A Hero's Days

by Decibel

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Dark, Sad, Romance
Length: 13511

Rainbow is kidnapped, Dinky is hit by a train, and Luna comes to ponyville unexpectedly. On top of that, Mare Do-Well starts appearing when the the mare six stopped playing hero; Ponyville has some serious problems.

It was a mutual agreement between the mane six to stop dressing up and saving ponies as The Mysterious Mare Do Well. Of course they would help a pony in need, but being a supermare takes more commitment that they can give. They all decided this, but then why has the hero been making appearances again? Who kidnapped Rainbow and when will her friends even realize she's gone? How will Dinky and Apple Bloom's friendship hold up after the accident soon to happen? Why am I asking so many questions?

Chapters between 3500 and 4500 words will be released every other week. Let me know of any errors that need attention; constructive feedback will be appreciated. Enjoy, everypony!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-20 20:21:56 UTC

Prelude: The Arrival

A Hero’s Days

Prelude: The Arrival

The sun shone brightly and the few clouds that were in the sky lazily drifted along. A light purple filly lay under the shade of a tall oak tree next to the road. All of Dinky’s friends were busy and she had nothing better to do than pony watching. With the summer warmth, sleep sounded like a pretty viable option too. Just as she closed her eyes, a boisterous complaint made her jolt upright.

“But how come you two can’t help me with this stuff?”

“Because, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and I have to go ahead and set up the bases. Hop on!” Dinky blew a blond lock of hair out of her face and looked to the three fillies on the road. She recognized them to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the orange one (who she couldn’t remember the name of for the life of her; Scootehla, Scootabo, Scoot-something…) rode a scooter with Sweetie Belle; forelegs wrapped around the driver’s waste. The white filly grimaced and tightened her grip when Scootababalo sped up.

Dinky watched Apple Bloom struggle for another two minutes before blurting out “Need any help?”

She jumped at the sudden voice, and looked around until her gaze met the potential aid. “Um…Su-sure," she nervously replied. Dinky rushed over and put the other end of the bag on her back.

“Woah, this is heavier than it looks, what’s in it?”

Apple Bloom giggled before responding, “Everything we need for crusading today; golf clubs, helmets, vinegar, a couple books, tools, gas masks, flashlights, fire extingui-“

“Oookay,” Dinky interrupted, “And where are we headed with all this stuff?”

“To the big field over the bridge!” She grunted as she shifted the weight of the bag. “First, we’re gonna try out baseball!”

“With only three ponies?”

“With only three ponies?”

“You betcha!... but now that Ah think about it, we miigght need ‘nother pony or two.” Apple Bloom stopped walking as she exclaimed “Ah know! How ‘bout you join us? You don’t have your cutie mark neither and who knows, maybe you could find your super special talent with us!” The answer was clear when the filly smiled while her blond mane shook up and down.

They further inched along the road and on their backs was the bag which Dinky would have presumed to be filled with cement if it weren’t for the incessant rattling of many items. When the bag was shifted again, a round object rolled out of a side pocket. “Oh! Stop! We have to get that!” Apple Bloom frantically dropped her end of the bag, the weight suddenly pinning Dinky to the ground.

With the breath knocked out of her, she croaked “Yeah, let’s.” After the ball was retrieved, Apple Bloom looked at her new friend apologetically.

“I’m mighty sorry, but this is Applejack’s ball and I kind of took it without asking. It was on a high shelf with all these pictures and I mean to put it back there when we’re done.” She hung her head dejectedly.

“No! Don’t be sorry. If it was your sister’s then of course you want to take care of it.” They shared a smile as they also shared an understanding.

“Scoot and Sweetie Belle always ask me why I’m so careful with AJ’s stuff. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Applejack talk about Rarity being upset with Sweetie Belle over her breaking or ruining something!” There was that name again, but Dinky knew “Scoot” was just a dub. She’d figure it out sometime that day if they would all be together. The two young ponies once again carried the bag, but it didn’t feel like such a burden anymore.

~

Spike searched the menu in his claws up and down one last time, but it didn’t bear what he desired. Why can’t the Ponyville restaurants have gem stones? Just a couple crunchy, delicious… He snapped back to reality as the server cleared his throat.

“Ugh yeah,” Spike squirmed under the mustached ponies’ fixed glare, “I’ll have the usual.” The waiter put his nose in the air as he went to put in the order of Twilight’s sandwich and the young dragon’s extra crispy hay fries.

Ponyville had taken its toll on Spike’s once convenient life. He didn’t like living there-no-he hated it. He was taken from a place where his preferred food was abundant and strange customs were not forced upon him. The façade of loving the town and the occupants was partially true; he found Twilight’s friends to be wonderful companions of his own and all of his discomforts were sometimes forgotten in their presence. Spike often wondered why the town made him feel the way he did, and the cordial occupants (besides moody attendants) were definitely not the root. So what was?

Twilight smiled at him with her endearing purple eyes. “As I was starting to say before, we decided to give up on Miss Mare Do-Well.” Spike cocked his head in confusion.

“But you helped so many ponies, why would you stop now?”

“I guess the townsfolk rely on the heroin too much. Everypony’s been careless the past couple of weeks and we shouldn’t be obligated to save them all the time. We’ll help a pony if we see them in need, but we won’t wear a costume or go looking for trouble. After all, she was only created to show Rainbow Dash how full of herself she was being.” She took long sip from her glass of pink lemonade with a straw in it. “That and we all have our own lives to live; we shouldn’t have to be responsible for everypony all the time.”  The waiter came over just as she was finishing her sentence.

“A daffodil sandwich for the delightful mare,” Twilight’s cheeks became tinged with red, “and hay fries for the gentlecol- err – dragon.” Spike glumly said his thanks and threw one hay fry in his mouth. Too soft! You’d think that by now they would know how crunchy he liked his food; after all, he was the only dragon in the area and a regular customer.

“Is something on your mind, Spike?” The question caught him off guard and he took his elbow off the table to sit up.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well for one, you didn’t even look over when Rarity walked by just a minute ago with her gem shovel.” The green scales on his head perked up at this.

“Really? Rarity needs help digging?!”

“Well, I don’t know about that, but what is it tha-“

“If she needs help, then who am I to ignore a damsel in distress?” Spike quickly interrupted. “Thanks for lunch!” At this he picked up the plate of hay fries, tilted back his head and impossibly poured all of them into his mouth. “Hold on Rarity, I’m coming!”

“W-wait let’s talk about your problem!” Twilight stammered but the young dragon had already run off.

~

Rainbow Dash soared through the sky with her teammates on the Wonderbolts. Of course they let her join once they realized how truly awesome she was. They all spiraled down around her as she went straight and a huge bang sounded off. She flew level once again, but this time she was too fast for her peers. Flying back to the station, she waited for a whole five minutes before they caught up.

Spitfire looked at her with a large grin. “Wow, Rainbow! You’re so fast and like, too awesome for us. Please, please sign this jersey for my colt brother!” The other Wonderbolts all nodded their heads in agreement and giddily asked for some item of theirs to be signed too.

“C’mon guys, you know the rule. One at a time!”

Rainbow Dash was participating in her favorite midday activity: napping. A slight breeze rocked the cloud she was on and her eyes slowly opened. Bad idea. She moaned and put a foreleg over her face as she adjusted to the light. Why couldn’t her fantasies actually come true? She was sick of not getting what she deserved. Her mother used to always say sleep is the best remedy so maybe a second snooze is just what she needed, as she had (by her standards) been working very hard that day.

Her eyes shot open all the way when a train sounded off not too far off. Why the hay she take a nap by the train station? Dash sleepily stuck her head over the side of the cloud and was instantly confused. The cloud she lay on was above four adorable fillies playing baseball. She jumped when the boisterous noise repeated itself; this time from right below her.

Once again looking down, her rainbow mane was flung around as she shook her head in disbelief. A magical train that could travel on trackless ground was speeding towards Ponyville; a train that looked a lot like…Flim and Flam’s! Only this was much bigger, but nonetheless it was theirs; “The Flim Flam Brothers” was painted in white over the black coat. Rainbow Dash heard the sound of a good hit in baseball and a light purple filly ran to get the ball. She bent her legs to pick it up with her mouth, but froze as she saw the metal beast roaring towards her. A weak bubble of magic erected itself around her, maybe brought about from some primal instinct of her kind. The self proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria’s thoughts flew around faster than the speed of sound. There was no way to carry her to safety with that bubble, so she would just have to stop the train; even if the chances were slim.

Rainbow Dash sped down to the locomotive and went towards an open window. As her back hooves cleared the entryway, something hard hit her forehead and she fell flat. Consciousness was slipping from her grasp as a shovel clanged on the floor in front of her. Shouts in another language and the squealing of brakes were heard echoing through her cotton filled head. It was too late- for Dash knew she had failed.

Chapter 1: Adversity

A Hero’s Days

Chapter 1: Adversity

Twilight picked up several books with her magic and looked at the covers. “Thanks again for helping me out, girls. Usually I reshelve by myself, but I thought it would be a nice time to chat!” Rarity and Fluttershy both looked up from reading book titles.

“I’m just happy to help a friend,” Fluttershy meekly replied.

“Oh, Darling, it really is no trouble at all! I’m sorry about showing up so late, I was comforting Sweetie Belle again. You would think she would stop crying after three days, but given the circumstances, it is quite understandable. Oh the poor filly; out of all the worst things that could happen, this is the worst possible thing.” She emphasized the last statement with a hoof over her forehead in a stage like pose.

Twilight looked at the dramatic mare skeptically. “Rarity, it’s horrible what happened, but you make it sound like Dinky died! The doctor said she should come home from the hospital within a couple weeks. They also said it’s a miracle for her to be alive at all, let alone that she just has a few broken bones and a fractured bone.” Fluttershy cringed as the purple unicorn stated the injuries so matter-of-factly.

“Well Sweetie Belle did say the most peculiar thing this morning.”

“And what was that?”

“First, she said there was no way Dinky could not have seen the train coming, and she ran for the ball anyway.” Concern was written on the faces of both other mares.”But then she said after Dinky grabbed the ball, she just stopped. Then…” The listeners’ emotions became increasingly apparent as they attentively leaned forward. “…a yellow bubble popped up around her!” Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief and Twilight furrowed her brow in thought.

“But a protection spell can only be done by unicorns advanced in magic.”

“I’m well aware, is my dear sister so stressed out that she imagined this?!” The well read magician didn’t respond as she thought more about it, and the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable couple of minutes.

Fluttershy broke the trend by saying, “I don’t know how Ditzy will ever pay all those medical bills….being a single mother and all.”

“Yes, and I’m sure the low paying job as the mailmare doesn’t help either,” Twilight replied sadly, with her mind directed off the previous topic.

“Ideeaaa!” Rarity sung after a short silence. “I don’t know if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, darling, but we should hold a grand fundraiser for the pair!”

“I think that’s a great idea!”

“The ponies were really amazed with what you did for the princess and the delegates from Saddle Arabia. As much as I hated it, we could have a huge turnout for that….um if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy sheepishly suggested. The other two mares quickly agreed, and came up with plans for the event. Twilight would perform a complex magic show involving flying animals, Rarity would organize the rest since her organized friend would be all tied up, and Fluttershy would try very hard not to cry while her furry companions soared through the air. When the day was finished being decided (two weeks from the current date so Dinky could recover a bit), Rarity looked out the window.

“Oh my! If I am to show these plans to Ditzy, I simply must leave immediately.” Her friends new that she wasn’t exaggerating for once, for the pegasi were gathering clouds for a storm. The last couple of weeks didn’t get as much rain as was required so this was supposed to be rather powerful tempest. She said goodbye to her friends and walked out the door of the library. The clouds wouldn’t even begin to drizzle for a couple more hours, but Fluttershy and Twilight didn’t have to know that. After all, she didn’t want to ruin her luxurious mane!

~

Rainbow Dash once again flew with her comrades, the Wonderbolts. It was a beautiful day: no wind to inhibit flying, perfect weather, and the ever worshipping teammates always asking for autographs. Dash almost had to beat them off with a horseshoe because they wanted so much attention! She smiled as she flew downward as the first step in their fairly new signature trick that was invented by the best flyer on the team (Guess who that is!?), except when she looked to the side, they were not in position. The cyan mare laughed to herself about how the team would be nothing without her always leading them on.

“Guy’s? Aren’t we supposed to do that insanely awesome stunt now?”  Her smile melted as it was realized no other Pegasus was in sight. “Um, guys?!” A train’s whistle blasts through the now dark scene, and unruly wings snapped to their owner’s sides in bone chilling fear. The weather status quo had gone from the background of a happy painting to what seemed like a personalized hell.

Looking down, Rainbow saw a scene in which a unicorn filly desperately held her a ground. A unicorn filly with a life to live, and a loving parent, and undiscovered dreams, and much more to fulfill than an egotistical pegasus who only pretends that she may make something of herself.  Winds raged while tens of bolts of lightning came down, but the thunder was the sound of a train, and through it all the sound of mournful crying could somehow be heard. The only aesthetically colorful pony opened her arms to embrace the ground rushing to meet her. Tears and a cold sweat covered Rainbow Dash as she bolted upright in an unrecognized bed. Just a dream…

She pulled her right hoof half a foot before tension and rattling announced it was cuffed to a post behind her. Well this is kinky. Somepony outside the door must have heard the chain move, for the door knob turned as a deep and a masculine, accented voice (probably Saddle Arabian) called out, “I am coming in”.

The first thing Rainbow noticed was his strange attire: he wore white and puffed out clothes that had blue bands with golden buttons on the wrists. What seemed like a cape lay across his back and a large, round hat sat on top of his head. A blue feather stuck out in the middle, above a gleaming ruby. She jumped when the cape moved by itself, until it was concluded that he was a pegasus. This pony’s wealth and foreign status were apparent. The second thing she noticed about him was that he was incredibly handsome. His electric blue eyes were stunning with his sandy coat and hazel mane. Shaking those thoughts away, Rainbow looked to meet his gaze. “So you’re finally awake.” She merely blinked. “How are you feeling?” He looked genuinely concerned for a foalnapper who chains their captives to bedposts. The outsider smirked before he said, “Somehow, you were asleep for a full day and a half. You must be a regular sleepyhead or-“The angry mare cut him off.

“Or maybe it was because somepony hit me in the head with a shovel!” The stallion smiled wider as he got the reaction he wanted, but then grimaced.

“I deeply apologize for the actions of my servant; he thought you were attacking The Doctor so he did what he saw fit. That was no way to treat a beautiful mare, and once again I am very sorry. He is in my command so I’ll take full responsibility.” The not very book smart pegasus did know about servants of the royal family; partly because they were in a Daring Doo novel which were some of the only pieces of literature she read. Saddle Arabia was too far for the royal sisters to rule, so they instated a family to represent them. Every royal child born into that family is given seven ponies as guards that are specially trained to fight; some even say they get magically enchanted so their lives are entwined with their child. Once again his face actually looked truthful; who is this guy? A king?

Confidently moving forward the hoofcuffed limb, she inquired: “Well if you want to make up for it, how about you let me go?”

“I regret to tell you that, that’s impossible. My patron, who we call The Doctor, has given me strict orders to keep like this for another day until we clean up and renovate the safe house enough for you to roam.” Rainbow Dash wondered how rich this ‘Doctor’ would have to be to gain such absolute authority. “For now, the best I can do is ask: is there anything that would make you more comfortable?”

“What would make me more comfortable? How about you stop that annoying smile before I buck it off your face!” She was furious, but her grumbling stomach betrayed her. He visibly held back a grin.

“As you wish.” He turned to the door, took a couple steps forward, and stopped to say, “It’s just that, you remind me of someone… from another life,” before exiting. Was he coming on to her? With nothing to distract her, Rainbow’s thoughts once again were occupied by the little filly. The filly was dead, all because she was a lethargic fool; she was only fast from genetics, and napping was all she was truly good at. A pretend hero lived over somepony with her entire life to come by some cruel twist of fate. Maybe she didn’t deserve to li- “It seems the kitchen was fully functional all ready.” Colorful hair flew around as Dash shook the self-degrading thoughts from her head. A pony wearing a bow tie pushed a cart laden with breakfast and lunch foods. She figured it was late afternoon, even with the minimal light coming through the blinds.

“French toast: my favorite.” She smiled until her hoof was held back by the cuffs, reminding her of the present situation. The butler took the hint and put some French toast on a plate to set on the table next to her along with silver knife, fork, and a napkin. He exited the room, but left the cart within reach.

“If you don’t need anything else, I have some business to take care of.”

“There is one thing.” The stallion gave a ‘hmm?’ so she finished with, “your name.”

“Ganymede; Ganymede Sunstone. May I have the pleasure of yours?”

“No.” He chuckled and then left Rainbow to her own devices. She had planned on breaking out right away, but the plate of French toast was calling her name. The plate was messily gobbled down; not eating for almost two days can really make a pony hungry. She wiped her mouth then stuck the fork inside the keyhole on the cuff. Bringing a powerful hoof down several times, the prongs bent to fit the lock pins. It clicked open when she turned the fork with her mouth, and then let out a little laugh that it worked. Now to find a way out… Her ear pressed to the floor to look under the under it, into the hallway. There were surprisingly no guards so she tried to break down the door twice in vain. The barred windows would not budge and like hay she could bust through the wall. She remembered demolishing an old barn with smashing into it, but the once abundant energy wasn’t there anymore; it was utterly hopeless.

She sat on the bed, picked up the knife with both hoofs, and looked at her reflection in it. A second later it was thrown and stuck, quivering on the wall. Frustration over took and she rampaged around the room, tearing fabric, throwing the cart. The rage suddenly stopped as quickly as it came and tears streaked across her face as held in emotions from the previous hour were released all at once.

~

Derpy sat on a hospital chair, keeping her injured daughter company. She hadn’t left the room since the horrific accident because it wasn’t necessary with the kind residents of Ponyville bringing her and Dinky everything they needed. The Foal’s section of the medical facility was welcoming enough, but the protective mother did not want to leave her alone just yet.

The nurse stuck her head into the room and called out, “You have a visitor!” A snow white unicorn with heavy eye makeup stepped inside so Derpy put on a polite smile. Of course she knew the pony; it was common knowledge in town to know the Elements of Harmony by name and face.

She smiled back before greeting with “Hello Ditzy.” Without waiting for a response she rushed forward five steps to the bed and said “Hi darling, how are you feeling?”

Dinky happily responded: “Fine! Thanks for asking, Rarity. How’s Sweetie Belle?”

“She’s a little worried about her friend, but other than that she’s lovely.” She looked over the bandages on the filly. They covered the top of her head and all four legs, but only one cast was put onto a forleg.

Derpy wasn’t sure where the name ‘Ditzy’ had come from, but by some mistake roughly ninety percent of Ponyville referred to her as it. It started off with a small number of ponies, until the amount multiplied and she couldn’t correct them all. Acceptance sunk in even though close friends and family still said what she was born with.

Turning to face the mother, Rarity put on a more serious expression. “I was chatting with my friends, Ditzy, and we had a wondrous idea.” She paused until Derpy nodded her head. “We are going to hold a fundraiser to get you the money to pay off those hefty medical bills; a date was already picked and some performances will be held to attract philanthropists!”

The mare lowered her yellow eyes a little bit in shame. “That was very generous of everypony. I’m honestly grateful, but they are already covered.”

Rarity gasped. “Please accept it! Even if you already paid with your own bits, you still need to eat.”

Derpy shook her head and replied, “Oh no! It’s not like that. The Doctor, who was in charge of the ponies driving, has already made reparations for the accident. He gave a large sum of bits that covered it and more-a little too much, in my opinion.”

“A doctor? What was his name?”

“Doctor Forehoof, I believe. A gentlecolt, who was very apologetic; even rightfully so. He just left a suitcase of bits here and didn’t leave anything written. I think that was the first pony I’ve seen actually wearing a monacle.” Rarity opened her mouth to ask another question just as the door opened to admit a yellow filly with a pink bow on her head.

Dinky was the first to speak. “Apple Bloom!” She smiled sheepishly at her friends felicitous reaction at seeing her.

“Howdy, Dinky! I just came to check on you again.” This was in fact, her third visit after the accident only a day before.

“Mom, can you get me that thing for me?” Derpy gave a nod and reached into a droor to grab the baseball that somehow managed to stay undamaged. She passed it to her daughter who held it in her hooves for a second before holding it out to her friend. “Here you go, still good as new.”

Apple Bloom smiled broadly. “You kept it after everything? Thank you so much!”

“I remembered you telling me how important it was to get it back to your sister, so I ran after it when it was going to get crushed.” She hung her head and looked at the floor.

The filly’s smile diminished quickly. “You did that for…me? I-I don’t know what to say; now you’re hurt because-“

“No! Don’t blame yourself, Apple Bloom. I was the one who made that decision for me.” She leaned to whisper into a yellow ear. “And I don’t regret it at all.” Tears welled up in Apple Bloom’s eyes and she carefully hugged the injured unicorn around the bandages.

After a couple minutes of this, they separated and chatted until they lost track of time. Derpy and Rarity just watched; basking in the warm feelings the fillies radiated. “Oh my gosh, I need to get home before Applejack has a cow!” Dinky giggled at that for a bit before the friends exchanged remorseful goodbyes.

Derpy yelled to be careful as Apple Bloom walked out the door. Now, what were she and Rarity talking about? She couldn’t remember so she just thought about her beloved foal, and how lucky they both were for her to have survived, and even better- come out of the accident with minimal injuries. While still looking at her daughter, Derpy broke asked, “Rarity, can you please keep Dinky company while I get some things from the house; I would really appreciate it.”

The pretty white mare frowned at the brewing storm through the window. “Are you sure you can’t wait until after this vile weather passes?”

“That’s exactly it, I need to go before it gets too bad.”

“Go right on ahead Darling, we’ll be fine.” She said her thank you’s and kissed dinky on the forehead, above her horn. The nurse at the desk gave Derpy a curious glance as she walked out of the clinic.

~

Apple Bloom trotted down the road to Sweet Apple Acres as fast as she could. The wind kept pushing back at her, making her more tired than she already was with the wet cold sapping her energy. Celestia’s orb was impossible to see with the thick cloud cover. She had already gone a long distance, and once she reached about where they put up the cider stand, the lights of her house shone through the dark. Apple Bloom figured it was a good time to take a break since her destination was within sight. Not caring about getting dirty, she lay down on the ground. The door to the Apple family home opened up to let out AJ who instantly started trotting towards Apple Bloom. The filly cringed as she thought of how mad her big sister will be.

An especially strong wind blew water in her face, but she still didn’t have the will to get up. There was a cracking off the road next to her. “Apple Bloom!” Jeez I’ll be up in a minute she mumbled even though there was no way for the orange pony to hear. Once again AJ screamed her name, but this time desperation was evident. Another crackle sounded so Apple Bloom looked towards it to see a huge oak dangerously tilting towards her. Running the whole way was a bad idea because now stiff muscles wouldn’t obey her commands to move. Crack! The tree finally broke loose and was falling directly towards the filly that had just slipped when she finally got to her hooves.

Many things happened in those last few seconds before tree hit earth: Apple Bloom had shut her eyes in helplessness, but a second afterwards she was weightless with wind rustling her mane. Am I dead? She thought, until she realized she could still feel the rain. Opening her eyes she saw a dark form above her, taking her soul. No wait- it’s the town’s hero, Miss Mare Do-Well! They circled in the air twice before landing next to Applejack. The pony cloaked in shadows tipped her hat and flew away as quickly as she came.

~

A confident Ganymede sat with a friend inside his private chambers. He had removed his ceremonial clothing; that was only to impress ponies he was meeting for the first time. The well experienced player glanced at the black and white grid in front of him, before moving his Luna piece forward four squares. “I believe that’s check mate.” His friend looked up and shook his head from the other side of the table.

“That’s the fourth time in a row! I mean I always lose, but usually you give me a fraction of a chance. These last few times, you slaughtered my army and took my Celestia within a half hour each!”

“Sorry Lanturn, but I’m kind of antsy to see someone, and I only wanted to kill a little time.” The other stallion raised a bushy brown eyebrow.

“Eh? A filly I presume. That’s all fine and dandy, except for the fact that she’s in this town. They won’t really like us soon enough and you have to keep your priorities.” Ganymede sighed at the lecture, but took it all the same. Lanturn was one of his seven protectors and advisors, which merited respect.

“Well it’s even worse than that, you know that prisoner we took in yesterday around lunchtime?”

“Oh sweet mother of…You should be careful Mede. She’ll probably try anything to get out and you know what The Doctor said: we can’t let her go until we find the shrine.”

“I know, I know.” He got to his hooves.

“And where are you going?”

“I’ve taken it upon myself to watch our ‘guest’, so I’ll be checking on her now.” Without waiting for a response, Ganymede quickly left the room. Walking through the hallways was such an experience that everypony should be able to enjoy. The walls glittered gold with frames of fine artwork and the red carpet complemented the lavish décor. Trophies from across the world sat upon small display tables here and there.

He walked past a dark grey unicorn compulsively tilting a picture on the wall one way or another. His name Easy Fix matched what he always said about things having imaginary problems. For example, if something was not directly in the middle of a table, he would say ‘That’s an easy fix’ and spend five minutes trying to correct it. The other Servants called him a mad genius, because even with his quirks, there was no one with wisdom to rival his; Easy was one of the few ponies who could beat Ganymede at chess.

He kept walking until he heard the kitchen door shut next to him. The light was off so why… His mouth curved into a foalish grin as he charged in and illuminated the room. The fiery red pegasus inside let out a strangled gasp as he shook his yellow mane before trying to cover it up by clearing his throat.

“Ehem, you got me man.”

Ganymede let out a boisterous laugh and said, “I knew it was you stealing food again, Dragon Fang. You should really just get a big plate when the kitchens actually open.”

Dragon Fang, now smiling, responded with:”I already got yelled at twice for taking too much, and a couple days ago they didn’t mind in the least bit. Everypony must be still be mad at me for stopping that mare in her tracks.”

“Yes well, I forgive you because I understand your motives, but next time try not to hit such a pretty face.”

He smiled mischievously. “Ohhh so you’ve taken a liking to her, is that it?”

“It’s not like that…I mean..um –“

The other pegasus interrupted with, “Calm down, I’m just picking on you.”

“Thanks. I’m going to check on her now if you don’t mind.” The other stallion told him to go ahead, so Ganymede once again walked down the hall. For the remainder of the stroll, he wondered how the renovation team turned the interior of a broken down factory building on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest into a beautiful mansion so fast. Magic had its benefits with everything, and with building secret hideouts included.

He reached the heavyset door, but didn’t knock yet. Instead he thought of the mare of his past, and how alike she was to the rainbow colored mare inside. Sure, she wasn’t as colorful, but the same eyes and the same attitude made him compare them in his mind. If only she hadn’t…No. This won’t be thought about right now. Ganymede raised a hoof to knock, and already could hear her humorous responses and- wait, was that a sob? Opening the door, and fearing the worse didn’t ease his shock at all. A gasp escaped his lips as he took in his surroundings.

The curtains were torn down, the cart spilling its contents onto the floor from its side, and feathers from eviscerated pillows were everywhere. The flabbergasted stallion pushed the door open fully and a knife clanged to the floor on the other side. None of this chaos mattered once he saw the mare desperately crying in the middle of it all. She was laying down on her belly with one foreleg covering her face. Ganymede knew not of what caused her misery-she came across as too strong to break down when abducted by rich ponies who fed her well- but he wanted to fix it. She sat up when she heard him walking towards her. Her mouth opened but words did not come easily. “I-I-I’m..”

“Shhhhhh” He gave her a comforting embrace with his wings, but wasn’t sure what to say. “It’s okay, you’re safe.” She cried even louder so he opted to stay quiet and just hold her until the sorrows were washed away.

Chapter 2: In Pieces

A Hero’s Days

Chapter 2: In Pieces

The ruler of night, Princess Luna, sat in the back of her chariot pulled by two night guards. The storm had cleared up a good two hours ago and it was now in the wee hours of the morning. Her nocturnal habits kept her from coming during the day, and the ponies scared too easily for her to come at a more reasonable time.

The female leader of the two guards, Spectro, glanced back at her before asking, “Your majesty, where should we land?”

Luna gazed down at a dark Ponyville. “Take the carriage in front the large tree house that is the library; I must speak with its inhabitants.” A feeling of vertigo was felt as a steep descent was made. She forgave them because the other guard, a stallion named Havoc, was new and had ended up coming to be shown the ropes.

Not waiting for assistance, the princess stepped out of the carriage and started walking to the door. Only the faint sound of wind rustling branches could be heard until an owl started hooting inside the library. Lights turned on, and the door opened before Luna could knock. Twilight looked like a mess unhappy to be woken up. In her stupor, she didn’t recognize the princess at first but bowed while gasping after she looked up to meet the face of a royal alicorn. Luna put her hoof under the mares chin and tilted her head up.

“Pr-princess!” she stuttered out and glanced around wildly. “I didn’t know you were coming to Ponyville, I would have cleaned up or cleaned myself up or…” she trailed off.

The alicorn briefly looked down a bit before making eye contact again as she was embarrassed to distress Twilight so much. After all, she was the one who got the villagers to like her instead of giving her respect only in fear. “I’m sorry to disturb you at what is a very late hour for most ponies; or early- I’m not quite sure. I would not have if the matter was not so urgent. May I come in?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but no words were formed. Luna noticed her staring at the lunar guardsponies and their bat-like features. This wasn’t like her, but she was probably still shocked at the surprise visit. “Spectro, Havoc, take off your uniforms to make our host more comfortable.”

Havoc quietly whined, “Aw, but I look so much cooler like this.” The young pony that still needed to learn discipline visibly cringed under his superior’s austere glare. “I was just kidding…”  When all the armor came off, a midnight blue pegasus stallion stood next to another pegasus mare with a yellow coat; still glaring at her pupil.

Twilight regained her composure and opened the door wider. “Yes, of course. Come on in.” Luna followed Twilight inside with Havoc and Spectro close behind. Spike rubbed his eyes at the bottom of the stairs and jumped when he saw the visitors. “Spike! Can you please get us some tea?”

The dragon’s eyes drooped half way. “Surre thing Twi…,” he slurred. Teetering two steps forward, he fell face down on the floor; snoring.

Twilight smiled down at him before picking Spike up with magic and sending him back up the stairs to bed. “Uh, a baby dragon needs his sleep,” she explained. The ponies headed to the kitchen, where they could sit at the table. “Would you like me to get you anything, Princess?”

“That would not be necessary, thank you.” Havoc pulled out two chairs on the same side for Luna and Spectro and sat on the opposite side with Twilight. “Has my sister ever told you of the divine gems?” Twilight tilted her head quizzically. “I suppose not. When Celestia was born from the Great Mother, the sun was created with her. There was a strong link between her and the celestial body; so strong that something was created to bypass the energy, or they would become one and the same thing.” Luna kept shifting her gaze between the mare and Havoc even though he was already aware of the story. “The physical manifestation is called the Solar Dentritus, and takes the form of a red hot gem stone. The power was too great for one being to bear so this was then broken down into the two Solar Morsum.” She paused to take a breath before continuing the lengthy account of past events. “For me, there is a lunar variant of those objects. Both of us hold on to one Morsum to help move our respective celestial objects.”

The student of magic closed her eyes for a few seconds as she processed the new information. “So…what does this have to do with the reason you came here?”

Princess Luna’s face hardened in cold fury before she spoke. “The Morsum I keep on my person has been stolen.”

~

Quick Pick looked arrived at his job ready to work. All the tools needed were in his saddlepack, and his co-workers were waiting for him. He did a lot of travelling between towns for he was a hardworking, honest to goodness- cat burglar.

“Hey Pick, took you long enough. I thought we were meeting at three?” His black cloaked partners looked at him expectantly.

He knew he was late, but as the leader of the trio he could get away with it. “No, dumbass, I said three thirty.”

His two companions weren’t as smart as they were good muscles to keep around. “Okay boss.” Without him, they would have been caught long ago and had either gone to prison or forced to get a career acceptable by society. The ponies had to respect his authority under those circumstances.

The one who was not talking before spoke up. “So whose house is this?”

“Well Boulder, how would you feel if I told you we’re breaking into an element’s house?”

Boulder recoiled, eyes widening in fear. “Woah we can’t rob Twilight sparkle; she’ll kick our asses!”

The ring leader shook his head. “Damnit, sometimes I just can’t decide who’s dumber: you or Tough.” Boulder and Tough both merely blinked in response. “The element of generosity owns this, and she has a shitload of jewels stashed in the back. These aren’t just everyday diamonds either; she has to get some pretty rare ones for rich clients.” He cracked a smile. “Boys, I think we may just earn ourselves a vacation today.” They quietly cheered in response.

Quick Pick pulled out a tool set and silently trotted to the door. After it was unlocked, he called his partners over to enter the house. Holding a dim flashlight in his mouth, he searched until he found a closet. This door had a combination pad lock on it. It must be in here, he excitedly thought. Cracking that was a joke; you don’t get an open lock cutie mark for nothing. He tucked his stethoscope away and turned the knob.

Reeeaahhr! Some creature screeched and hissed. Pick turned around, heart racing, and shined the flashlight to find a white cat. It opened its mouth again but Boulder ran up and held the cat’s mouth in the crook of his foreleg; only to be scratched and yelping out loud in pain.

A female voice called from down the stairs, “Opal? Was that you?”

Shit! The thieves almost whispered in unison, and any light was extinguished. Hoof steps could be heard coming down; it was too late! The flick of a light switch was heard and a white unicorn mare just stared at the trio. “AAAAAAAH!” She screamed.

“Pipe down or the cat gets it.” Tough had pulled out a knife and held it near the feline, still in Boulder’s grasp. She stopped; tears starting to come from her eyes. Pick had to give his partner props for the smart thinking.

“Wh-what do y-you want?” The greedy thieves flashed eachother grins.

Quick Pick was the first to speak while slowly opening the storeroom door. “We just need you to keep quiet while we clean you out.”

“N-no please don-!”

The stallion cut her off. “What?” Just to be certain he walked all the way into the room, “You put a lock on door just to store dresses?”

She got down on her back knees and held her forelegs up into a praying position. “Pleeaase don’t take my work,” she begged. “Take anything but those dresses!”

“Look, lady, we just want your jewels; where do you keep ‘em?”

She actually looked relieved! “Oh well in that case, they’re upstairs in my….”

Tough looked at her crookedly. “Spit it out already!”

“I just used the rest of my supply today and…and was going gem hunting in the morning,” the mare almost whispered.

The thief pushed his knife closer to the animal. “Quit fooling around, where’s the stash?”

Her faced showed anger instead of fear, but Pick’s voice from the closet said “It’s okay, I think I found something just as good.” Movement was heard and seconds later, he emerged with a flashy gown covered in jewels from top to bottom draped over his back.

Instantly, the mare started screaming “No!” multiple times. This was ignored by Pick who just walked back into the closet to find more hidden treasure. Tough tried to calm her down by once again threatening the cat but she must have not heard him or didn’t think he would go through with it.

Tough went silent with a blank face, mouth hanging open. The screaming white mare noticed and stopped making noise to turn around. Standing in the still open doorway was Mare-Do Well with her expression invisible through the mask.

Before anyone could react, the vigilante leapt forward and hit Boulder in the forehead. Ducking down, she barely dodged the thrust of a knife from Tough before bobbing and weaving to dodge a couple more stabs that cut nothing but air.

Coming up on his side, she gave him one good punch to the head. His eyes rolled back as the stallion collapsed in a heap.

Rarity saw the larger one getting up and shouted, “Behind you!” The masked mare quickly turned around and gave him the same treatment as his partner with the same results.

Shuffling was heard in the closet and the last thief poked his head out. Mare Do-Well pointed her rear legs towards him and bucked him into the closet. Rarity snatched the lock off the ground and shoved it onto the door latched. When she turned around to express gratitude for her savior, the mare was already galloping out the door. Admiring the grace of the hero, Rarity said to nopony in particular, “I must say I did a marvelous job designing that costume.”

~

Luna waited for Twilight’s reaction to what she had just revealed. To her surprise, the unicorn reacted very calmly and only asked a few brief questions. “Do you have any idea who the thief might be, and if not: what are the tell-tale signs of it in their possession?”

Havoc answered for his liege. “We’ve had the most trusted unicorns on this matter scry for weeks and they couldn’t pinpoint the location. Or at least they couldn’t until this morning- er, evening.” Luna sympathized for him; becoming a lunar guardspony means one must become nocturnal and the switch is hard to get used to. “It’s been concluded that the stone piece is somewhere in the Ponyville area, so watch out for unusual displays of magic or physical prowess.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well when a pony gets the piece, their life force is increased tenfold. For example, a unicorn could do incomprehensible magic or a pegasus can fly faster than it should be possible.”

Luna looked at him and gravely stated, “I couldn’t have said it better myself. There is something that makes the whole situation more pressing though.” Twilight looked up and so did the guards, unsure of what she was going to say. “Without being in control of a Lunar Morsum means I will slowly lose my link to the moon; and with that, my life.” She left out that it had already become a struggle to move it at dawn and dusk. For a second, everypony else in the room paled at the thought.

Clearly not having heard this yet, Havoc jumped out of his seat. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?! We could have worked twice as hard on finding it!” Spectro must have also been angry because she didn’t even scold him. Before Luna could respond a knock sounded at the door. Twilight was reluctant to leave the room, but she excused herself to see who it was.

A disheveled Rarity almost surprised her as much as the news she had just gotten. The fashion obsessed mare had never looked as horrible as she did now; there were circles under her eyes that wet from tears, and her mane was jaunted in different directions. She smiled tearily, “Hello dear, can Opal and I stay here for the night?” The cat poked his head out of her saddlepack.

Twilight nodded her head and silently lead her friend to the guest bedroom and as curious as she was, she didn’t ask any questions. When she came back to the kitchen, the other guests wouldn’t even look at each other. “My apologies, a friend of mine needed a place to sleep. Princess Luna, what about the second half?”

She sighed dejectedly. “After you defeated me as Nightmare Moon, Celestia took it and put the stone into a temple that moves every two weeks. The only way to locate that is by using the other piece as a tracker.”

The unicorn looked at her Princess in deep thought and quietly said, “And Princess Celestia took it away because recreating the Dentritus is what corrupted you in the first place.”

Luna recoiled a bit and then slowly nodded. “Yes; sometimes I think you’re too smart for your own good.”

“How did Princess Celestia best you in the Lunar Rebellion?”

Instead of answering, she got up from her seat. “I would stay to tell you more, but I must leave at once if I am to lower the moon.” She walked towards the door with the two guards trailing. “Please let me know if you find anything.”

~

Rainbow Dash awoke to a morning much better than the previous. A gentle sunlight streamed through the grand room’s windows, and she could tell it was still early morning. Ganymede had taken her to his room after she destroyed her own, even though it would be better to describe her’s as a prison cell. While Rainbow’s mind was on him, she wondered where he went off to sleep.

Breathing was heard to her left and she looked over to see the now not-so-majestic stallion lying on the tile floor, covered by only a thin blanket. She smiled as he moved in his slumber to pull the sheet over his head some more.

Taking in the room for the first time in sufficient light was breathtaking. An arch of stained glass windows stretched on the wall on the head of the posh bed, and mementos covered the sandy brown walls; the color was very similar to the inhabitant’s coat. There were glass doors on either side of the arch that lead to a balcony overlooking the Everfree Forest. Glancing around, she noticed a mirror on the wall opposite from Ganymede and went over to check her reflection against her usual self. The mare staring back looked a mess. She didn’t know why she cared so much but Rainbow fixed her hair and tried to improve the image. Nothing really helped. She gave a frustrated grunt and walked back to the bed before climbing back in.

“You’re up early,” Ganymede stated matter of factly. Rainbow smiled down at him until he finished with, “for once.” She looked ready to give an angry retort until he appeased her by saying, “I’m just teasing!” and laughing.

She giggled back at him. “Well I did get a ton of sleep these past few days, and I guess enough of that can make miracles happen.” They shared an even louder laugh at that.

“Want to get something to eat? You’re not supposed to be roaming yet, but I can convince them you were let out early on good behavior.”

Rainbow glared and grumbled, “You make it sound like I was in jail for something I did wrong.” Her face lightened up and she stuck out both hooves like she was wearing cuffs, “C’mon Mr. Parole Officer, escort me to the kitchen’s.” Behind her mask she thought: being nice and friendly to him might just be my ticket out of here.

The pair walked the hallway talking and laughing softly to each other. He was a fun stallion once Dash got to know him; she just wished they could have met on better terms. When the smell of food was potent in the air a red pegasus was pushed out of a side door by an angry pony dressed like a chef, who slammed it shut right afterwards.

He shook his yellow mane wildly and turned around to yell at the closed door, “Can’t you spare just one more apple?!” Getting no reaction, he grunted and turned around to find Ganymede standing with Rainbow. “Oh, didn’t see you there.” He grabbed one of her hooves and kissed it in mock formality. “The name’s Dragon Fang, my lady,” he whispered in a dramatic way.

Ganymede scowled as much as the cook a few seconds ago and said, “Fang, don’t be an ass.”

She just laughed out loud. “Nice to meet you Fang, my name’s Rai-…actually you don’t need to know that.” Dragon Fang looked confused while Ganymede sullenly stared at the ground. She was so close to revealing it, too!

“Hm, well that’s fine I guess.” The red pony’s face perked up. “This is great! I bet they’ll let me in now if I’m with you two.”

Rainbow looked at him with interest. “Do you get kicked out of the dining hall often?”

He and Ganymede made eye contact and chuckled. “You could say that; how about we talk about it over some grub?”

She had been sitting quietly watching the two friends talking for almost an hour. Rainbow commented on occasion and as much as she liked to talk about herself, it was more entertaining to observe Ganymede and Dragon Fang. They mainly spoke of past events shared with another friend of theirs, but they never said his name; just ‘he’ or ‘him’.

Fang got up after shoving another piece of pizza in his mouth and balancing a stack of plates on his wing. He tried to say something but it only came out like: “Hom nom nom hom nom.” He turned to Rainbow and gave a little curtsy. “Hom nom.” The red pegasus slowly walked to the kitchens with the short stride of somepony who ate more than they know they should have. Right as the swing door closed the sound of an angry staff member yelling was clearly audible.

Ganymede laughed a bit at her raised eyebrow. “Fang’s got a voracious appetite and isn’t really that polite about it, but he’s loyal until the end.”

She looked away and grumbled “I know a thing a two about loyalty.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t quite catch that, what’d you say?”

“Oh nothing; he’s cool.” In truth she found him a little too cocky. Her friends told her that she also  was at times but there was a difference: Dragon Fang only thought he was awesome while she actually was.

Pleased by her answer, Ganymede got up and pulled out Rainbow’s chair for her in a very gentlecolt-like manner. “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”

Ganymede quietly closed the door to his guest’s new room. She had actually seemed very happy when he showed it to her (except for the jokes about her last room) and that made him feel a lot less guilty for holding her captive. Even after the time they had spent together, the bonding they had started; she still wouldn’t tell him her name!

Turning around, the smile melted off his face. Doctor Forehoof stepped forward from the corner he was half standing behind and said in mock surprise, “I wasn’t aware of the fact that I gave permission for her to be unshackled, or even allowed to roam.” The unicorn adjusted the monocle always on his left eye and instantly went serious. “I hope you know your priorities, Ganymede. It would be a shame if you ruined the plan now after we’ve come so far.” As if waiting for a response, he tightened the pinstriped suit around his silver coat. Ganymede opened his mouth for a response but The Doctor abruptly walked away, white mane in perfect form even after walking by an open window.

The prince’s shoulders tightened with anger as he watched his patron until the high class pony turned a corner. He had to calm himself down; sure The Doctor was controlling at times, but he still had given Ganymede a chance for redemption. More importantly, that was the pony who was going to create a perfect world where no being would be put through the anguish that had befallen himself.

Chapter 3: My Name is

A Hero’s Days

Chapter 3: My Name is

Applejack hummed in content as she pulled open the gate in front of her house. The sun was shining, and it seemed that nothing could ruin her mood.

“Applejack! Are you heading into town?” She turned around to see her wonderful sister running to catch up. “Uh, why are you smiling?”

She gave a content sigh. “Ah guess Ah’m just happy to see you. Yes, sugar cube, Twilight told me ta come to the library fer some reason.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “That’s weird, I just saw you five minutes ago.” She took a package off her back that the older sister didn’t notice before. “Could you give this to Dinky for me?”

“Well uh-, “Applejack started.

“Great!” She picked the brown paper package up with her mouth by the strings and tossed it over the fence, and then ran back into the house. Applejack shrugged before resuming her humming of a nameless tune everyone seemed to know.

Walking towards central Ponyville, she let thoughts of the previous evening take over. Apple Bloom was saved by the same hero that they had neglected to be. Right when all hope was lost, she swooped down and saved the day. The costume seemed just like the real thing made by Rarity. Maybe it actually was and-

Applejack’s thoughts were shattered along with her eardrums as a jackhammer pounded away right next to her. “What in tarnation?” Tens of ponies wearing construction helmets were moving around like bees in a hive. They had a full on construction site that was focused on cutting into a hillside.

“You see that mare brother of mine? Let’s go tell her what’s going on,” an annoying voice said.

Another voice, equally annoying, said louder, “Hello there, pal!” Applejack thought nothing could ruin her mood; she was wrong. “Yes you, Miss Apple!” The Flim Flam brothers trotted over to her wearing the externally friendly looks that conmen used to lure victims.

“What the hay are you doin’ back here!” she yelled over the noise. “Get outta here ‘fore Ah get Big Macintosh over here ta lift you by yer scrawny necks!”

The one with a mustache tisked. “Oh no, Applejack -was it?  You don’t want to do that, because-“

”-we can still put you out of business!” The other finished. The farmer raised an eyebrow. “Don’t believe us?”

“You’re lucky we didn’t hold you to the agreement the last time we were in Ponyville,” said the mustached one. “Just because the distasteful townsfolk don’t like our cider doesn’t mean you’re free of your obligations. We could easily enforce that and run you off your property. ”

His brother almost whispered in her ear, “And you wouldn’t want that, would you?”

The farm filly grimaced at the ground for a second and idly rubbed a hoof in the dirt. “No, no that’s not what I want.” She forced herself to put up a respectful composure for the sake of her livelihood. “What exactly are you doing here?”

They turned around and began walking away. “Oh just some mineral collecting. We’ll be done here in less than a week.”

She wasn’t sure which one said that, but the smug tone ate at her insides. Picking up Apple Bloom’s package, she began to walk to the library once again.

~

“Rope.”

“Check!”

“Baby carriages.”

“Check!”

“Blankets.”

“Check!” Spike frowned at the checklist in his claws. “I still don’t get why we needed a list for only three items.”

“Because Princess Luna’s counting on us to catch the thief!” Twilight frowned at the three elements of harmony conversing on the other side of the room. “I really hope I’m suspecting the right pony though…” She was anxious to get started but Rainbow Dash and Applejack were almost ten minutes late.

Applejack walked in holding a brown package in her mouth. She spit it out onto the ground so she could speak. “I’m mighty sorry y’all. I should’ve gotten here on time but there was a lil’ detour.”

“What ever impeded you in such fair weather?” Rarity asked.

“That’s not important,” Twilight interjected, “We need to get down to business.”

“Waitwaitwait! Dashie’s not here!”

“Pinkie, we can fill her in later. Who told was the one who told her about this meeting?” The organizer searched the faces of her friends.

Fluttershy shrunk back. “Um, um I tried to but she wasn’t at her house. I thought maybe someone else already did.”

“Ugh we don’t have time for this! Spike, go look for her and fill her in on the way back; you know what’s going on,” Twilight commanded in a bossy tone.

He sighed. “Alright.”

“Oh, Spikey-Wikey, dear, can you do me a favor?”

He perked up. “I’ll do anything for you, Rarity,” the hopeless romantic gushed.

“Good. I need a dress from my storeroom; it’s dark blue with silver lining and you won’t miss it. The combination on the lock is 23, 12, 9, 0. Do you want me to repeat that?”

“No, I can remember anything for you, Rarity.” She smiled at how repetitive he sounded in his stupor.

Spike stepped through the door, hearing Twilight tell Rarity to share her story before shutting it behind him. First things first: The Carousel Boutique. Rarity needed him to get that dress! He walked in and pursed his lips into an ‘O’. It was strange to see the floor so messy when the shop’s owner compulsively cleaned all the time. Spike was aware of the events that took place recently, but he expected her to have cleaned up before she went to Twilight’s. The tiny dragon precariously stepped around fallen cloth to get to the storeroom door. A hand on the lock, he tried to remember the combination out loud, “23, 12-“

Someone cleared their throat rather loudly on the other side.

“AH!” He jumped and dropped the lock which clanged against the door.

“Oh hey! Is someone out there? I don’t care if you’re a cop, just get me outta here!”

“Um n-no I’m not a p-police officer,” Spike stuttered out.

“Hmm, you’re not?”

“N-no.”

“Oh well could you get me out of here?”

“Okay.” Spike thought it odd that the mysterious pony mistook him for police. “23, 12…” He looked at the lock in his hands in frustration. “23, 12…” The dragon sighed. “It’s no use, I can’t remember the last two numbers. I’ll go get Rarity and-“

“Wait!” the voice pleaded, “The combination's 23, 12, 9, 0.”

He tried it and was rewarded with a satisfying click. “Wow, how’d you know?!” Spike excitedly asked.

“Locks are my specialty.” The dragon lifted the lock, and opened the door.

The pony that emerged was…he was a…”Ah! A ninja!” Spike doubled back, shielding his face with his claws. The pony’s eyes widened at seeing a baby dragon in the place of his savior. “Rarity! You have ninjas in your house!”

“Shhh, quiet kid,” the ‘ninja’ commanded and Spike shut his mouth. “I’m um, a police officer sent to secretly watch over your friend Rarity’s home!” He shook his head up and down like he was convincing himself. “Yeah that’s it,” he said under his breath. Then he announced in a proud voice. “That’s why I’m dressed like this and even she doesn’t know I’m keeping her safe.”

“Oh so you thought I was one of your police friends getting you out of there?” The officer vigorously nodded his head in agreement. “It’s good that you’re doing that but Rarity has me to protect her.” The dwarf puffed out his chest in pride.

The pony laughed in response until Spike gave him a dirty look. “I mean, of course I don’t need to do this! I’m just following orders from the chief.” An idea blossomed in his head.  “I saw how strong you looked from afar and instantly knew I didn’t need to keep watch. In fact, I’m so sure that I’m going to tell Chief that this is unnecessary right now!” Spike beamed at the compliments; even if it was just the truth.

The reptile kissed his nonexistent bicep and giggled before he saw the police pony looking at him sideways. “Ugh,” he blushed, “I mean of course. By the way Mister, what’s your name?”

“My name…?” The stallion glanced around the room. “Officer…” He stopped looking and looked at Spike in the eyes once again “Spool. Officer Spool.”

“It’s nice to meet you Mister Officer Spool! I’m Spike.”

“Back atcha, kid.” The officer took off his black mask to reveal a maroon stallion with Pony Stark style facial hair that clashed with a five o’clock shadow. The rest of the black jump suit was kicked off while walking to the door. He looked back to give a reassuring smile before saying, “I’ll go tell Chief right now.”

~

Twilight looked at Applejack (or through her) in thought. “Yes, if she could do two things like that in one night then I believe she has the stone.”

“So she done gone doomed Luna just ta help other ponies… “

“I don’t think she knew that this would happen to Luna. Her guards were the only ponies to know about the stones and even they didn’t know this was happening to her.” For once, they all stood in silence; just letting the news sink in. Everyone present just hoofed the ground until Twilight spoke up once again. “We have a tough mission ahead of us. Let’s all take a few hours to get lunch and then meet here.”

Twilight’s friends went out the door single file; all of Twilights friends except Rainbow Dash. The lazy pegasus was probably just sleeping somewhere, but she may have taken a trip to Cloudsdale. She had talked about it for weeks and-, “Twilight?”

The unicorn frowned as her thoughts were interrupted. Applejack had turned around and was looking concerned. “Yes, Applejack?”

“Where the hay do yah think Rainbow is?” she asked with a hint of anger.

“I’m not sure. She was talking about that trip to see her parents.”

“But Ah’m sure she’d’ve said goodbye!”

“You know her,” Twilight did a mock of the pegasus’s voice, “I’ll get there and back in ten seconds flat,” and then used her own. “She probably thought she’d be quick enough to not have to tell us.”

Applejack looked out the window. “This isn’t funny, Twi. Ah haven’t seen her in two days! If she was going to be fast then she should be back by now.”

“Well if she took the trip and decided to stay then of course you wouldn’t. I’m sure she’s fine,” Twilight reassured. “We need to focus on the task at hand or we’ll find out we were just concerned about nothing.” She took a step forward and picked up a book with magic. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to visit Dinky in the hospital.”

“Ah have to go there mahself; Apple Bloom asked me to give this here present to her. Ah’ll just walk with you.”

~

Lock Pick walked through Ponyville center trying to find some food and a place to stay for the night. He was thirsty as hell; being locked in a closet for half a day can do that. There were food stands, but that wouldn’t help him get out of the sun. Taking in a delightful scent of baked goods, he followed his nose to a very decorated building with laughter heard from inside. He was not usually fond of this type of establishment but a sudden sweet tooth convinced him to try it out.

Eyes were trained on him as he inspected the assortment of goodies behind glass. Pick could only guess how much of a mess he looked; wearing a mask all night and all. The reflection looking back from the display glass only confirmed his suspicions. His hair made him look like he’d been in bed for the past week!

He took a double take; was this glass tinted or was he always this pink?

“Looks like somepony needs to turn that frown upside down!” Pick jumped back, the reflection just talked! He looked back and no face was seen where he was checking his reflection. Am I hallucinating…?

“Are you new in town?” This time Pick only winced. He looked up to meet the eyes of a bubbly, pink pony with a wide smile.

“Uh,” He was momentarily distracted by their bright blue color,” Yeah! I guess you could say that.”

She put a hoof to her chin below a mischievous smile. “Hmm. Where are you staying?”

“I’m staying…” He trailed off. Where was he staying? The hideout the trio of thieves slept in was probably swarmed by police now, and even if Boulder and Tough wouldn’t rat him out, their stupidity put him at risk. The law must have thought he fled the scene and didn’t expect them to hide right under their noses. Not like he wanted to be locked in a closet though. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

The mare didn’t move at all when he paused or spoke; just stood there with that smile, unblinking. Pick didn’t want to be rude so he looked awkwardly looked around for ten seconds before waving a hoof in front of her face. “You can stay here!” She really needed to stop surprising him!

“Well I don’t know about that. I mean…” He started.

Totally ignoring his statement, she cut in with: “We can have a slumber party! Well there would be only us but we can tell scary stories and stay up late and make cupcakes!”

His stomach growled. “I could really use a cupcake or two.”

“Then take five!” The pink ball of energy pulled out a plate of cupcakes seemingly out of nowhere. He took one without hesitating and shoved it into his mouth. Mmmmm.

“You like it?” She giggled. “I made them myself. If you help out when you stay here you can have as many as you want. C’mon follow me.” Stuck in a state of sugar induced ecstasy, he just nodded his head and followed. “The cakes own the house, but I rent out a room by working and I get a big room all to myself. There’s a pull out bed you can sleep on and there’s Gummy’s bed; you can have whichever one you want because he won’t mind.” They stopped suddenly and Pick looked around at a now homely looking hallway, unsure of how he got there. “Here’s the bathroom so you can get cleaned up before you start working the counter!”

“Wait I don’t want to-“ He wildly glanced both ways to catch a sign of where she went, but she was completely gone. There was no better place to go so he just shrugged his shoulders and went into the bathroom. After the last cupcake was inhaled he took a hot shower that lasted as long as he wanted it to, and that’s to say: long. It was nice to once again have that luxury, after staying in old apartments for three years. Half of them didn’t even have hot water, let alone showers. Pick wished he could go back to royal treatment, but he made his decision final when he left that life behind. He finished up and dried himself with a blue towel which was the only non-pink one. A straight razor was found in a drawer and managed to make his beard look well kept.

Someone knocked on the door. “One second!” He called out, before shoving the razor back where it came from and opening the door. An older, sky blue mare stepped back in surprise at seeing a stranger in her bathroom. “Oh um, hey,” he said uncomfortably.

“Hello there?” She said it almost as a question.

“I’m so sorry, my name’s Quick Pick. Your employee let me use your bathroom.” He instantly regretted using his real name, but there was no turning back now. The stallion stuck out a hoof. She took it. “I assume you’re Mrs. Cake?”

“That’s right.” She sighed. “Don’t be sorry though, Pinkie’s always letting strangers in. In fact, I think I’ll have a word with her right now.” Pick followed the baker downstairs to the store area.

Pinkie turned around from the counter. “Hi Mrs. Cake! Hi Locky!” Locky?

The older mare gave a look that told Pick she had this conversation a lot. “Pinkie, I thought we told you that customer’s use the store bathroom.”

“Oh yeah I knew that!”

Mrs. Cake raised an eyebrow. “Then how come I just found Mr. Pick in the upstairs bathroom?”

“That’s because he’s not a customer; Locky’s staying with us!”

He tried to interject. “Well not reall-“

“And where is he staying?”

“I mean I’m not-“ He tried to say.

Pinkie almost shouted in excitement, “My room! We’re having slumber parties at night and he’s going to help in the day!” Did his opinion even matter?

“I’m not sure you should have a colt stay in your room with you, dear.”

Pinkie just gave a confused expression. “Why not? We don’t have any other rooms with the space.”

Mrs. Cake looked Pick up and down. “Well I guess he looks gentlecoltly enough. Go show him around and get him set up for tonight.”

“Okey Dokey Lokey! “ She took the forced guest by the hoof and pulled him upstairs faster than the blink of an eye. Mrs. Cake let loose another tired sigh. It was a known fact that Pinkie reproduced asexually like a potato so there wouldn’t be a problem.

“Here’s the cake’s room, here’s the babys’ room, here’s the bathroom -but you already knew that hehe- and last but not at all the least-“ They went up a short flight of stairs. “-my room!” It was a huge chamber with stairs leading to a smaller room on top that was empty for sightseeing. A pink canopy bed sat in one corner with a nightstand next to it, and a table with a record player stood by the door. Pinkie bounced over to the bed and tugged on a strap underneath it to pull out a bed on the floor. “This is your bed; try it out!”

“Uh, okay.” Quick Pick trotted over and laid on the mattress. Despite being not much more than a mattress on the floor, it was quite comfortable. He closed his eyes in relaxation and when he reopened them, he yelped. There was something reptilian on his chest!

The mare only giggled. “That’s just gummy, silly!”

“Gu-gum-gummy?”

“That’s because he has no teeth. I would have named him Nyx or Vegeta, but I thought Gummy suited him better.” Pinkie looked at a rainbow colored clock on the wall with balloons painted on it. “Oh no! I need to meet the gang at the library!” She went into a closet and rolled out a… cannon? “I’ll be back in a jiffy; you can help Mrs. Cake or just lay there and keep Gummy company!” The energy level went down twenty notches when she left the room. Pick shook his head, wondering what she was on and how he could get some.

He looked forward and sure enough, the tiny reptile was still there. “Get off me.” It just blinked one eye at a time in response.

~

“The point of the game is to capture your opponents Celestia while defending your own. Every piece moves in a special way and there are a few special rules besides that.” Rainbow had taken an interest in chess after watching Ganymede beat Lanturn in their daily match. They had played in her room because the Servant wanted to meet her. Rainbow found it odd that she hated to fail and the middle-aged stallion had left after almost seeming satisfied at losing.

Rainbow Dash took in the shapes of the different pieces. “Seems a little confusing,” she mumbled.

He smirked. “It’s not that hard once you get used to it. C’mon let’s play a practice game; I’ll tell you everything as we play.”

After a few ‘practice’ games, Rainbow decided to try one on her own. She found the game to be more fun than expected, which was kind of like reading. There was a certain mindset you could get into with those types of things that brought euphoria not unlike when she flew. She started by moving her pegasus in front by following the “L” it had to travel in. He moved a pawn forward that would allow his Lunar Guardspony to get out diagonally.

“I think you should-“

“Hey, don’t give me any hints!” She interrupted. “I want to learn on my own now.” Ganymede nodded in understanding.

Since he was no longer giving advice any longer, the table was open to conversation. “So, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

She stared at the board and only responded half-mindedly, “Hmm? And what’s that?”

There was no way to not be abrupt about it. “How come you didn’t leave yesterday morning?” She looked up with those beautiful magenta eyes that reminded him of a mare he once loved. He had her full attention. “I mean I was still asleep and the room wasn’t barricaded at all. I’ve heard you talk about your flying, and it seems that you’re confident you could outmaneuver any pony in Equestria.”

“Maybe I didn’t think I could escape from ponies who aren’t from Equestria.”

“You know you can; I know you.”

She barked a bitter laugh and stood up. “You don’t even know my name!”

Ganymede followed her lead. “I’m sorry, you know what?” He put a hoof on her shoulder. “Let’s just sit down and enjoy this game.”

“Actually, I think there is a reason why.” The rainbow colored mare looked down and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to see my friends after something I did.”

“I’m sure whatever you did, your friends will forgive you.”

“It’s not about what I did; it’s what I didn’t do.” She rubbed a hoof over eyes starting to water. “And I don’t care if they forgive me; it’s whether I can forgive myself.” By now streams of tears were flowing down a quivering face.

Ganymede gave her a comforting embrace just like he did a couple days before. “Please, tell me what happened. It helps more than you know.”

“You remember the day when your men kidnapped me?” Ganymede grimaced but nodded. “I wasn’t there in time to save that filly. Pony’s kind of look up to me for doing hero work in situations like that and-“she bit back a sob. “And that filly’s dead because I couldn’t save her!”

The broken mare openly cried into Ganymede’s shoulder, but instead of hearing condolences, it shook with a chuckle. She pushed him away and was trying to think of an angry retort.

He looked directly at her angry glare and smiled. “I have good news then: the filly’s expected to make a full recovery by next week!”

“B-but h-how-“

“Because of you, the train got to be stopped in time to save her life, and even better than that, she made off with only a few broken bones!”

She stared on in disbelief. “Because…of me?” Ganymede nodded. The mare giggled. Then she laughed. Then she guffawed for five minutes straight once the prince joined in. “This whole time that’s been eating at me! I can’t believe-“ An abrupt knocking interrupted her.

Ganymede groaned and asked, “Who is it?” A stallion dressed as a butler stuck his head in.

“Hello your highness, The Doctor would like to see you and he said it is very important.”

He was ready to give an angry retort, but the ecstatic mare put a hand on his foreleg. “It’s okay; go tend to your business. Thanks. About the getting it off my chest thing, I mean. It really helped more than I thought possible.”

“I’m just glad I could make you feel better.” The prince walked to the door.

“Oh by the way,” she called out. “My names Rainbow; Rainbow Dash.” He walked outside and followed the servant with a smile spread across his face. Fits her perfectly.