Battle For Equestria

"The Pegasi are attacking! The Pegasi are attacking!" a bright blue earth pony screamed at the top of his lungs.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash had been standing at the street corner of Sugarcube corner when the screaming began. Twilight looked up at the cloudy night sky in horror. Groups of Pegasi were descending from the clouds and more were certain to turn up. Twilight turned back to her five friends quickly.

"Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy," she yelled above the shouts and screams of other ponies, "You know what to do."

Rainbow Dash just gave Twilight a short nod before flying off into the sky with Fluttershy lagging somewhat behind her. Twilight turned to Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie next.

"You two need to get out of here. There's no time to argue, Apple Jack. Just go!"

Pinkie Pie dragged AppleJack along with her desperately. Twilight watched as they disappeared into the crowds of frantic ponies and unicorns. Rarity cleared her throat.

"Perhaps we should run too?" she hollered.

"No." Twilight shook her head curtly, "We're defending Ponyville."

"What? But-but-but-they have bombs!"

"Rarity we have to do this. It may not be a battle we can win, but it's one we can use to our advantage."

"Twilight, what are you going on about?"

"We can keep the pegasi occupied if we fight for Ponyville. They won't be able to chase after ponies or see where the refugee camps are. Now, start working on a force field with me."

Rarity let out a whimper as waves of pegasi hovered over them. A small pink bubble erupted from Rarity's horn and quickly began to expand. Twilight pointed her horn at the medium-sized force field, adding to its size. A few unicorns scampered over to where Rarity and Twilight where and did the same. They were left with a force field, not big enough to cover Ponyville, but large enough to protect some of it from harm. Twilight felt her heart thudding deeply in her chest as she watched the pegasi bouncing off of the force field angrily. Rarity gave Twilight the smallest of smiles which Twilight returned. It looked as though they could actually win this instead of just stall it. Twilight was just about to tell Rarity this when suddenly there was a mighty explosion.

The impact threw everypony off of his or her hooves, catapulting them into buildings, through windows, and into the air. The force field gave way and the pegasi swarmed around Ponyville. Twilight quickly got up to her feet. The other unicorns that had helped with the force field were also getting up slowly, but all of them sprinted away in fear. Rarity and Twilight were the only ones left at Sugarcube corner. More explosions could be heard in the distance and a fire had started to spread to the right of them.

"Now can we run?" Rarity asked, already beginning to trot away.

"Go! I'll meet up with you later!"

"But Twilight-

"Just go! There's no time to explain. Please, just listen to-

BOOM. At that exact moment Sugarcube corner exploded. The windows shattered around Twilight before the actual explosion took her up into the air. She had just narrowly missed being engulfed by flames. She flew past Sugarcube Corner and landed into another building with a sickening thud. She could hear Rarity's screams of terror as everything around her slowly began to turn black.

Twilight woke up suddenly. Her heart was hammering in her chest so loudly, she was afraid that it had woken everyone up. She had gotten her mom to get into her bed when night had finally come. Pearl had come back with some tea for Twilight before she escorted Twilight to her room. It was right next to her mom and dad's room. The room housed a single bed facing a large window, two nightstands and one small, dingy closet. It was ten times better than the hard, brittle floor of what used to be Twilight's bedroom though.

It didn't take long for Twilight to drift into sleep. But of course it was just her luck to have that very same nightmare from all the other nights. Twilight glanced over at the window and was mildly surprised to see that it was morning already. The sun was streaming down on Twilight, giving her a warm glow that just made Twilight feel a bit safer. Twilight laid in the bed for another three minutes before the sound of knocking against wood made her get up to answer the door.

"Hey there Twilight," Sweetie Belle's cheerful voice said as she opened the door, "Ready for your big day? Job hunting isn't the funnest thing out there, especially if it's for the palace, but we can make it fun. Don't worry."

"Big day? Wait, I forgot to...but wait. If I forgot to tell you...how did you know that I needed a job at the palace?"

"Hm? Oh, Rarity told me all about it. So, put on that red dress and let's go see Rarity so we can find you a job!"

Before Twilight could object, Sweetie Belle closed the door for her. Twilight slowly went over to the closet to get her red dress from last night. From the doorway she could hear Sweetie Belle humming to herself. It was a lovely melody that made Twilight begin to smile. When she had put on the dress she headed back over to the door. Sweetie Belle opened the door just as she put her hoof on the doorknob.

"Okay, let's go. There's just barely enough time until Rarity leaves. Come'on Twilight!" Sweetie Belle trotted down the stairs excitedly.

Twilight tried to stay in the same pace as Sweetie Belle, but she was finding it extremely difficult due to the fact that she had walked from Ponyville to Manehatten not one day ago. But Sweetie Belle continued her fast pace until she came to a halt in front of a small office. Twilight silently prayed that Sweetie Belle didn't go as fast as this when they were outside.

Rarity's workspace was compressed into a room the size of a large broom cupboard. A small desk sat by itself in the corner with multiple rolls of fabric laying on its surface. From the other corner, Rarity sat idly by with a bucket of light blue paint next to her.

"Good morning Twilight," Rarity yawned widely.

"Morning Rarity," Twilight glanced down at the blue paint, "Um, what's the paint for?"

"It's for you."

"Wait, what?"

Rarity let out an exasperated sigh, "Twilight, you can't go out in public dressed the way you are. Prince Blueblood has seen you before and he'll probably try to lock you up too. Now stand perfectly still, so that I can paint you."

Twilight didn't have time to argue. Rarity had the paintbrush in her mouth and had begun to paint over her hide. It was a cold and tickling feeling that made Twilight's hair stand on end. Sweetie Belle just watched her older sister with mild fascination.

"This paint isn't toxic or anything…right?"

"Hmm? Oh. Uh, don't be silly Twilight. It's not toxic. I don't think so. Now hush, so I can finish this second coat," Rarity laughed nervously.

Well that wasn't exactly a reassuring answer. But Twilight continued to stand as still as a statue so her friend could finish up the paint job right on schedule. Rarity now led a newly blue Twilight to the bathroom carefully with Sweetie Belle hopping along after them.

"This will be so great. Huh? Right Twi? Can I call you Twi? Oh, I'm so excited for you. Believe me, I can get you that palace job. I can. I really can! Why are you making that face Twilight? Is there a bad smell?"

Rarity had Twilight sit on a chair facing away from the sink. She draped a towel over Twilight's neck and fanned out her hair. Twilight finally began to notice the mane dye bottle sitting on the edge of the sink.

"Don't worry Twilight," Rarity instructed, "This is the same color as your mane. I'm just dying that cute little pink streak I've always liked. Oh, and don't move a muscle or else the dye will burn your scalp."

Twilight's muscles tensed up at this bit of news. She didn't dare move however, because Rarity had already began to put in the hair dye slowly and gently. Sweetie Belle smiled from her spot in the corner, making Twilight feel even more stressed out to begin with. At last Rarity began to dry her freshly dyed hair. Twilight felt tugging and pulling from her the front of her mane. Her hair stung with every jerk of Rarity's hooves.

Rarity finished up fairly quickly. She nodded over to Sweetie Belle, who took this as her cue to hold up a small mirror in front of Twilight.

Twilight almost burst out laughing, much to Rarity's distress. She didn't look horrible; she just looked different. It was as if she were looking at a long lost twin who had a light blue coat and fluffy, lavender hair. Rarity took the mirror back gingerly after Twilight began to giggle quietly to herself.

"I made sure to have the coat bring out your eyes. And the red dress helps them. Anyway, I've enjoyed hanging out with the two of you, but it is time for me to go to work. I'll be home at ten at the latest."

"I like your new cutie mark," Sweetie Belle giggled.

Twilight examined her flank quickly. Her cutie mark was now replaced with a duster and broom. It was now Rarity's turn to laugh.

"What? It's supposed to make it look like your profession is cleaning. I'm simply boosting your chances on getting the job, thank you very much."

"Thanks Rarity," Twilight smiled at her friend, "I was pretty much just going to walk in there just as me. That was quick thinking you did there. I'm impressed."

Rarity wrapped her friend into a short hug, "That means the world to me Twilight. Thanks for saying that."

She trotted out of the bathroom with her bottle of dye levitated in front of her. Sweetie Belle bounced up and down like a jumping bean.

"Let's go! Let's go! Hurry up! Hurry Up!"

"Alright, I'm going," Twilight laughed, "I'm going."

Sweetie Belle led Twilight to the other end of the hallway, where the front door was. To the side were a series of hooks, holding up hats, coats, and rain boots. Sweetie Belle was already putting on her rain boots and a coat, much to Twilight's confusion.

"You should probably put on coat, Twilight," Sweetie Belle said as she took a green one from the rack. She handed it to Twilight.

"But it was completely sunny out just a few moments ago," Twilight cocked her head at Sweetie Belle, "And I'm pretty sure it was warm when I came here yesterday."

"Trust me about this. Just put on your coat," Sweetie Belle's eyebrow arched upward at Twilight.

They headed out the door as soon as Twilight had put on the green coat. As soon as they stepped outside, Twilight could see why Sweetie Belle had made her put on a coat. It was chilly. And if you squinted you could see that snow was starting to fall outside of the force field. Sweetie Belle shook her mane out gingerly as they proceeded down the street.

"How are you…holding up Sweetie Belle? If you don't mind me asking," Twilight paused, waiting for Sweetie Belle to change the subject.

Sweetie Belle bit her teeth together before replying, "About as well as the next pony really. I don't know."

"Do you know where Apple Bloom is?" Twilight continued to ask.

"She's safe. She's with Granny Smith or her Aunt and Uncle Orange, all the way in Fillydelphia. At least that's what she told me before she left. She's safe from what I know. I'm certain of it. As for AppleJack…she may be locked up in a prison cell, but she's safe there. No pony is killing any prisoners from what we can tell."

There was a long silence between Twilight and Sweetie Belle as they walked. Their hooves clicked upon the cobblestone as they walked side-by-side. Only a few other unicorns were outside like them. The other unicorns were bundled up with thick scarves and boots, walking about the cobblestone street. It was deathly silent, which only made Twilight feel uneasier than before. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea after all. Blueblood would probably recognize Twilight in a second, even with the paintjob and the hair dye. Twilight took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was just getting a job at the palace today. She wouldn't start work until at least the day after tomorrow. And chances were, Blueblood didn't just hire any pony off the street to be his maid. This seemed to calm Twilight down a bit.

Twilight looked around the desolate streets. All of the windows facing them were closed shut with only the faintest sounds of ponies waking up coming out from the tiniest cracks. Smoke drifted out of the tiny chimneystacks and floated up into the air. A muffled argument from a few doors away made Twilight's ears prick up. Sweetie Belle didn't take any notice to the quietness. She was probably used to it by now.

"The pegasi took Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said slowly, "She's probably enrolled in one of those strict military schools for fillies now. I just hope she doesn't get brainwashed by them."

Twilight felt a pang of guilt run through her. Sweetie Belle was alone without friends in this wretched city. But then Twilight began to wonder something. It was a small time before Twilight managed to blurt it out.

"Sweetie Belle," she asked timidly, "How exactly do you know all about this? Information like this isn't told just to anyone."

"Well," Sweetie Belle's face flushed with embarrassment or excitement, "I may have stolen some of the jailing lists with my friends from school. Miss Cheerilee, Junebug, Big Mac, and the mayor are the only other prisoners from Ponyville."

"Does Rarity know that you go sneaking off like this?"

"No. And she isn't going to find out, right Twilight?" Sweetie Belle's upper lip trembled slightly.

"Fine," Twilight sighed, "But who are these other friends of yours. I thought you said that Scootaloo and Applebloom are elsewhere."

"They are," Sweetie Belle explained calmly as they continued to cross the street to get to the next sidewalk, "I met two other friends. Dinky Doo and Berry Pinch."

"Who?" Twilight's brow went up slightly.

"I've known them for about a year or two," Sweetie Belle sighed at Twilight's skeptic look, "Berry Pinch used to be in my class and Dinky Doo was one of the first members of the Rainbow Dash fan club."

"Okay," Twilight's brow went back down to its natural place, "Just don't get into trouble. This is a safe place so far. Don't get yourself thrown out."

"I won't," Sweetie Belle said with a hint of a smile.

After a few more minutes of walking, they came to an abrupt stop in front of a light blue palace-like structure. Twilight missed a breath as Sweetie Belle led her inside. The interior was similar to the interior of the castle in Canterlot Twilight had stayed in so many times before, The floor was a white marble that was slick and clean. So clean, in fact, Twilight could see her reflection whenever she looked down. All of the windows housed the same blue velvet curtains. Sweetie Belle quickly led Twilight away to another, less elegant, section of the palace.

The floor was still the same white marble color; only it hadn't been cleaned in days. Most of the windows were shut to avoid winter chills from sneaking in through. There was a large space with a few sofas arranged around in a semi circle. A black receptionist desk stood in the very center of the room. A thin, light-orange unicorn was dozing off lightly from behind it. Sweetie Belle gave Twilight a friendly nudge.

"That's the unicorn you go to for jobs around here. Most of the time, there's a job opening. The hours are insane, so not many ponies are rally able to grab the job. You should be lucky. I'll wait right here. I'm sure you'll do fine, Twilight."

"Thanks Sweetie Belle," Twilight felt her courage level up, even if only slightly at the most, "I needed that."

"You know where to find me if you need an even better pep talk. Trust me, I come up with them fast."

"That's fine," Twilight chuckled, "Here I go."

Twilight made her way to the desk. The unicorn's head perked up at the appearance of another soul. A smile spread across her face as Twilight came to a stop in front of her desk.

"Hiring Facilities," she said cheerfully, "How may I help you?"

"Hello," Twilight smiled back, "I'm looking for a job here at the palace. I'm new to Manehatten, so I was hoping to get a job by the end of the week."

"Hmm," the unicorn rubbed her head thoughtfully before pulling out a large, black binder, "We should have a few more spots available for you. I'll just have to interview you to see if you're fit for...what job was it you had in mind?"

"Oh," Twilight blushed slightly, "I'm looking for a job as a maid. At least for here in the palace, that is."

"In the palace..." there was a rummaging of pages from the binder. The unicorn smiled once she found the right page she was looking for, "Ah-ha, we have two openings. Filthy Rich is looking for a full time maid. He's located in the fifth floor of the palace. And we also have a position for a part-time maid that can work between the hours of 10A.M and 4P.M for Fleur De Lis. And she's located on the second floor."

"I'm interested in Filthy Rich's position at the moment," Twilight answered.

"Okay, I'll just ask you a few personal questions then and you'll be good to go," the unicorn replied as she took out a clipboard from her desk.

"Alright," Twilight tried to hide her teeth, which were now chattering due to nervousness, "Go ahead."

"Okay, what's your name?"

"Oh," Twilight's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't thought about a name. Quickly, Twilight began to think. She faked a small round of coughing to give her some time, "Sorry. I'm had a tickle in the back of my throat all day for some reason."

The unicorn smiled patiently with her clipboard in hoof. She was starting to write something down that Twilight couldn't see.

"Anyway, my name's…Blue Harmony," Twilight flashed the unicorn a weary smile.

There was a scratching of pen against paper. The unicorn looked back at Twilight.

"Are you originally from Manehatten? If not, where did you live?"

"I'm from Canterlot actually," Twilight fibbed, "I've only been to Manehatten a few other times, but I've enjoyed it completely. My previous job was being a housekeeper for Princess Cadence, so she may recognize me."

"Hmm," the unicorn nodded along, "That's pretty impressive. And that takes care of questions three and five. Okay, now for the fourth and final question."

"I'm listening," Twilight murmured softly.

"Are you of the unicorn alliance?"

The what? Twilight glanced over at Sweetie Belle timidly. Sweetie Belle slowly shook her head. The unicorn's smile didn't fade, but her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. Twilight turned back around.

"Sorry, that's my cousin. I'm trying to tell her to stay over by the corner. She loves wondering off sometimes."

"Uh-huh," the unicorn replied, "Well, I still require an answer for the question."

"Oh, no I'm not part of the unicorn alliance. I am strictly neutral in this war."

"That's good to hear," the unicorn checked something off on the clipboard.

"Congratulations, Blue Harmony," the unicorn held out her hoof for Twilight to shake, "You've got the job. You can report here tomorrow to get your uniform and pass. I'm Raven, by the way. I'm always over here, so drop by if you have any questions or need any help."

"Thank you," Twilight laughed, "I'll be here at eight, is that fine?"

"That's perfect," Raven answered.

"Well, I'll be off then," Twilight waved a small goodbye, "Have a nice day."

"You too, Blue Harmony," Raven said as her telephone began to ring.

Sweetie Belle jumped up and down in excitement. She squealed with delight as they left the palace. Twilight looked back to the large building. From one of the windows a shadow that had stood there for some time moved away suddenly. Twilight's eyes narrowed at it. She had sworn she had seen a flash of pink from that shadowy figure. But she shrugged it off and went on her way with Sweetie Belle.