but not intentionally. The markings on them were similar to what a meteorite leaves behind after impacting the earth, and judging from the angle of the lines, the object, or objects, appeared to have come from the direction of the chicken coop. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that something came out of this ball... It's like the chicken coop suddenly became a cannon. This is all so strange..." Darting back to the coop, she lit up her horn to test for any magical residue, and sure enough her suspicions were confirmed. “This wasn’t just an accident. Somepony tried to attack Fluttershy with magic. ...Wait, that’s not right. If that were true, then the whole premises would have been decimated by now. Instead, only the chicken coop was damaged. Hmmm... regardless, magic is involved, but who could have-” “Twilight, Twilight!” Twilight was interrupted by the cries of a pony in peril. Turning around to face the Everfree’s entrance, she discovered the pony who was in such distress. However, it wasn’t a pony, but a zebra. It was none other than the herbalist Zecora, a good friend of Twilight and the others. She was running in a full sprint towards Twilight. Zecora, the zebra who lived in the Everfree Forest. Although initially perceived as an evil witch doctor by the citizens of Ponyville , everypony has long since known the real truth about her; a friendly potion maker who wanted nothing more than a few supplies. She now frequently visits the town for not only supplies, but also lends aid to the ponies with her knowledge of magical ailments. Several times has she helped Twilight and her friends with quirky illnesses like Poison Joke and Cutie-Pox. Zecora is indeed a true friend. Now, it would seem that Zecora needs a friend more than ever. "Twilight! Twilight! Come with me! There is chaos here in Everfree!" “Zecora? What’s going on? Is everything ok?” “Monsters of beastly size and brutal ways, are bringing wrath like it's the end of days!” “Monsters? What kind of monsters?” “Their shape and size are like an ape's, from their wrath, we must escape!” Zecora answered with yet another couplet of words. “Like a dragon, one breathes fire, the other calls down godly ire” “One of them almost set you on fire? Are they dragons?” “The one who wears devil's red, wears a clasp around his head; and in his hands a sword so big, It makes all the trees seem more like twigs. The other, an angel man in white, whose long blade bathes in light; his princely robe and hair of gold, makes him seem a god of old. This devil and this angel agree, only to do harm to Everfree; and in time I fear they will, bring their battle to Ponyville!” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. These monsters were terrorizing the Everfree Forest, and Zecora needed Twilight’s help to stop them and re-establish peace. Though it was logical for Zecora to seek help from the bearer of the Element of Magic, her timing couldn’t have been worse. “Dear sweet Celestia... they’re really that strong? I understand, then. That ball must have been a portal then, and whatever came out of it must be those things terrorizing the forest! If they’re as strong as you say they are, then Ponyville could be in danger too, and if that’s the case, then we don’t have any time to lose. We need to move now, lead the way Zecora.” Zecora thanked the librarian from the bottom of her heart. Without a moment to lose, they both left Fluttershy’s humble cottage in a sprint towards the Everfree Forest. However Twilight just couldn’t help but think about the unfortunate timing of it all. Why now? Why now, of all days? Twilight merely assumed the universe had it in for her today. Like her father would tell her sometimes, 'Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. In no time at all, the librarian and the herbalist were engulfed into the darkness that was inside the Everfree Forest, heading towards the sounds of clanging metal and away from the cottage that now laid silent. Not a soul remained there, it seemed. The bird houses were empty, and nopony stirred in the home. Slowly, however, a quivering pink mane and several fluffy animals began to poke out from one of the holes in the ground. “A-a-are they gone...? ...Is it s-s-safe to come out...?”
Heaven or HellDark, humid and eerie. That’s what anypony would describe the inside of the Everfree forest. Nothing was managed, the forest’s ecosystem sustained itself on its own. Its exotic wildlife was enough to warrant caution if and when somepony decided it was a good idea to trek through it, which was why Twilight was more on edge. No Manticore or Cockatrice could have done that much structural damage to Fluttershy’s chicken coop. Remembering Zecora’s description on what she was up against didn’t help either. These were aliens she was going to go up against. Powerful, magic-wielding aliens she knew very little about. The closer she and Zecora got, the more destruction she saw all around her. The Everfree Forest was known for one to be easily lost in it, what with its prominent darkness and abundant hostilities that lived there. Yet thanks to the decimated vegetation which had formed an easy path to the aliens, Twilight need not fear of getting lost, neither was there any worry of running into any wild beasts The forest was overlayed with battered up bodies, of various wild beasts. Timberwolves, giant spiders, and even a Manticore lay there without it’s fur, most likely burnt off by the monsters; Twilight had never even seen a Manticore completely naked before... Until now. They were beaten and wounded, no doubt caught in the crossfire by the deadly intruders. All of this for all to see, and Twilight was tasked with the role of hero and getting rid of them. If I’m going to do this, I need to find them without being seen. I’ll also need to be careful not to be caught in the middle of their fight, like these poor souls. Soon the sound of roars and cries of the monsters could be heard, but something was off. Twilight could have sworn she heard audible sounds. Almost like the monsters themselves were speaking Equish. As much as that perked Twilight’s fascination, it would have to wait. The sooner she and Zecora got to the magical monsters the better, which was why they both had broken into a full gallop towards the source of the forest’s agony. They had eventually reached a portion of the forest that had not yet been claimed by the monsters. Vegetation was still abundant, spared by the fires that had consumed all else. It was here that the cries and roars had reached maximum volume. Yet the moment Twilight and Zecora had arrived, all fell silent. The kind of silence that is heard when somepony crashes a party. Evidently, just like in that scenario, both of them felt as though they were being watched, like they had interrupted something. No, they are the intruders. I need to stop them before they decide to crash Ponyville. “...Zecora... you might want to hide. If they find me, I’d rather I be the only one in danger instead of the both of us. You can help out if you want after that, ok?” The herbalist nodded and jumped into a nearby bush, now completely hidden from sight and leaving Twilight alone to face the two beings of fire and lightning. After a few moments of hesitation, Twilight began to slowly move forward. All was quiet except for the sounds she produced. The sound of disturbed foliage and her pounding heart. This is nerve-racking! I feel like they’re going to jump me at any moment! Two steps....four steps... eight steps... nothing happened as Twilight continued to advance. Her ears were perked up, eyes darting in all directions. I’ve had enough of this. I wish they’d just come out already and- “GUNFLAME!!!” Suddenly a flash of light bloomed out of the shade as a surge of fire charged its way towards Twilight. Time seemed to slow down around her as she was abruptly thrown into a situation of life or death. An intense burst of adrenaline surged through Twilight’s veins as she avoided the burning, slithering trail. The flame kept burning forward until it eventually died out, and all that was left of the grass behind the fire’s path was replaced with ash and cinder. What in the hoof was that? Twilight exclaimed in her mind. It looked like magic, but in all my years of studying, I've never seen such a powerful cantrip. Twilight continued to examine the mysterious forces, until she heard more screaming within the looming blackness of the woods. "STUN EDGE!!!" In response to the flames Twilight had narrowly avoided only moments ago, an arrow of lightning shot forth from the darkness behind her. Twilight tried to jump out of the way, but the sudden bolt of plasma flew through the air with the speed of a certain rainbow-maned Pegasus. She would not be able to avoid this next assault in time! As quick as this revelation had dawned on her, a blessing in the form of a tackling Zebra knocked her hard on the ground, taking the wind out of her lungs as the neon-blue arrow whizzed right over her head, grazing the tip of her lavender horn. “Twilight, you are much too slow. Back on your hooves, we have to go!” No sooner did Twilight begin to formulate a response to her savior did the two monsters burst forth from the forest depths, into the air and on a collision course with each other! “VOLCANIC VIPER!!!” “VAPOR THRUST!!!” Blue and orange-red sparks flew in all directions upon their initial impact, snowing hot embers onto the forest floor beneath them. The monsters finally landed on the burning woodland floor right in front of the two ponies. It was the first time Twilight got a good glance of the two behemoths. She was more fascinated than afraid as she witnessed that the creatures were not only bipedal, but were well clothed. Their outfits were rather unique, and nothing she'd never seen in any of Rarity's designs. The beast closest to Twilight was definitely wearing the devil's red, but it didn't stop there. He closely resembled a glam rocker who lost a fight with his closet: dressed in casual wear, rags, leather, and belts (and belts, and belts, and belts). The other one, the 'angel man' had a mop of golden hair and blue eyes that seemed to not only contain divinity, but commanded respect. His poise, his white robes, his mannerisms--all were the hallmark of a prince of rigid upbringing. Devil and Angel. Hunter and Soldier. Heaven and Hell. However if that wasn’t enough to fascinate Twilight, one of the monsters started to speak. “To hell with you, Ky,” uttered the monster in the red headband. “I’ll find my own way out of this crazy place.” “We’re going to work together if we are to figure out where we are, but you’re going to have to follow my lead, Sol,” replied the uniform wearing beast. “My goodness, these creatures are... intelligent,” said Twilight. “This could be my chance to actually sort things out without resorting to violence.” As Twilight came to this sudden revelation, she stepped forward in order to communicate with the two strangers. Twilight began to make her speech towards the two men. “Excuse me, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I...” However she was interrupted by the two men’s constant ramblings. “I’ll figure it out myself... I don’t need your help kid,” Sol said with a grunt. “What makes you think you could even navigate yourself out of this crazy world anyway?” Ky facehoofed. (What did you call that action when the appendage has fingers, anyway?) “Sol, why must you be so difficult?” he asked, plainly. “Hello?” Twilight repeated, but it was no use. It’s as if these two were so caught up in their hatred towards each other that they weren’t even aware of their current surroundings. “Just leave me the hell alone,” Sol yelled. “HEY!!!” Exclaimed Twilight. “Not until you see to reason!” Ky cried as they both raised their swords in unison, both piercing the air above them. Sol carried a broad, rectangular blade while Ky’s was more narrow and pointed. “You don’t have the balls,” Sol grunted with a long smirk on his face. “If I have to knock some sense into you, then so be it,” Ky replied. The two warriors then began to charge right at each other, both intending to cause damage. “GRAND VIPER!!!” Sol called out as his entire body enveloped itself in a shell of fire as he began to charge towards his opponent. “RIDE THE LIGHTNING!!!” Ky cried while being encased in a barrier of pure electricity as he dashed towards Sol. “LOOK OUT!!!” Twilight yelled as she jumped out of Sol and Ky’s respective paths. The two titans collided as they made their marks, and with that the fight continued. It was no use, no amount of reasoning could even grab their attentions. Perhaps she didn’t yell loud enough? No... Even if she tried again, these two were already in the heat of their duel. In quick desperation, Twilight pounced back into the woods in order to consult with the striped herbalist. “Oh no, Zecora,” exclaimed Twilight. “These two just won’t listen to me.” “This is a dire situation indeed, we must not let this epic conflict proceed,” Zecora said with a clever limerick. “If we let their fight go on, it is Ponyville that they might stumble upon. For it shall spell sheer doom, as all of Ponyville may go... KABOOM!!!”. “OH NO OH NO OH NO!!!” Twilight panicked as she galloped in place. “What do we do then?” “What answer do you expect me to tell? You're the one with fancy spells,” Zecora stated as she pointed at Twilight’s horn. Twilight stopped. She blushed and looked away, feeling so silly that she'd forgotten her greatest advantage. “Well... I could teleport them to someplace far away... No, that would be a bad idea, they’d just fight there instead. I could instead transport one of them somewhere secluded and void of life.” Twilight focused her attention back at the fight, trying to decide who to teleport and who to leave behind for questioning. After witnessing the blond-maned knight in white and blue attempt to reason with the red guy, she decided it was best to keep him and send the red one to an area that was barren and empty. Twilight had now come up with a plan and was ready to act on it. She focused all of her magic energy towards Sol Badguy, concentrating on someplace that was ‘void of life’. Her initial thoughts were of the moon, but decided against it. As powerful as she was, Twilight couldn't teleport somepony whole astral bodies away. So she tried to think of another place that could work, but before she could select a destination a stray stun edge collided with the tip of her horn. The lightning based magic mixed with hers, turning from purple to a dark navy blue, and shot back towards Sol, who was in the middle of attempting yet another Gun Flame. “Augh!” The shot hit its mark well as Sol lit up like a light bulb. The electrical energy surged through his body, which now glowed a bright dark blue, before the magic started to expand and engulf him in a dark purple bubble. “What the!... What is happening now!? Could this be I-No’s doing!?” Ky was at a lost for words as yet another phenomenon flashed before his eyes since the past twenty four hours. He tried to save Sol like last time by diving into the bubble, which didn’t turn out so well, but failed as it suddenly collapsed into itself. Twilight was at this point struggling to maintain consciousness. She begins absent-mindedly reciting a segment of a poem that she once read through in her recent studies as smoke rolls from her mouth and electricity sparks from her mane. “Mama, just killed a man. Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead.” Still, she accomplished her goal. Using the last of her strength she witnessed the bubble explode, leaving no trace of Sol. Not being able to stay on her hooves she started to fall to the ground, but not before being caught by Zecora. Indeed, she was a true friend. Holding the librarian in her hooves she turned to face the bewildered Ky, who had yet to discover their presence. “Thanks to Twilight, the battle is at its end. It is time now to make a new friend.” She spoke in a whisper, making sure that the knight in blue remained in ignorance until she was ready to reveal herself.
