Chapters Darkness cascaded over the remains of the once peaceful Ponyville. It was empty; a desolate wasteland now littered with the ruins of houses. Smoke drifted up slowly into the night sky. It was hard to believe that only three months had passed since the pony uprising, followed by the war that was still underway. Everypony who had wanted to live evacuated when the pegasi invaded. The rest fought for their homeland in a mighty battle that lasted throughout the night. In the end, everypony just destroyed Ponyville, leaving it the barren, smoking land it was now. No pony lived there anymore. Or so some thought.
A figure darted through the darkness and steam. It quickly cut its way past tight corners and zigzagged through piles of charcoal and debris until it came to an abrupt stop in front of a once majestic tree. The tree was now blackened and brittle, only a mere shadow of what it used to be. Inside the tree was a maze of fallen bookshelves, broken glass, and puddles. But the lone figure didn’t hesitate before proceeding in.
The place reeked of mildew and rotted wood. Through the darkness the figure expertly navigated their way through the wreck and up the teetering staircase. The windows in the room were all boarded up in the hopes that no pony would be able to spy or look into the room. The figure closed the battered door and turned on the light.
Twilight Sparkle winced as the warm light struck her. Twilight’s appearance had changed drastically during the war. She had a long, pink scratch running down from her right ear to the middle of her right cheek. It looked as though someone had scratched her with a thin, red marker. She had a purple and black bruised eye that made her appear threatening. Her hair was cut short for all of the proper reasons. She sported a tight, black jumpsuit at all times and her violet eyes were now stone cold.
Twilight’s room was bare except for the small cauldron to her left and the large bookshelf located against the wall, but only a few scattered books remained. Her light source was only a meager lantern on the ground. Twilight trotted over to the small caldron near the bookshelf. She had made herself some soup before she left, but it was now cold. Twilight let out a small sigh as she relit the fire with her horn, ignoring her stomach’s pleas for food. So far the only things Twilight was able to salvage from the wastelands surrounding her were a few planks of wood, a few unharmed carrots, but most importantly a map to the city of Manehatten.
Twilight had been planning on going to Cloudsdale at first, but since the pegasi didn’t know that she was still alive, it would be far too risky. Manehatten, however, was supposed to be unicorn territory. But just in case that was a rumor spread about to make for a trap, Twilight had a stash of homemade throwing knives from Zecora.
The smell of soup aroused Twilight from her thoughts. Within minutes Twilight’s stomach was finally at peace as she slowly ate her soup, thinking about her plan carefully. To get to Manehatten by hoof would take almost all day. It wouldn’t be a problem if the trail weren’t practically in the wilderness. The wilderness that was full of beasts longing for the taste of pony flesh between their teeth, and spies pouncing at the smallest indication of movement, armed to the ready.
If it was a trap going into Manehatten Twilight would be imprisioned like so many of the other unicorns, but for different reasons. However, if it really were true that the unicorns had seized control of Manehatten, then perhaps she could find Rarity there…
Twilight didn’t sleep at all. Her mind swarmed of a million possibilities and options she could face. But they all led to only one choice. Night soon turned to early morning. Twilight quickly got to her hooves and got ahold of the map she had scavenged. She had marked out the trail she would be taking in red ink. The trip would be longer than the average route, but it would be by far the safest. And by any means would be well worth it if it meant reuniting with her friends again.
As soon as the sun was becoming visible through the charred treeline, Twilight made her way out of the giant tree. A dirty, but otherwise useful cart stood at the foot of the tree in the shade. It took less than two minutes for Twilight to load the cart with enough food, water, and supplies. Without hesitation after she was finished, Twilight hooked herself up to the reins and began to set off with the map levitated in front of her.
The road out of Ponyville, if you could still call it that, was cluttered with broken debris and shards of glass. Twilight managed to make it out of Ponyville nonetheless. She spent the rest of the walk out of the vicinity of Ponyville in a cautious stupor, wincing at every dead leaf her hooves stepped on. Luckily the trail she had picked out wasn’t near Cloudsdale, so there weren’t any signs of pegasi on patrol in the skies overhead.
The trail had many twists and turns, but wasn’t as long as Twilight had been anticipating. In fact, she had only really been able to set up camp once. Manehatten seemed to be closer than ever. The night slowly crept in and Twilight decided against her instincts to set up camp again. Instead she continued her way on hoof, ignoring the low growls emitting from the depths of the forest. Twilight’s eyes ached as she sped up, the moon shinning down on her.
It looked so big from where she was. Twilight couldn’t help but imagine what Princess Luna felt when she was trapped in that great and vast place all on her own for a thousand years. It would’ve driven anyone to the breaking point. It almost made sense, what Luna did next when she finally was able to come back.
Twinkling lights in the distance drove Twilight out of her deep dwellings and into the present. She recognized that skyline from anywhere. Manehatten came into view with the sun rising above it slowly, initiating a new day. Twilight’s eyes narrowed, finding any sign of a trap. But to her relief it looked as it did before the war. And then she saw it. A ray of sunlight hit Manehatten and Twilight saw the slightest shade of pink indicating a force field. Twilight’s heart soared at the sight of this. If a force field had been put up, that meant that unicorns really were living in Manehatten. And that meant Rarity could very well be there…
• • •
Twilight slowly approached the entrance to Manehatten. A giant, steel gate stood menacingly in front of her, locked by a single, large padlock. Two stallion unicorns dressed head to hoof in silver and red body armor guarded this entrance. Twilight soon decided that it was safe and revealed herself to them. The two unicorns were taken aback at Twilight’s horrid appearance, but quickly regained their tough demeanor.
“Halt, who goes there?” the unicorn on the right called out to Twilight with his eyes narrowed.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
The other unicorn’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and apprehension, “You are Twilight Sparkle? But…she’s dead, right?”
Twilight came to a stop in front of the two. The cart squealed at the sudden stop. The unicorn on the right’s brow furrowed as his eyes trailed along Twilight’s scar, resting at the hem of her jumpsuit.
“It’s her,” he said after a long pause, “I’ve seen her before. Let her in.”
“But we’re not supposed to let anyone through-
“I said let her in,” the unicorn stomped his hoof defiantly.
“Alright…” the other guard replied uncertainly.
He gave a nod to somepony from the inside of the force field. The padlock opened itself and the gate creaked open, allowing Twilight to pass through.
“Hey lady,” Flam called out a random unicorn passing by, “How would you like to be a part of a breakthrough?”
“A modern day miracle?” Flim chimed along, “How would you like to try out a new hidecare product by us, the Flim Flam brothers? We present to you the extraordinary Flim and Flam Hidecream. Non oily! Non-greasy! All natural!”
"And it smells just like apples!" his brother crooned.
“You morons,” an old unicorn hollered, “There’s an actual revolution taking place! It’s called a war! What makes you think that everypony needs to worry about hidecare at a time like this?”
The twins both deflated at the unicorn’s harsh words. Twilight quietly made her way toward the two. Their faces contorted in both confusion and awe as they saw her face.
“Twilight Sparkle?” Flam chuckled as Twilight nodded, “My goodness. I heard that you were dead. Miracles all over, I say.”
“Would you care to endorse our hidecreme product?” Flim asked, holding up the small jar with his hooves.
Twilight swatted the jar away with a single jerk of her hoof. It soared through the air before clattering to the ground a few feet away from them. Twilight gave them a mean smile.
“What are you guys up to?” She tilted her head, “Taking advantage of everypony again? That seems just like your standards.”
Flim winced, “Are you still upset about the Applejack incident? In our defense, they were the ones who challenged us for their barn back.”
“NO,” Twilight growled, “You know perfectly why I’m angry. You two sold out Applejack to the pegasi, all for money.”
“We had no choice,” Flam bit back, “The resistance threatened to shut down our business and keep it shut down. They threatened our lives.”
Twilight’s eye twitched in fury, but she relaxed. She took deep breaths slowly.
Twilight sighed, “Look, I’ll just get to the catch. Is Rarity here?”
“Rarity,” Flam repeated as if tasting the word, “She’s the one with the purple mane and diamond cutie mark, correct?”
“Yeah, have you seen her in Manehatten? It’s a yes or no question.”
“Actually,” Flam chirped from behind his brother, “We may have seen her pass by here a day or two ago, but…our memory is a bit fuzzy.”
“Here,” Twilight threw Flam a coin sack, “Maybe twenty bits will refresh it for you.”
Flam smiled as he smoothed out his mustache, “You see all these uniforms the stallions are wearing?”
Twilight looked around. Indeed the stallions were wearing blue and red armor that had been handmade. And then it clicked.
“Rarity made those?”
“Good,” Flim laughed, “I forget how clever you are.”
Flam nodded along, “She walks by everyday in the morning and walks home around…midnight. But we don’t know where she works.”
Twilight swore underneath her breath. She needed to find Rarity today. But where was she? Twilight spotted a few unicorn stallions trotting along in their uniforms. Twilight trotted over to them.
“Excuse me,” she called, “But can you tell me where you got those uniforms?”
One of the stallions looked her over suspiciously before replying, “These aren’t for sale.”
“Okay, but can you tell me where you got them…or at least who made them?”
“A unicorn,” another stallion said gruffly, “Her shop is located a few blocks down. It has a red awning over the door. It’s hard to miss.”
“Thank you,” Twilight smiled, “Thank you.”
And with that, Twilight ran down the block, looking for the red awning. Once it appeared Twilight sped toward it. The door to the shop was already wide open. Twilight slowly stepped through the threshold of the doorway. She could feel her heart speeding up in her chest when she caught sight of a white unicorn flourishing a needle and thread while dresses floated in the air, levitated by magic.
“Rarity,” Twilight’s voice seemed a million miles away. Rarity spun around at the sound of Twilight’s voice.
“Don’t come closer!” she snapped, “I…”
Twilight stepped closer into the light. Rarity’s mouth hung open at the sight of Twilight. Her eyes widened and a choked shriek escaped her mouth.
“T-T-Twilight?” she whispered, “Is that truly you?”
Twilight looked at Rarity for the first time in months. Rarity had changed just as Twilight had. Her old, wavy mane was now straightened and chopped short. Her violet eyes were clouded from too many sleepless nights. Twilight had never seen her friend without her makeup until today. The only thing that remained the same were Rarity's fake eyelashes. But even with them on she looked at least ten years older.
Twilight beamed, "Rarity, you look so different."
Rarity let out a squeal of laughter as she ran to hug her best friend, "Twilight it is you! I knew you were alive! I just knew it! Everypony said you died, but I never believed them!"
Twilight laughed as Rarity released her from her embrace. Rarity's eyes widened as they drifted up and down Twilight's body. She seemed to have finally seen Twilight's appearance.
"Oh my…" she took a step back, "Twilight, you look ghastly. What on Equestria made you like this?"
"It's a long story," Twilight took a seat by the door as Rarity went back to her workshop, "What are you working on?"
"Well, I was working on a new uniform for the guards. But now I'm working on you."
"There's no need for that, Rarity," Twilight frowned, "I feel fine."
"Twilight, Twilight, Twilight," Rarity tusked, "If you come back home with me you'll give everypony a fright. Especially your parents."
"My parents are living with you?"
Rarity reappeared with a glass bottle floating alongside her, "I'm living with my parents and them. Sweetie Belle was lucky to have found them so soon."
Rarity unscrewed the lid to the bottle and applied it to a soft, cotton ball as she continued, "It's been awful here, Twilight. Just…awful."
Twilight winced as the cotton ball was pressed to her cheek. Her scar stung and twitched uncontrollably, but Rarity didn't take the cotton ball off or lighten the pressure on it.
"So, you're in charge of outfitting the military now?" Twilight asked through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the pain.
Rarity's face became stony, "Everypony has a job to do here. Even Sweetie Belle has a job working as a housemaid for Fancypants, Earl Grey, Fleur de Lis, and other rich, elite unicorns out there. She works hard to the bone everyday. I've never seen her so tired."
Rarity took the cotton ball off of Twilight's cheek at last. With her horn, she levitated a large brush off from a table and began to comb Twilight's cropped mane.
"How did you guys even settle here?" Twilight asked between the tugs of her mane, "What did I miss?"
Rarity sighed as she put the brush down and returned to the workshop, "It's not a short story, Twilight. You remember the Pegasi bombing of Ponyville, of course. Well it all happened after the six of us were separated in the crowd. While you were somewhere around Sugarcube Corner, I was stranded around the border of Ponyville. From far away I could see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying out toward Cloudsdale. But then I bumped into somepony.
It was nobody other than Joe from Joe's doughnuts. He and a group of unicorns were evacuating. I thought Sweetie Belle had already evacuated with the other ponies, but there she was with Joe. I was furious with her! But then they informed me of what had happened."
"What happened?" Twilight asked slowly as Rarity trotted back to Twilight with a plain, red dress levitated out in front of her.
"They had been ambushed by pegasi while they were leaving Ponyville, so they panicked and hid. They saw the pegasi go to Ponyville, so they decided to go back for unicorns like me. They led me to the camp where the unicorns were staying. The moment we made it there, the unicorns informed all of the other unicorns in Manehatten about their plan to overrun the city and make it their own territory."
"Wait," Twilight interrupted as she took the dress from Rarity, "Why would they do that for?"
"That's exactly what I had asked them. They told me that since it was wartime, they would feel safer being with their own race of pony. And since a majority of Manehatten is made up of unicorns, they wanted that place to be their rightful land. They couldn't go to Canterlot because it was too close to Cloudsdale. The ponies let us in, thinking that we were just refugees. But little did they know, we were monsters. Every unicorn drove the ponies out during the night. It was horrid. I can still hear them screaming in my mind as they're a broken record.
In their minds, the pegasi had Cloudsdale, so they decided to make their own exclusive city. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to reason. They were scared and let their own cowardice get the best of them. As of now, unicorns are strictly neutral in this war. It's all thanks to Prince Blueblo- sorry, King Blueblood now. Some ruler he is. If you ask me, I think your brother and Princess Cadence should be the proper rulers here."
Twilight had tentatively changed into the red dress as Rarity went back to her work on the guards' uniforms. Her eyebrows shot up at their name however.
"Shining Armor and Cadence are here?"
Rarity was silent for the longest time. She had frozen in place with a piece of fabric floating idly over her head. Twilight felt a wave of dread rush over her for a second or two.
"Rarity…" her voice echoed through the silence, "Where are they? And don't say you don't know if they're here or not. Shining Armor must have been the pony who's put up this force field. But…why would he do this? He wasn't one of the unicorns that drove out the earth ponies, was he? He wouldn't let that happen. Rarity?"
Rarity's fabric floated down to the workshop table in front of her. There was another long pause between the two ponies until Rarity turned back to Twilight. Her eyes were spilling with tears as she looked at her best friend. Twilight stared back at Rarity, bracing herself for the worst.
Rarity wiped her eyes with a small handkerchief lightly as she sniffed, "He didn't have a choice."
"What?" Twilight could feel her heart stop mid-beat, "What are you saying, Rarity?"
"Okay, Blueblood wasn't supposed to be the leader. Shining Armor and Cadence were. Sweetie Belle overheard everything while working as a maid for Filthy Rich."
"Filthy Rich?" Twilight frowned, "But he's an earth pony, not a unicorn."
"He and a few other rich ponies bought their way in. They have the rich ponies and unicorns staying in the same 'palace' as the royals. So Sweetie Belle was dusting a bookshelf when she heard Prince Blueblood talking with somepony. They were coming closer. Since Sweetie was a maid, they didn't pay her any attention.
Well, the prince was talking about how he truly deserved the throne, not some married-in royalty. The other pony pointed out that without your brother we would be sitting ducks. He also said that it'd be safer to be a sitting duck with a force field. Prince Blueblood then told the pony that 'if he made this work he would not regret it'. Two days later, Blueblood was in power. I'm almost certain that your brother was not only blackmailed, but also kidnapped. No one has seen him since Blueblood took control."
Twilight felt a light, uneasy feeling go through her. She fell back onto the seat, suddenly very tired, "Where's Cadence?"
Rarity let out a small sob, "S-She's with Blueblood. There's going to be a wedding and everything. I-I just don't know what's going on!"
"WHAT?" Twilight's eyes widened in horror, "But Cadence is married to Shining Armor! How is this happening? What's going on?"
Rarity began to compose herself, "Twilight, you have to go to my house. Have Sweetie Belle find you a job working at the palace. You have to get to the bottom of this. Please. You must!"
• • •
Twilight looked around the small street. Lined up in front of her were three to four storied houses. Twilight looked back at the directions Rarity had written down for her. The house on the corner of the street was supposed to be where she lived. Twilight trotted to the front step cautiously, humming to herself before ringing the doorbell. There was a long period of time before anypony answered the door.
Twilight was about to ring the doorbell again when a small creak caught her attention. The door had opened a crack and a set of blue eyes were now looking up at her intently. Twilight peered into the open crack, but could only see the shadow of another figure standing nearby the door.
"Uh, hello? I was sent here by Rarity."
"Twilight?" a familiar voice spoke from the crack of the door.
The door opened fully and Twilight could see who had been looking at her with those intent, blue eyes. Pearl beamed up at Twilight from the doorway. Rarity's mother hadn't changed at all except for the small grey streak running down the front of her mane. Her eyes scanned Twilight slowly.
"It really is you," she shrieked loudly with a smile, "Come in! Come in!"
Twilight rushed into the house before anyone could see what all of that screaming had been about. The door closed behind her with a whoosh.
"Oh come to the dining room quickly," Pearl said, already going up the stairs, "Everyone's eating. They will be so glad to see you."
Twilight followed behind her. The house was actually very well maintained for its age. The wall smelled of drying, white paint and the wooden floor had been freshly polished. Voices could be heard from the next room. Twilight's stomach churned at the thought of seeing more familiar faces. The doorway came into view, as did the ponies eating together.
"Everyone, look! Twilight's here!" A filly's voice rang out.
Gasps and cries of delight rose around the room as Twilight stepped forward. Sweetie Belle was the first one to greet her. Twilight's eyes widened slightly at her appearance. Sweetie Belle had grown in height since Twilight had last seen her. Her mane was longer, straight, but dull. She looked older, just as Rarity had said. But, as Twilight snuck a glance, she could tell that Sweetie Belle had still not yet received her cutie mark. It relieved Twilight for some reason. Perhaps it was because it was the only thing that hadn't changed during the war.
"Everypony said that you were dead," Sweetie Belle buried her face into Twilight's mane, "I didn't believe them And now you're here."
The second pony to hug Twilight was her father. He had grey hairs sprouting around his usually black mane. Twilight's father gave her a proud smile that made Twilight tear up. She embraced her dad lovingly. As they broke apart, Twilight looked around the dining room. Rarity's father was sitting in the seat closest her with a happy, yet dazed look on his face. But Twilight looked around desperately for that one other face missing amongst everypony.
"Where's-
"She's in her room," Pearl said with a sad, far off look in her eyes, "She found out about Cadence and Blueblood a few days ago. She's...just hasn't been the same."
"Where's her room?"
With a small sigh, Pearl led Twilight out of the dining room and up the small flight of stairs. Their hooves creaked upon the cold floorboards. The upstairs hallway was dimly lit, but like the hallway downstairs, smelled of fresh paint, and had a newly polished floor. Pearl continued past two closed doors and finally came to a stop by the third closed door. She knocked softly. No answer.
"Velvet? Darling? There's someone special here to see you."
Still no answer. Twilight's heart sped up when the door opened. But it came to a slow stop when she realized it was Pearl opening the door. She entered the bedroom slowly with Twilight following closely behind.
The bedroom was small with only enough space for the double bed, nightstand, and small bookshelf in it. Twilight almost didn't see her mother. She was standing by the windowsill, looking out into the street below. Her light purple and white hair was slightly messy from the back instead of being sleek and straight like before. Twilight took a small step forward, gulping.
"Mom?" Twilight's voice rang aloud in the empty space between them.
Twilight Velvet's ears didn't even perk up at the sound of her daughter's voice. She stayed as still as a statue. Pearl gave a small sniff as she sat down on the bed.
"I'm sorry Twilight," she spoke in a rigid voice, "She's been like this since she saw the newspaper article about Cadence and Blueblood's upcoming wedding. It was a huge shock for all of us. We think after seeing the article, she thought her suspicions about her son being dead or held hostage were true."
Twilight could barely here her voice. She walked up to her mother slowly until she was right next to her. Twilight Velvet blinked. There was a dead silence. Twilight didn't notice that Pearl had left nor did she care. She leaned her head against her mom's neck and sighed as she looked out the window. Unicorns strolled up and down the sidewalk, but they decreased in numbers as the day turned to dusk. In the distance a large blue brick building stood out. Flags flapped from its small tower. Twilight coud only assume that this was the palace Rarity had described to her.
Twilight's dull sadness soon turned into a burning anger rising from the pit of her stomach all the way to her head. Her nostrils flared at the thought of Cadence trapped with Blueblood against her will. Twilight vowed then and there that no matter what she would find a way to find Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. But first she was going to find Blueblood and make him pay for what he had done if it was the last thing she did.
"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.
Twilight trudged through the snow-covered sidewalk wearily. It had been snowing for the past two days since she and Sweetie Belle had gotten back from the Blue Palace. It had began to snow lightly by the time they were back home. Rumors were circulating around Manehatten that the pegasi had heard about the city being unicorn territory and were now trying to force everyone out with a constant blizzard. But Twilight could see the swirling clouds from above the force field and knew that no pegasi were causing this weather. It was hatred. Everypony had seen the Hearth's Warming Eve play and knew the legend of windigos. Twilight could only hope that this was the only place effected by the weather.
Twilight soon found herself trotting up familiar blue marble steps. Two royal guards were rooted in front of the entrance to the palace. Their eyes drifted over to Twilight, gleaming with an unspoken malice. The two guards blocked her way into the palace with no warning, causing Twilight to bump into them both.
"Employees only," they both said in unison.
"Oh," Twilight said as she showed them the employment card she kept around her neck, "I actually am an employee here. I'm a maid for Filthy Rich."
The guards eyed her down before examining her I.D. It was a full minute before they went back to their positions, getting out of Twilight's way.
"You may pass, Blue Harmony," the guard on the right replied.
But Twilight didn't go just yet. She gave the pair an inquisitive stare, "Just out of curiosity, why are you guys checking for employment cards here? Shouldn't you be inside the palace?"
"There's another pair of guards inside. The palace is on high security for the time being."
"What for?"
"Two unicorns from the business district came forward claiming to have seen a certain unicorn come in to Manehatten. King Blueblood ordered double security on this building. The rest is confidential."
"But why? I thought this place was meant for unicorns. What unicorn is an enemy here?" Twilight pressed on, already knowing that she was pushing her luck.
"I said it was confidential. Now, I suggest that you be on your way, miss."
Twilight hesitated before crossing the threshold of the door. Of course Flim and Flam had come forth with her identity. Twilight cursed herself for even coming within one hundred feet of them without some sort of disguise. How could she have been so foolish? Reckless even? Twilight continued up the staircase where she was asked for an I.D five times with every staircase she escalated. It was a relief that Rarity had suggested changing Twilight's appearance or else she would've been arrested the moment she stepped outside.
With the amount of guards positioned at the end of every staircase, it took Twilight five minutes longer to get to the penthouse of Filthy Rich. When she finally got to the door, she found it open. A lone pony was leaning against the mahogany frame with a cold sneer on her face. Diamond Tiara was still the small, snobby filly from before. She glared at Twilight as she stepped aside to let her through.
"You're late," she sighed, "You're lucky I'm not the boss of you or else you would've been fired."
Twilight scornfully stepped inside, willing herself not to hit Diamond Tiara right aside the head. How did Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo deal with her? Twilight uttered a small apology before going into the closet to get out her cleaning materials.
Diamond Tiara skulked off to the living room, muttering to herself, "Daddy never understands what a good maid is anymore."
Twilight scowled as she took out a bucket and mop from the closet. She had been planning to sneak over to where Prince Blueblood's housing was located yesterday, but Filthy Rich's little sweetheart had spent the whole day camped out on the living room sofa, buzzing with anger like a hornet trapped in a bottle.
"There's nothing to do here," Diamond Tiara groaned from her place on the sofa.
A few magazines were littered on the coffee table in front of her, but they had been read even before the war began. Diamond Tiara tapped her hoof impatiently as Twilight went past her with the bucket and mop. Twilight began to scrub at the stone floor of the living room, watching Diamond Tiara from the corner of her eyes. She stopped tapping her hoof and instead focused on Twilight's chore.
"You better really scrub that floor, because last time I saw a few dust particles."
"I'll get them," Twilight tried to mask the annoyance in her voice, "Don't worry about it."
Diamond gave Twilight a death glare that would melt the sun, "Excuse me? I know you're new to this job, but in case you don't already know, it's my job to worry about what you do. I'm the only one who actually spends time in this place. You're not the only maid who's had this job before. I had the last two maids fired, you know. So, I don't know, maybe I would worry if I were you. It's just a thought."
"If you're cooped up and alone, why don't you go...to the garden?" Twilight bluffed. She knew that there probably was no garden, but did Diamond Tiara know that?
Judging by the curious tone of her voice, Twilight thought not. Diamond cocked her head slightly as she spoke, "What garden?"
"I'm not sure where it is exactly...in fact no one does."
"And why's that? Because it doesn't exist?" Diamond Tiara snorted.
"No, because it's hidden. It's rumored that the only person who knows about it is the architect who made this building. Some say that it's on one of the balconies. Others say that it's down in the basement. But most say that it's somewhere...around this floor."
Twilight got back to mopping the floor. She could practically hear Diamond Tiara's newfound desire of this imaginary garden from where she was. Diamond slowly rose out of her sofa, her hooves clicking on the wet floor. To Twilight's delight, she was heading for the door.
"Well, I suppose I could fire a shot at finding this so called garden. I have nothing better to do after all. Much better than watching you work anyway. I'll be back though, so don't let me catch you slacking off."
With a short slam of the door, she was gone. At once, Twilight stopped mopping and immediately went out the same door. Diamond Tiara was already down one of the long hallways, so Twilight took to the stairs. She only had two floors to go before she came to the Royal Housing. The guards at the first staircase barely checked her I.D, whereas the ones guarding the very last floor not only scanned her employment card for an additional two minutes straight, but also searched her body for any concealed weapons. They finally let her go after double-checking her I.D.
The seventh floor was beautiful to the eyes. The floors were made of a white, sparkling marble while the walls were different shades of blue in each room. If Twilight had been her normal self with no mission, she would have happily plopped down at one of the white, plush armchairs with one of the thousands of books living in the rich, wooden bookshelves. But she did have a mission. And she would not be distracted.
The sound of incoming hoofsteps drew her attention as they neared closer. She quickly ducked to the side of one of the many bookshelves and pretended to dust. Two unicorns walked past her, making no signs of even noticing her presence. They talked in hushed voices as they continued to walk. Twilight could only make it a few snippets of their conversation.
"I do say…what has gotten ahold of that Prince? Is it just me or has he…seemingly funny." The light-orange unicorn to the left spoke hurriedly.
The dark brown unicorn talked much slower than his aquaintance, but softer. Twilight could barely even hear the few words he muttered.
"I think…it…won't do it. I don't…if he…her."
Twilight's eyes trailed over to where they were walking. The two unicorns were walking along the long corridor, toward a room that looked as if it were a dining room or a lounge. Quietly, Twilight lurked behind them, wishing that she had at least brought with her a broom or mop. As she grew closer the conversation become clearer.
The orange unicorn whispered to the other one, "I hear that he doesn't even have the old prince locked up. The prince just left of her own accord."
"That's not even true at all. Why would Shining Armor leave his wife behind? It makes no sense, Reginald."
The forenamed unicorn shook his mane, "Many people do weird things in times of crisis. I think that the bloke may have run off to find the princesses."
"If he did…" The unicorn began to whisper in a voice so low, that even Twilight couldn't hear from a few feet away.
"Yes, well…" Reginald looked away suddenly, as if ashamed at what the other unicorn had said, "Let's just hope he didn't send him there too."
Twilight's face flushed as the two unicorns ducked into a nearby room. Twilight walked past the room and continued through the corridor. What had they mean when they said, 'Let's just hope that he didn't send him there too.' Where was Shining Armor? The corridor seemed to have no end to it, for it stretched out all the way until it came to a stop in front of a ballroom.
More hoofsteps could be heard coming her way, only they sounded heavier. Twilight went into the ballroom cautiously before ducking behind a tall, blue curtain. The hoofsteps went on past the door of the ballroom, and came to a stop only a few feet from where she was hiding.
Twilight held her breath as someone began to talk with a Canterlot accent. It was a stallion's voice, no doubt, for it was a deep, yet whiny voice. And it was talking to someone else, who Twilight hadn't heard come in.
"The plans have been set. Everything's in order now," the stallion spoke up.
The unknown pony next to him paused before answering in a hushed whisper, "Good. It took me days to find the perfect hiding spot for him. But now people are beginning to get suspicious, Blueblood."
Blueblood? Twilight peeked an eye out from the curtain. There he was in full view. His blue mane was freshly combed and his hooves polished. Although Twilight could see him, she couldn't see the person he was talking to. The curtain was in the way, and if she peeked out any more, she would be seen. The mysterious person began to whisper.
"You see, they think that he's up in the moon. But now they're beginning to think for a change. They think to themselves everyday, 'if our prince is on the moon, then why is there a force field still?' It's gotten impossible to lie to these buffoons. If you don't think of something soon, I'll replace you. Do you hear me?"
"Y-Yes," Blueblood stammered.
"Goood," The voice purred, "You know very well that I can do a mean impression of him after all. So don't go thinking that you're superior to all just yet, because you still have to go through me in order for that to work."
Twilight noticed that the unknown person was walking away from Blueblood, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Blueblood let out a small sigh. Twilight still felt no pity or sympathy for him whatsoever. She was so angry with this one stuck-up, spoiled, rotten stallion, that she failed to notice that the duster she had stuck in her right pocket, was steadily falling out. And then it all happened so fast.
The duster fell right at her feet, clattering to the ground. Prince Blueblood swiveled around to face the duster, and also noticed blue hooves. His eyes narrowed in fury as he took three short strides to throw the curtain away from Twilight. Twilight glared back at Blueblood. His nostrils flared.
"What do you think you're doing, maid?" Blueblood spat at her.
Twilight snorted back, "I was dusting behind the curtains."
Blueblood took a step back, "Who gave you permission to come in here? This is my royal ballroom and no one else's! No one's!"
"My, my your highness," Twilight picked up the duster with her mouth and put it back inside her pocket, "You have quite the temper to you."
"How dare you talk to the King like that? I will have you thrown in prison just for that slander."
"Good, and make it the one that belongs to...my brother," Twilight snapped.
Blueblood's eyebrows shot up to his forehead as Twilight suddenly slammed shut every single door, the sound of their locks synchronized. Blueblood let out a soft shriek as Twilight drew closer.
"Twilight Sparkle, I knew you'd find me. Prepare to taste...my vengeance!" Blueblood cried aloud before throwing a cupful of water at her.
Twilight watched as the gold glass fell down with an echoing bang. She looked down at herself. The only harm the water had done was cause her paint to start dripping off her body and onto the ballroom floor, creating a bright blue puddle.
Twilight stepped over it, moving closer to Blueblood. He shook his mane out defiantly at her.
"Go ahead, threaten me if you must. What do you want from me? It's not as though your wishes will be granted at all."
Twilight cackled, "That's where you're wrong Blueblood. You see, I went out of my way to conceal weapons where no pony would've thought to look."
With those words Twilight pressed a small notch on her duster, causing a sharp, jagged knife to pop out from its handle. Blueblood stumbled over his own hooves, as she grew closer.
"All I want is my brother back on his rightful throne, and you gone. I can kill you if I have to, you know. But I won't. Instead, I'll do this."
There was a swipe at the air that caused Blueblood to scream. He clutched his cheek in pain. A thin, red line was scratched upon his pure white coat. Drops of blood ran down his face. He looked at it in horror.
"My face! My royal face!"
"Now tell me where my brother is, or I'll cut the other one. And I'll make sure it scars," Twilight roared.
Blueblood slumped down to the ground in defeat. He kicked a certain spot on the ground three solid times. There was a low rumbling sound from below them. An opening began to appear from a few feet away, growing in size until the rumbling stopped completely. Twilight inched her way toward the opening in case it was a trap. But Blueblood walked ahead of her and went in through the opening. Twilight ran after him to make sure he didn't leave her sight.
She was mildly surprised to see that the opening was a staircase. It was a very long one however. It took them a full minute to come to an iron steel door. Blueblood's horn sparked up and the door magically opened itself. Twilight peered inside.
It was a large room, about the size of her old library back in Canterlot. The walls were a soft colored yellow and the carpet was soft and fluffy. In the corner a single bed stood by itself upon a row of bookshelves. A dark blue colored mane peeked out from a white armchair closest to them. A second passed before Shining Armor noticed them, his wide, blue eyes staring at Twilight disbelievingly.
"Twilie?" Shining Armor choked out, "Is that you?"
Twilight caught a glimpse of herself in a nearby mirror. The paint had dripped all the way down to her hooves, so she looked as if she spilled blue watercolor all over herself. Prince Blueblood let out a disgruntled sigh as Shining Armor ran past him to nuzzle his little sister. They were interrupted by a wail.
"I never get what I want! I never!" Blueblood was now throwing a tantrum, kicking his hooves into the ground wildly, "I just wanted the throne. I never wanted to kidnap anyone. I didn't even want to marry anyone. They didn't give me a choice!"
Twilight stared emotionlessly at the sobbing prince, "Who didn't give you a choice, Blueblood?"
Blueblood just simply shook her head and continued to stomp and kick at the ground like a toddler who was refused candy. Shining Armor raised up his horn at Blueblood, "Start explaining Blueblood."
Blueblood suddenly began to straighten up, "I-I-I was approached by someone a few weeks ago. They said they would be able to give me the throne. All I wanted was the throne, but in order to do that, they made me kidnap you, threaten to kill your wife and marry her, just to keep you quiet and obedient. I didn't want to do it!"
"Who did this Blueblood? Who?" Twilight repeated slowly, leaning in closer.
There was a vast silence that ensued. Shining Armor's horn sparked a purple color and quickly changed to a light pink as they waited for an answer. But it still didn't come right away. Prince Blueblood gave a small shudder as he shook his head. After another second passed, he motioned for Twilight to come closer. She leaned in even closer so that she was only a few inches away.
He cupped a hoof to Twilight's ear tentatively, hesitating for a split second. And then he whispered something into Twilight's ear.
Rainbow Dash's day had gone horribly wrong. First: she and Fluttershy were on the evil side. Second: Her job was to scout out ponies. And Third: Her wing was broken...again.
If anything, being a spy was a lot of work. You couldn't forget that you were a spy or else you could be caught. You always had to be careful, you couldn't make any tiny mistake or slip up or else you would be labeled a traitor and thrown into the same jails they put every enemy in. It was nothing like in the Daring Do books.
Rainbow Dash was lucky enough to have a home to stay in while some pegasi lived at the rainbow factory due to the lack of homes to go around. Fluttershy was even luckier to have a job that was peaceful and didn't deal with the nitty-gritty casualties of war that so many others had to deal with daily. She was able to be the librarian of the Cloudsdale Library. It suited her, although it dealt more with other ponies than it did with the books themselves, but Fluttershy still managed it nonetheless. Rainbow Dash meanwhile was stranded on the small sofa they had in their living room.
Rainbow Dash glared at Angel from across the room, "You're lucky my wing's broken you little puffball."
Angel, like Rainbow Dash, was stuck indoors because if he stepped an inch outside he would go plummeting down. So, due to that situation, he was extra grouchy, extra mean, and extra bossy. He had been sticking out his tongue at Rainbow Dash, waving a fluffy fist at her in the process. Rainbow Dash growled menacingly, but Angel rolled his eyes at her.
A knock on the door finally sent him scurrying away. Rainbow Dash winced as she was forced to get up from the sofa. She limped as she answered the door. Fluttershy had only been gone for three hours, so Rainbow Dash knew it wasn't her. As she opened the door, her spirits dropped instantly once she saw who it was.
"Hey Rainbow Dash," Derpy Hooves sing-songed "Watcha' up to?"
Rainbow Dash made a mental face hoof. Derpy was a great pony, but she was always so clumsy. She had no job because no pony ever wanted to hire her. So as a result, she spent most of her time checking up on Rainbow Dash, inviting herself in, and then accidentally breaking a piece of furniture. The last time she was there she had accidentally set fire to Rainbow Dash's new Daring Do book. Honestly, you could see why Rainbow Dash's enthusiasm for Derpy's visit would be at an all time low.
"Not much Derpy," Rainbow Dash sighed, "Not much…"
"Is it alright if I could come inside?"
"Actually," Rainbow Dash fibbed, "I was just going to...the, uh, library."
"Me too," Derpy's clueless smile brightened, "Hey! We could walk together."
Rainbow Dash swore under her breath. Why didn't Derpy ever learn to take a hint?
A few minutes, and surprisingly, several broken lampposts later, they arrived at the library. Rainbow Dash waited as Derpy opened the door for her, but Derpy opened it too quickly and ended up hitting Rainbow Dash's face with the door.
"Sorry Rainbow," Derpy frowned as Rainbow Dash rubbed her aching nose gingerly.
"It's fine Derpy," Rainbow snapped as she quickly stepped into the library.
Fluttershy looked up from the checkout counter expectantly. She looked surprised and mildly confused to see Rainbow Dash come in. She looked slightly terrified when she spotted Derpy.
"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy spoke softly, "What are you doing here?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "To read. I guess…"
Rainbow felt guilty about tagging Derpy along with her. Fluttershy was too nice to ask Derpy to leave. Derpy stopped right by the door, her smile vanishing slightly.
"Derpy? What's the matter?" Fluttershy asked.
Derpy shook her head slowly, "I'm not allowed inside, or at least past the front desk. Flitter told me so, but she was really nice about it."
Fluttershy's eyes trailed over to the head librarian's office, "She did? That doesn't seem fair at all, but...maybe it's for the best…at least, that's what I think."
Derpy smiled again, "Yeah, well, life's not fair, is it?"
Rainbow Dash looked up in surprise. Derpy had never said something so straightforward before.
"Oh," Fluttershy replied slowly, her eyebrows arched in surprise as well, "Well, what book do you want, Derpy?"
Derpy thought about it for a few moments, "Do you have any of the Horsey Potter books?"
"Oh, yes we do," Fluttershy nodded as she quickly pulled out the first book from the bookshelf behind her, "It's very popular these days. I highly recommend it."
Derpy smiled even more as Fluttershy checked out the book and gave it to her, "Thanks, Fluttershy."
The yellow Pegasus returned the smile, "Oh, it's no problem. The book is due back next week, but if you need more time to read it you can just always check it out again."
Derpy stepped out of the library after Fluttershy handed her the book, "Bye guys. Tell Flitter that I say hi!"
Suddenly the head librarian's office door swung open revealing a slender, lavender-colored, pony. Flitter looked around the library with an air of disdain. Rainbow Dash stared at Flitter. Flitter and Rainbow Dash had gone to flight school together back in their filly days. Her minty teal-colored mane hung limply around the back of her neck and her pink bow had been replaced with a sleek, black one. Unfortunately, she was one of the few pegasi who didn't take the war well. She refused to talk about it whenever the subject was brought up and often spent all of her time in her cooped up inside her office for hours on end, doing Celestia knows what. But of course nobody mentioned this anywhere near her. No pony ever went about asking everypony about the effects of the war. It just wasn't something you went around asking ponies these days.
"Did you call me, Fluttershy?" Flitter asked loudly.
Fluttershy dropped her head down quickly, "Oh, uh, no."
"Oh," Flitter looked confused for a second or two before finally responding, "I'm going home early today. Would you lock up, please?"
"Of course, Flitter," Fluttershy replied meekly.
Rainbow Dash glowered at Flitter as she passed by. As soon as Flitter left the library, Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh.
"Why is she such a jerk for?" Rainbow leaned against the front desk, "I mean, banning somepony from the library is as bad as it is. But then again, it is Derpy..."
Fluttershy shook her head defensively, "Oh, she doesn't mean to be so mean. She really doesn't, you know."
"Let me guess, it's the war that changed her, right?"
Fluttershy bowed her head down in embarrassment, "Yes, but everypony's story is different. And her's is so sad."
Rainbow snorted, "Why should I believe anything she says?"
"Well, you believed the Wonderbolts' story. Why should it be any different?" Fluttershy raised her head up.
Rainbow Dash felt a whoosh of anger go through her for a second. That was a low blow, but Fluttershy was right, if the Wonderbolts were all really hiding out in different places, helping with the earth ponies and unicorns, that would be great. But not all of them were. The only ones not amongst the Wonderbolts anymore were Spitfire, Soarin', and about four others. But why shouldn't she believe Flitter's story.
"You're right," Rainbow Dash said, her voice laced with guilt.
Fluttershy looked around the library quickly in case there were any eavesdroppers. Once the coast was clear she began to talk.
"Well, during the attack on Ponyville, she and Cloudchaser had the same idea as us and disguised themselves amongst the pegasi. Once they came to Cloudsdale they decided it would be safest to blend in with everypony. They were living with each other peacefully for the first ten days or so. They weren't happy, but felt safe. It wasn't until that Saturday morning. The pegasi took Cloudchaser away. Most of the neighbors around them said that the pagasi wanted Flitter, but Cloudchaser volunteered in her place instead.
"Cloudchaser is somewhere in the frontlines of battle and Flitter can't do anything but sit and wait for her to come back. And the sad thing is...when Cloudchaser does come back...she'll never be the same as before. You can only imagine how stressed out Flitter must feel."
Rainbow Dash was silent. She checked out a Daring Do book and quietly exited the library without another word.
Rainbow Dash's wing had begun to feel much better in the week to come. Rainbow Dash dreaded the day it was time to go back to scouting, however. Derpy hadn't shown up at their house since the library field trip. And for Derpy, that worried Rainbow Dash. But it wasn't as though she could do anything either way. A few agonizing days passed until her wing was finally healed completely.
As soon as Fluttershy removed the bandages, Rainbow's first mission was to report for duty at her job. But first she had to put on her uniform. It was the uniform she had grown to despise. Fluttershy opened the closet door for Rainbow before quickly sprinting to the kitchen (Angel was throwing things about in there). Rainbow Dash glared at the simple black and white armband. It was white with the solid black silhouette of a cloud in the center.
Once the armband was on, Rainbow Dash said a rushed goodbye to Fluttershy and left the house. The path to the scouting tower was short, but every minute it took to fly was an hour in Rainbow's mind. The wind ruffled her newly healed wing, making Rainbow Dash smile. It had been too long since she last flew. She spun in a graceful circle before finally getting herself back together.
The scouting tower came into view shortly. It was a dark, tall, and looming structure in the Cloudsdale skyline. The way it just stood there, gave everypony the chills. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before gliding down to the tower where her early morning shift would begin.
"Rainbow Dash," a deadly voice barked from across the tower perimeter.
Icy Rain quickly approached Rainbow in two strides. Icy Rain was the scout leader of Cloudsdale. She had once been an admirable, young Pegasus, but she became feared by all once the war broke out. Ponies had often just simply thought of her as your everyday, regular, nice Pegasus. But she proved everypony wrong when she voluntarily became involved in the pegasi air raids. They knew for a fact that they had misjudged her when she was in the frontline air raid on Ponyville.
Icy Rain glared at Rainbow Dash, a cruel smile painted upon her face, "You weren't here for a full month, Rainbow Dash," she spoke with stone-cold malice.
Rainbow Dash didn't even blink an eye when she replied, "I told you and showed you that my wing was broken due to the fact that you were running more than the maximum number of pegasi for each scouting mission, ma'am."
Icy Rain's lip trembled in anger, "Just get back to work," she finally spat out before sulking off to another pair of scouts.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she was given a pair of goggles. She snapped them on and took off in a brilliant flash of color. Her speed increased and her breath quickened. Rainbow Dash hadn't felt the rough ruffling of her wings or had heard the whooshing of that glorious wind in a month straight. It felt great to be back in the air where she belonged.
Rainbow Dash was supposed to be looking for Pony ecncampments or unicorn-made force fields on any cities, but any loyal pegasus never reported it in. Rainbow Dash would have rather broken both her wings than betray anypony who was on her side. Instead she would give the real location to Fluttershy, who was making a map for all of the pony encampments They were planning on sending it to Rarity, so that she could give it to Twilight if she ever saw her again.
As she soared, Dash's thoughts ventured to Flitter's story. Was it true that pegasi were randomly forcing civilian pegasi to be in the frontlines of air raids? Rainbow Dash couldn't even bear to think if that had happened to Fluttershy. How does a pegasus attack their own friends and be fine with it? How?
As Dash was absorbed in her thoughts and opinions, she almost didn't notice the small ball of fire hurtling towards her. She expertly dodged it with only moments to spare. What was that? Where did it come from? Rainbow Dash's eyes flickered downward to the ground below her. There were at least ten more balls heading their way from a nearby encampment. Rainbow let out a scream as she dodged each one, swinging wildly from side to side.
What did they think they were doing? And then Rainbow Dash became aware of the armband she had around her. Oh yeah, she was on the bad side. She winced as a comet streaked past her, missing her only by a few centimeters. Dash quickly began to think of her next plan of action. While momentarily distracted she caught a whiff of smoke oddly close to her. The scent was then followed with an excruciating pain in her front leg. Her armband was on fire!
Thinking fast, Dash bit the armband off and threw it down. The flames licked her face. She let out another scream. Her right cheek was pounding in time with her front leg. A few bullets of fire singed her tail as she sailed off without looking back. This would be slightly hard to explain to Icy Rain.
As soon as Rainbow Dash landed safely inside the tower, Icy's consistent glare was turned to her, throwing daggers in her direction. A medic was bandaging rainbow's front leg as Icy Rain growled curses and insults to her face.
"Why are you back after only twenty minutes. Your shift runs for another four hours, Dash. You may as well kiss your paycheck goodbye for this if you don't hurry and go back to action! I am warning you, Rainbow Dash! What happened out there that made you come back here like a frightened little school filly? Huh?"
"Fireballs," Dash grimaced as the medic pulled at her bandages tightly, "They shot at me. They...ouch, pummeled me with, eh, flaming rocks and you want me to go back?!"
"Who shot fireballs at you?"
"Who do you think?" Rainbow Dash snapped.
Icy Rain was taken aback by this answer, but only for a second or two. Her glare returned and her teeth clenched, "Where are they located? I'll send a squad out there immediately."
"I think it was, ow, in the far west of Cloudsdale," Rainbow Dash lied, "But my sense of direction wasn't exactly at its best when my armband caught on fire!"
Icy Rain pursed her lips, "Those are twenty bits to replace."
"Yeah, but it was on fire," Dash groaned in pain, "It wasn't my fault that all of this stuff happened to me! What can I do about it?"
Icy relaxed suddenly, as if a pin had ruptured her swollen, angry blob of an aura. She smiled for a short while. It was enough to make Rainbow quiver slightly.
"I'm...impressed Rainbow Dash," Icy chuckled calmly.
"Why?" Dash's brow furrowed in confusion. She couldn't help but sense danger creeping up behind Icy's compliment.
"You are just a…well, you're prone to danger, aren't you? You cut your leg on the first day of work almost by magic, you broke your wing about a week or two after that, and now you have second-degree burns on your front legs and face. But...that's not why I'm impressed with you."
"Then what is?"
"The fact that you are the first pegasus here to be...fired," she purred.
"What?" Rainbow Dash roared in anger, causing her face to swell up slightly more, "What do you mean fired? You can't do that, I'm a volunteer!"
"Oh, but I can," Icy Rain laughed, "Because you see, as the leader I can pick and choose who gets to be on the team and who doesn't. You are unfit to be a scouting pony."
"Hey, breaking my wing was your fault. Maybe I should, I don't know, report you for it," Rainbow Dash replied coyly.
"You blackmailing me, Dash?"
"No, I'm just doing something I should've done before," Rainbow Dash said, honestly.
"Well, go ahead. Because after today, not even a scouting pony will believe your story, why should they? After all, you did do your job so poorly that you were fired even though you were a volunteer."
"Why are you doing this Icy Rain? Huh? Why?"
"I'm doing this for everyone's sake."
"Well, not mine!" Dash raised her voice.
The few scouting ponies that were still on the tower gawked at Dash and Icy's heated argument, their mouths hung open. Never had they seen somepony stand up to Icy Rain before.
"Too bad," Icy Rain snarled, "Now leave, Dash."
"No! Not until you give me a good reason for why you're firing me in the first place. And don't tell me it's because of my flying, cause' I'm the best flyer here."
"Fine, if you really insist," Icy's smile vanished, "You are getting to be a danger, not only to us, but to yourself. You are a proper Ditzy Doo, and a liability if anything else. This shall be the last paycheck you get from me and I never want to see you here again, is that clear?"
Rainbow Dash shook off the medic, who had now put a cloth bandage on her right cheek, "FINE!"
Icy reluctantly thrusted the small sack of bits at Dash. She snatched it away rudely and took off.
Dash reached the house in a blink of an eye and slammed the door behind her. She threw the meager sack of coins to the corner of the sofa on her way to the bedroom. Fluttershy looked up abruptly from her place on the armchair.
"Rainbow Dash, aren't you supposed to be scouting? Are you l- oh, my," Fluttershy gaped at Rainbow's new wounds, "Are you all right?"
"NO!" Dash stomped her hoof, "I had dozens of fireballs thrown at me by ponies and Icy Rain has the nerve to fire me!"
"Why would she ever do that for?"
"You tell me! She said that I'm a danger to others and myself. All I know is that we're going to have a harder time paying the bills now," Rainbow Dash plopped down on her bed.
Fluttershy sighed as she slowly got up from the chair. Everypony knew that if you were fired from the military, your former boss would inform every low or high military boss in Cloudsdale. Dash would have to find a new job, and that was a hard thing to do. Most of the better, slightly higher-paying jobs were already full to capacity. Rainbow even considered blackmailing Icy Rain for her job back, but the price of blackmail was far too steep for even Rainbow to do.
Angel tapped his foot impatiently as Fluttershy sadly pushed a small bowl of leaves in front of him. Leaves and grass were the closest forms to a salad as Fluttershy could make at the moment. Rainbow Dash used to sneak down to the forest and pick some vegetables for Fluttershy, but after a public beating for somepony who had been caught stealing vegetables from the forest, Rainbow Dash couldn't do it anymore. The job was now Fluttershy's and even she couldn't venture far. She only stayed for a mere few seconds before rapidly taking off again before even touching the ground.
"What're we going to do about this?" Fluttershy said after a few moments of silence passed.
Rainbow Dash was just about to say, "I don't know," when a sudden and abrupt knock on the front door startled them both. Angel flew underneath Fluttershy's desk in a hurry. He had learned quickly to not make a habit showing his face around when a visitor appeared. Rainbow Dash got up from her bed and answered the door with Fluttershy following behind her.
Two Stallions stood side by side. Rainbow Dash looked them over suspiciously. One was lean and had a sandy brown coat. He had on an armband similar to Rainbow's old one, only it was black with a white cloud in the center and a slash going across the cloud. Wasn't that a bit bold to flaunt in public? Dash thought to herself. She glanced over at the other stallion. He had a white coat, was slightly more muscular, and just stood there like a statue.
"Are you Rainbow Dash," the sandy-colored stallion asked hastily.
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
"We have a small proposition to ask of you," he said with a grin.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at the strange pair. She already could feel Fluttershy backing off into the bedroom behind her.
She opened the door a bit wider, "Is that so?"
The two stallions sat on Rainbow Dash's sofa awkwardly. Rainbow Dash had insisted that they come inside at once to explain their proposition. The white stallion looked around the living room as they waited for Dash to reappear. She had gone into the kitchen shortly afterward, saying something about getting them some tea.
"Sandalwood," the white pegasus whispered, "Why hasn't she come back yet?"
Sandalwood being a rather patient pegasus just shrugged his shoulders, "It's only been about…"
"Ten minutes," the white pegasus hissed under his breath.
"She'll be back soon, Milky Way."
Milky Way sighed impatiently, brushing off some dust from his flank. His parents had been astronomy nerds and were the slightest bit disappointed in their son's cutie mark. It wasn't related to the moon, the stars, or astronomy. His cutie mark was just a shadowed cloud. At least it had something to do with the night sky, his parents had thought.
Milky Way's eyes hovered upon a bowed figure approaching them. She was a thin pegasus with flowing pink hair. She locked eyes with Milky Way for a split second before blushing heavily and running back to the kitchen.
"Who was that?" Sandalwood said with his head tilted curiously to the side, "Did you see what she was carrying?"
"I didn't even know she was carrying anything," Milky Way admitted. They were silent for another while longer.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy quickly handed Rainbow Dash a large, blue bottle. Rainbow took it from her and poured for a few seconds into the two glasses of tea she had prepared. Fluttershy looked over her shoulder as Dash gave her back the blue bottle.
"Do you really have to do this Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy whimpered slightly, "It's not really neces-
"What are those two doing?" Rainbow interrupted.
"Well, they were both sitting down together, kind of stiffly, and weren't talking. It was quite awkward to watch really. I think they suspect something though."
Rainbow Dash frowned, "Suspect something? Do they suspect us of suspecting them of something? And aren't you suspecting them of suspecting us of suspecting them of-
"I get it Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy sighed as Rainbow Dash cackled.
Rainbow Dash set the two cups of tea on a tray and handed it to Fluttershy. Fluttershy turned the slightest shade of pink as she went back into the living room. Milky Way eyed the cups of tea that Fluttershy silently laid out for them. Sandalwood took one of the cups in his hooves and began to sip at it politely. He motioned for Milky Way to do the same.
Milky Way begrudgingly took a cup and sipped at it, watching the quiet pegasus scurry away. Suddenly the pegasus named Rainbow Dash stepped in front them. She had on a sly smile as they continued to sip their tea. Milky Way put his down at once while Sandalwood finished the whole cup before doing the same.
Sandalwood smiled back at Rainbow Dash, "I loved the tea."
"Thanks," Rainbow's smile didn't vanish, "Now, you were saying something about a proposition for me?"
"Oh yes," Sandalwood nodded eagerly, "We heard that you were fired from the scouting team. Is that true?"
"Yeah…" Rainbow Dash's smile faltered, "How did you know about that?"
Milky Way shrugged, "We have a few ponies that hang low by the tower, getting information where they can. It's no big deal, really."
"Well, we are an anti-scouting group," Sandalwood chimed along.
"Yeah, your armbands kinda make that obvious."
"Really?" Sandalwood blinked up at her innocently.
Rainbow's smile vanished completely as she did a double take at their armbands. They were the normal black on white scouting uniform ones now. Rainbow Dash looked up at Sandalwood with wide eyes.
"How did you guys change it?"
"It's reversible, Milky Way boasted, "It's a different pattern design when you flip it inside out."
"That and you did take ten minutes to come back from the kitchen," Sandalwood's eyebrows arched.
"The kettle broke," Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes defensively.
"Anyway, we've heard much about you from other ponies, and we want you on our team," Milky Way said with an air of pride.
"What do you guys do? Are you some club or something?" Rainbow Dash asked, clearly not impressed.
Milky Way gave a snort, "We do the opposite of what the scouters do. We actually help them. Why do you think the pegasi have had so much trouble trying to find pony encampments? Why do you think ponies all of a sudden have fireball-throwing technology? Who do you think supplied them?"
"Ah," Rainbow Dash laughed weakly, "So, you guys are to blame for my second degree burns."
Sandalwood's face flushed, "It wasn't our fault. You were wearing a scouting armband; therefore they thought you were the enemy. We're sorry. But we already know that you're not one of them. You don't agree with the pegasi ways. You want to make a difference instead of actually helping the enemy. Right?"
Rainbow thought for a second or two. She liked the idea of this so far. Being a spy was tough work, and wasn't even getting her results. What were they trying to find out? Nothing, that's what. An almost silent cough interrupted Rainbow's thoughts. She turned to see Fluttershy staring at her from the kitchen. She had an uncomfortable look upon her face.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Hold on a moment."
She made her way to Fluttershy, "What?"
Fluttershy whispered frantically, "Rainbow Dash, you can't do this. If you get caught…"
"Look, I really want to do this. Besides, we're helping ponies in the encampments if I do this. I need to. I can't stay cooped up all day because it gets us nowhere."
"Do you think I like being cooped up in that library?" Fluttershy hissed, "I want to help too, believe me I do, but I can't. Or I am by not helping. I-uh, this sounded a lot better in my head. What I'm trying to say is that we are helping by doing our jobs and I suggest that you get another military job."
Dash gave Fluttershy a stern glare, her magenta eyes glinting, "No. I'm joining them. Besides, they can't lie to me."
Fluttershy gave an exasperated sigh, "You didn't have to give them that serum, Dash."
"Well it doesn't hurt them in the slightest. It adds some trust to the conversation. Now if you excuse me, I have to ask them a few questions before the serum runs out."
Rainbow Dash turned on her hoof and trotted back to the sofa, leaving Fluttershy on her own.
"Sorry about that," Rainbow Dash waved her hoof vaguely, ""Now I have some questions to ask. Is this a paying job?"
"It can be if you want. In fact me and Milky Way were getting paid a few weeks ago," Sandalwood blurted out.
Milky Way shot a look of anger and utter horror at his friend. Sandalwood looked slightly confounded about this slip of information.
"That's okay, I'm not in it for the bits. What job will I have exactly though, if I do agree, that is?"
"You can have a say in what you volunteer for. Sometimes it depends on what the boss thinks. Right now, you may have a job delivering supplies to different pony encampments," Milky Way replied in a rushed voice.
It was his turn to look just as shocked as Sandalwood. Sandalwood just sat wide-eyed at his friend's rushed words. Milky Way slowly brought up a hoof to his mouth.
"Well, that's all I was really looking to know," Rainbow Dash smiled, "But I will think it over for a day or two. Or maybe just a few minutes. I'll be right back."
Rainbow Dash passed Fluttershy in the hallway on her way to the bathroom. Fluttershy glared at her from behind. Her voice was meek, but it had power to it.
"Rainbow Dash," she said, "You cannot do this. We can earn money in different ways. But this...it'll just blow our cover completely."
"Relax," Rainbow smirked, "I'll be careful."
"No, you won't," Fluttershy put her hoof down, causing a tiny puff of dust to rise from the floor, "I know you better than you know yourself. Sure you're loyal, bold, and hard working, but you are also reckless. You get impatient and you rush things. And right now you are rushing into this."
Rainbow let out an angry puff of breath, "Get off my case, Fluttershy. Seriously, do you really think I'm not capable of thinking things through? I'm not a little filly anymore."
Rainbow Dash turned back to the living room, brushing past the yellow pegasus. Sandalwood and Milky Way were both standing up when she re-entered the living room.
"I'm in. Sign me up."
"Good," Sandalwood relied, "Oh, and what was in our tea?"
"That's none of your concern. Although truth serum doesn't hurt, does it?"
"So, that's why the tea was so good," Sandalwood smiled, "If a tea is too good, that means something is up. In this case it meant that you were drowning out the bitter taste of the potion."
He gave her a short bow and another one to Fluttershy hiding in the shadows. She shrunk back slowly. Milky Way just gave a nod in Rainbow Dash's general direction. They both left without another word. Fluttershy let out an angry snort before she locked herself and Angel into the bedroom.
"That...was strange," Sandalwood gave a small chuckle.
The two pegasi took to the sidewalk, walking past the other houses down the block.
"Hey, Sandalwood?" Milky Way said slowly, "What do you think about that other pegasus? The yellow one with the long hair?"
"Aww, having feelings for a certain somepony?"
"Shut-up," Milky Way snapped, "I meant, what was she holding when we left?"
"I'm not sure," Sandalwood paused, "But it was rather furry, wasn't it?"
Rainbow Dash knew from the moment she fell asleep, till the moment she awoke that she was getting the silent treatment from Fluttershy whether she wanted to or not. For example, that night Fluttershy didn't even speak a word to her or even reprimand Angel for kicking her as she normally would. And this morning she had left an hour early for work. Rainbow Dash groaned as she saw this trend. Fluttershy was always a very kind pony, but when she was angry she had her own cruel ways of making the pony that did her wrong feel so guilty they could just explode.
Rainbow didn't cave however. Instead she immediately went to the front door, pulling it open with a mighty force. She didn't see the yellow package at the doorstep until she promptly stepped on it. Dash stepped back slowly from the package, her thoughts circulating about this mysterious package and of its contents. It was big enough to hold a book and looked as though it were holding one inside it.
She bent down to pick up the package, feeling its contents shift as she brought it up. The door was closed behind her as Rainbow Dash went back to the living room. The package was thrown onto the coffee table.
"To Dash" Rainbow read aloud.
A tear had already begun to form on a corner of the large envelope. With her mouth, Rainbow opened it quickly. It had not been a book inside the package, but rather an armband and a small map of Cloudsdale. Rainbow went for the map, her eyes sparkling with complete curiosity. The map was just a regular one only with a certain building circled in red. Rainbow stared at the circle until she finally realized where she knew where this building was. It was only a few clouds away from the rainbow factory, and fortunately for Dash, that was within walking distance from her house.
Without further instruction from the map, Rainbow Dash secured the armband onto her front arm and ran off with the map tucked under her forearm. Again, although she didn't have to fly, Dash decided to anyway. She didn't have her wing immobile for a full month just to walk everywhere after all. It was only a matter of seconds before she landed safely at the building. Rainbow Dash came to a stop in front of the door, if you could even call it one.
"This is headquarters?" Dash's jaw dropped at the site of the building.
The paint was peeling and the windows were all broken except for one. It was abandoned and desolate with no sign of any pony even there. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. She had been tricked, and so easily too.
Dash was about to soar back home and mope in her bed when a small cough caught her attention. From the crack in the door, Rainbow Dash could make out the eyes of a male pegasi. His voice echoed soundly to where Dash was standing.
"Password," he demanded.
"Uh…" Rainbow Dash fumbled for the map, turning it this way and that.
"Try turning it around."
Dash turned the paper as she was told. On the back of the map, scrawled in red ink were just two words. Alpha Minor. The phrase reminded Rainbow Dash vaguely of one her friends.
"I was getting to that," she replied, "Uh…Alpha Minor?"
"Hold on a second," the pegasus behind the door instructed, "Please come forward a bit. There, that's good."
There was a fumbling of switches and knobs as Rainbow Dash impatiently waited. She tapped her hoof as she tucked the map into her armband.
"You may want to hold your breath."
"What?" Dash frowned, "Hold my brEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
The door had opened, not in front of her, but directly below her instead. Now, she was flying down a silver slide in pitch-black darkness. The slide took an abrupt turn and Rainbow Dash was spat out into a bright room. As soon as her senses caught up with her she stood up, swaying slightly from side to side.
"Aha, you made it!" the cheerful voice of Sandalwood exclaimed.
"So what? I knew she would too," Milky Way replied dryly.
The room they were in was large and spacious. A giant map of Equestria was hung up on a wall with red X's marked almost at random from across the room. A few anti-scouts were scribbling away at a table nearby it, looking up every minute or two to look at it. Rainbow Dash found herself becoming attracted to it like a magnet and examined it closely. Only a few X's were in the Bad Lands, but most were zigzagged across the country. The one closest to Canterlot was marked Encampment 2, she noticed.
"Those are the encampments we work with," Sandalwood said from behind Rainbow Dash's shoulder.
"Wow," murmured Dash, "Can I go to one? Deliver Supplies? Fight off the bad guys? Get information? Defeat the system? Or save the day?"
"Well, you have to go through a little something first before we start giving you jobs," Milky Way directed his voice toward the multi-hued pegasus.
"Oh boy, I know exactly what it is. Initiation! I have to get an initiation, don't I?" Rainbow was jumping up and down excitedly, bottling up the urge she had to fly around in circles just now, "What do I do? Do I have to perform an incredible feat of bravery? Beat you two in a flying contest? Save the day?"
"Well, not exactly..." Sandalwood answered with a sheepish smile.
• • •
"Orientation?" Dash repeated angrily to herself in her uncomfortable seat, "Are you serious?"
"It'll only take a few minutes time," Sandalwood said from his place at the podium, "I promise. After this is done we can both go to Encampment 3. So shut-up and listen, please."
Rainbow Dash slumped down in her seat with a long, exaggerated sigh. She hated this already and the orientation hadn't even started yet.
"This headquarters is located underground the warehouse above us. The only way to get out is through the chimney we have. Don't worry we clean it regularly so that you won't get any ash on your body or in your eyes.
"Now when flying over encampments, what should we pay attention for? Rainbow Dash?"
Dash perked up an ear, "We...pay attention for fireballs coming our way."
"Only sometimes, but I'll consider that as one of the correct answers, but what do we also pay attention for?"
It took Dash a moment to get the right answer, "Earth Ponies?"
"Exactly," Sandalwood chirped from the podium, "We have to be aware of what they are doing before we land. For example if there are no ponies around what does that mean?"
"They're asleep or hiding?"
"The second one's correct. So, if they are hiding that means that there are pegasi in the area which means…"
"Hm? Oh," Dash jogged her memory for the answer, "You don't go down. You go on to the next encampment or back to headquarters."
"Yes, you report back to headquarters and report back in. Usually this doesn't happen too often, but if it does, after you report back in you're assigned another encampment. Sound good?"
"So far," Rainbow Dash replied with a small inward breath.
"Now if we get separated, Dash, don't go looking for the other. Go to headquarters."
Dash nodded, "Is that it?"
Sandalwood answered back instantly, "Not quite yet."
He leaned in closer, his body pressed to the edge of the podium, "If one word slips to the pegasi about our headquarters, our organization, or our work with the ponies...if we find out if it's you...we'll get you. But knowing your loyalty, we shouldn't have to worry about that. It's just something I say to intimidate every newbie that walks in."
Sandalwood paused for a second before quickly adding, "Don't tell Milky Way that."
Rainbow Dash grinned as he led her out of the door and back to headquarters. As soon as Dash saw the chimney, she sprinted to it. A forceful tug held her back.
"Also, a rule that's supposed to be common sense," Sandalwood released his hoof from Rainbow's wing, "Don't get yourself carried away."
His words struck Dash with a dull pain for some reason. She could hear the faint words of Fluttershy from the day before, "Sure you're loyal, bold, and hard working, but you are also reckless. You get impatient and you rush things. And right now you are rushing into this."
"I won't," Rainbow Dash whispered to herself.
"Good, now let me clarify something about the chimney," Sandalwood brushed past her, "You can't really just fly out of the chimney in a second. If you do, you're wings would scrape and everything. It would hurt a lot."
Sandalwood stood inside the chimney now and was slowly starting to rise into the air, "You have to go slow. When your whole body is outside, then by all means go fast. But since you're with me, you'll have to go a bit slow. I've seen you're sonic rainbooms, and although they're very impressive, I do not intend on doing one today. Kapeesh?"
"I understand," Dash said as she followed him through the chimney.
A few minutes later they were outside in the sky zooming through clouds. Rainbow Dash had trouble keeping the same pace as Sandalwood. Her excitement was at its bursting point. They were going to an encampment to help ponies. Rainbow Dash could only imagine the familiar faces she was going to see. And she was actually going to help.
"Ugh," she groaned after five minutes of flying, "Can't you go any faster, Sandalwood?"
"Just be patient," Sandalwood relied calmly, "This is a new encampment we're going to, and it's all the way near Trottingham, so it'll take a few more minutes to get there. And I'm sorry, but this is about as fast as I can go."
Rainbow Dash grumbled as they took their sweet time to navigate to the new encampment. By the time Dash could actually make out the encampment from above, she leaped with joy. Sandalwood came to a steady stop behind her.
"Okay, now don't go too fast or they'll think you're a scout," Sandalwood said, already flying down.
Rainbow Dash followed his lead. Miraculously, no fireballs were thrown at them, no ponies had torches and pitchforks when they made it to land, and there was no pony to greet them either.
"Where is everypony?" Dash muttered under her breath.
Only a few ponies were meandering around the line of tents. Dash recognized one of the few ponies around instantly. Junebug looked emaciated. Her eyes were half shut and her mouth looked so dry.
"Hello?" Sandalwood stood rooted to where he was.
No one spoke anything. Rainbow Dash zoomed around the encampment twice before landing back to her spot next to Sandalwood.
"It doesn't look like any other pony is here. And anypony that is here looks like they haven't eaten in weeks," Rainbow whispered.
Sandalwood trotted to Junebug, "Excuse me, but I'm with the anti-scout group...uh, where is everypony exactly?"
Junebug licked her lips slowly before replying, "We're the only ones here. They ran out of room in Fillydelphia and Trottingham. So now we're here."
Sandalwood looked down at Junebug with sorrowful eyes, "I'm sorry. The best thing I can do for now is supply you with food and water. We'll be back next week to get you some weapons so that you can defend yourselves."
"Who are you?" Junebug asked wide-eyed.
"I'm just a pony who doesn't care for war," Sandalwood replied without a smile.
• • •
"Oh, you're back," a soft voice said from the kitchen.
Rainbow Dash had gotten back home a bit on the early side. Sandalwood had her go back alone while he inspected the encampment with Junebug. Fluttershy had a cruel, intensity in her eyes as she stared at Rainbow Dash. She was still angry.
"Yeah, I'm early today," Dash shrugged her shoulders as she put away her armband.
"Well," Fluttershy replied coldly, "How great for you. I got home early too because Flitter didn't show up for work."
"She didn't? That's weird," Rainbow Dash bit her lip.
"Oh?" Fluttershy's head perked up a bit at this bit, "Why do you say that?"
Dash just scratched her head sullenly, "Never mind, I think I'm just imagining it...but, it seems like a lot of pegasi are going missing. Derpy hasn't visited all week, a few pegasi from the Rainbow Factory have gone missing for two days, and now Flitter's gone. Doesn't that just seem strange to you?"
"Maybe it's just a coincidence..." Fluttershy turned her head back to the stove, where she was cooking some cabbage for herself.
"No it isn't," Rainbow Dash found herself snapping, "It's more than just coincidence, Fluttershy. I can see it in your eyes. You know something odd is going on here, but you're too scared to admit it."
Fluttershy's cheeks burned a deep scarlet color at these bitter words, "Can't you just let me have one night away from these scary thoughts, Dash? It isn't impossible that you're right...but I just want one peaceful night to myself. It's not that much to ask for...I mean, if that's alright with you..."
Rainbow Dash paused, "Fine. But you're going to have to open your eyes one day, Fluttershy. Twilight was wrong about our duties in Cloudsdale. I'm going to Fillydelphia tomorrow. You can come by all means with me. I don't think Flitter will mind if you don't show up, seeing as though she did the same thing, you know?"
Fluttershy didn't respond. She just stirred the cabbage in her pot idly. Rainbow Dash headed toward the bedroom on this silent note, calling behind her, "I'm gonna hit the hay early today. I'll see you tomorrow."
Still no response. Just when Rainbow Dash had managed to get herself out of the silent treatment, she had dug herself right back in. She cursed herself for her stupidity as she plopped onto her bed stiffly. She was always sabotaging everything she did since flight school. It was just dumb luck that she even was able to do a sonic rainboom without any severe consequences.
Rainbow stared at the ceiling. She didn't like going to sleep. It was the one time she felt out of control. She couldn't control those constant nightmares that would stalk her during the day and attack swiftly when she least expected. It was always that same flashback from the Ponyville air raid too. Dash could just barely hear the sound of bombs being dropped and pandemonium spreading throughout the streets. It was horrific to even remember.
Dash finally had no choice but to close her eyes and drift into a deep sleep. But of course it would be the same nightmare, right? It had been on her mind for some time now. The only problem was that it wasn't a real nightmare. Real nightmares are unexpected and imaginary. Only this one had actually happened and Dash was forced to relive it twice on a weekly basis.
Only this one was different. It pulled at her very heartstrings. It wasn't real, but it was still vivid nonetheless. And it was a long dream. One that she wouldn't forget in a long time to come...
Rainbow Dash was floating in the dark nighttime air. The wind ruffled her long mane and the moonlight shone down on her. Through the darkness she could see Ponyville. Without really knowing why, she began to zoom towards it. Ponies stopped to look at her with certain unease in their eyes. Dash suddenly felt something drop from her waist. There was a mighty boom and everyone began to run and shriek.
"Wait, no that wasn't me you guys," Rainbow Dash cam to a slow halt.
Another bomb burst right below her. Who was throwing these bombs? Rainbow Dash looked up. There was no one there. Another bomb landed in the same exact spot twice. And that was when Dash realized it. SHE was the one dropping the bombs.
She zoomed away from Ponyville, but as she did ten bombs at a time blew up in the same direction she was going. Sugarcube Corner exploded as she past it. But all Dash could see were the sorrow filled faces of Mr. and Mrs. Cake. She had to get away from here.
As soon as she got to the edge of Ponville she stopped. The only reason she stopped, however, was because of a giant glass dome. She had hit it head on. There was no escape.
• • •
Rainbow Dash awoke with a start. It was quiet. Light was beginning to rise from the windowsill. Dash let out a deep breath before turning over to her side. That had been one of the scariest dreams Rainbow Dash had had that week. Her heart began to come to a slower pace than the five hundred beats per minute it had been going when she woke up.
Today was the day she was going to Fillydelphia, she realized. It was still early though. Fluttershy was still snoring softly in her bed with Angel curled up in a soft, cottony ball beside her. His ears twitched slightly as Rainbow Dash got up from her bed and moved out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.
Ten minutes later Fluttershy awoke to the sweet smell of tea and the sound of a kettle. She was only slightly ticked off about her wake up call, but at least it smelled good. There were worse ways to wake up anyway. She moved swiftly without even waking Angel up. Fluttershy draped her long hair over her shoulder and walked toward the sound.
Rainbow Dash already had two cups of tea set out at the coffee table, awaiting Fluttershy. Fluttershy glanced at the cups disdainfully.
Her eyes narrowed for a second or two, "What this?"
"Just some tea," Rainbow Dash explained as she sipped her own cup, "I just wanted to say that...you're right. There are some big things out there that I probably shouldn't get myself tangled up in. The only problem is that, well, I'm still going to do it anyway. I just wanted to make it up to you before you started hating me."
Fluttershy's eyes returned to their natural state, "Oh...I never hated you, Dash. I was just annoyed...more with myself than with you, really. I wanted to help, but I knew I couldn't. I'm not that brave. And I'm still not going to do it. Just not yet. I'm working towards it though, so at least that's some progress."
Rainbow Dash chuckled softly, "That's the spirit."
Fluttershy bowed her head bashfully as she slowly began to sip at her tea. After a few more minutes, Rainbow got up to put away her empty coffee cup. Fluttershy stayed behind on the couch meanwhile. Dash's armband was strung on her wing by the time Fluttershy joined her.
"Well, I should get going to the library," Fluttershy spoke softly as she lay her cup down in the sink, "Flitter wouldn't be too happy if I was late again."
"If she's there that is."
"Rainbow Dash, I don't know if she went missing, okay," Fluttershy's brow arched up, "So, please drop it. I don't mean to be rude, it's just been a rough morning."
"I understand," Dash answered sympathetically, blowing air toward her chopped bangs, "I need to get going too. I'll see you at dinner."
"Bye," Fluttershy called out to Rainbow Dash as she exited the house.
Rainbow Dash took off to the sky as soon as the door swung shut behind her. She took the familiar route to headquarters that she had remembered from the day before. The abandoned house stood silent and vacant, but only Rainbow Dash knew that this wasn't the truth.
She landed softly on the ground next to the fragile, wooden door. She stared into the crack before whispering, "Alpha Minor," to it.
She braced herself for the fall, but it didn't come. At least not right away. There was a second's pause as Dash stood ready with her knees locked.
"Is there anyone there? HellOOOOOOOOAAAAHHH!"
She accelerated through the silver slides, landing in a havoc next to a few startled pegasi.
"You have got to be kidding me," Rainbow Dash moaned as she gingerly massaged her bruised backside, "Why don't you people warn me before dropping me a dozen feet into the air?"
She grabbed the nearest hoof as she got up to her feet. Sandalwood sheepishly grinned at her as he let go of her hoof.
"Yeah, sometimes the lever gets stuck. It's an old building, you see. Anyhow, are you ready to go to Fillydelphia?"
"Uh, hay yeah I wanna go to Fillydelphia. When are we leaving?"
"Right now."
• • •
The time it took to Fillydelphia was surprisingly quick. Rainbow Dash had also been surprisingly calm during the whole entire flight. Sandalwood had asked her if she were ill halfway through their small journey.
"I'm not sure," Rainbow Dash had answered from behind him, "I hope not."
"Just making sure," Sandalwood grinned, "This is the first time I'm not seeing you do barrel roles in the sky. Something the matter?"
In truth, something had been dwelling on Dash's mind for quite a while now, but she didn't know what. She just had the oddest sense that something strange was going on in Cloudsdale.
"Hey Sandalwood," Rainbow Dash asked after a short moment of silence, "Have you noticed any disappearances lately?"
"Well, there were the missing pegasi from the Rainbow Factory. They still haven't shown up. In fact, no one even knows how they've gone missing. There's guards patrolling the area at all times and even they didn't see any intruders. It baffles the mind."
Rainbow Dash fell silent. So it was true about the disappearances after all. Her thoughts had been confirmed, and it only made her worry about Fluttershy even more. After a few more minutes of silence they descended upon a fair sized town. There was a loud whistle from one of the buildings. Sandalwood replied with a long whistle, waving his hoof at the ponies in the building.
A scuffle could be seen at the top of the building as ponies briskly fell into line, letting a path for the two pegasi to land. Sandalwood was the first to land. He successfully dodged Rainbow Dash's misjudged landing. She skidded to a halt near the edge of the building, nearly crashing into it.
"I can see why they used to call you Rainbow Crash," replied a pony.
Rainbow's eyes widened. She knew that country drawl from anywhere. She glanced over her shoulder to see a wiry, yellow-maned earth pony walking slowly toward her. Rainbow Dash smiled as the pony's green eyes focused on her.
"I didn't know you were in Fillydelphia, Braeburn," Rainbow Dash smirked at the colt.
He tipped his cowboy hat at her, "And I didn't know that you were in Fillydelphia, Dash."
"Well, I decided that anti-scouting was more of my speed than anything else. Why are you here?"
Braeburn's mouth curved downwards, "They needed help here in Fillydelphia. So of course as a loyal pony from Aaaaaappleloosa, I volunteered. Wouldn't have you?"
Rainbow Dash laughed, "Well, being an loyal pegasus from Clooouuuuudssdale, I would have to say of course I would."
"Ahem," Sandalwood replied.
He was standing alone, waiting on Dash. She blushed faintly as she trotted off towards Sandalwood. Braeburn followed close behind them.
"So, what are we dropping off or helping with," Rainbow asked.
"Our supplies have been dwindling for a while now,"" Braeburn answered for Sandalwood, "At least military supplies. The pegasi have been trying to flood our city for months on end now."
Sure enough, the clouds surrounding Fillydelphia were all grey and stormy. Rainbow Dash hadn't noticed it before until now.
"We need more ammo for the fireball cannons and a few more yards of electric fence," Braeburn told Sandalwood.
"Well, that's something we can manage to get you guys the day after tomorrow. Do you need any luxuries, like cupcake mix and steel armour?" Sandalwood asked him.
Braeburn thought for a moment of two before responding, "I'm not sure. I think we could use some more medicine. But we have enough to last ten years. Fillydelphia was stocked up on everything for the Princess's visit, but since that never happened, we've just been rationing everything out."
Sandalwood nodded at this bit of info as they walked down a flight of stairs.
The sandy-haired pony turned back to Rainbow Dash, "Speaking of which, I should give you a grand tour of this place. Also that reminds me, there's someone here that I think you'd like to meet."
"Oh really?" Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow at her friend, "Do I know them?"
"I think the name may ring a bell…"
Sandalwood, Braeburn and Rainbow Dash walked another block down the long road. They had been walking for a few minutes already and the buildings that dotted the side of the path were starting to disappear one by one, replaced with trees instead.
"Where exactly is this place?" Rainbow Dash asked for the third time.
"It's only few more blocks ahead into the Hallow Shades," Braebrun answered, "She likes the woods."
"Who is this mare you keep talking about?" Sandalwood's ears perked up.
"You haven't met her before, but Rainbow Dash has."
"Can't you just tell me who we're meeting already?" Dash groaned.
Braeburn stifled a chuckle, "Well, I thought it would be obvious since her house is in the woods."
Rainbow Dash pondered over whom they were even meeting as the sun beat down on them. The woods cascaded over them fairly quickly. Darkness took over their uncertainty and worry. Braeburn hummed quietly to himself happily as he trotted over to a wooden shack.
"Here we are," he chimed, "Now, that wasn't so bad now was it?"
"Nope," Sandalwood replied sarcastically, "I just sweat buckets when it's cold."
"You should've brought a jacket then," Braeburn chuckled without catching onto the sarcasm in Sandalwood's voice.
He knocked twice on the wooden door. There was a short silence deep inside the shack before the deep voice of a mare answered the knock.
"Who is it? Who is there? If you're an intruder you better beware."
Rainbow Dash beamed at the sound of Zecora's voice. She replied swiftly, "Don't worry, Zecora. I'm no intruder."
The door opened and the zebra stuck her head out to look at everyone. Her eyes crinkled as she smiled widely, "Finally another familiar face. I thought you were lost without a trace. Come inside, why don't you three. Here, just follow me."
Zecora opened the door wider to let the three ponies step through the threshold. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in surprise at what she saw. She had been expecting a cramped shack, but instead it was as large as her house in Cloudsdale.
"Wait…how is this even possible? This shack looks so small from the outside, but it's the size of my house."
Zecora laughed at the expression on Dash's face, "I built into the tree. You really didn't think such a small shack could accommodate me?"
Sandalwood hesitated before speaking, "So I reckon that you're the one who's in charge of medicine around these parts?"
"You are correct in what I do. But may I just ask…do I know you?"
"Uh, no. Me and Dash are part of the anti-scouting group," Sandalwood answered proudly, "You've probably seen some members giving out supplies before."
"I don't recall ever seeing these members you say. Maybe they came on a different day."
Sandalwood grimaced slightly, "Well, I can assure you that we have been supplying the camps here with food, water, and fireball-throwing technology."
Zecora's smile diminished at these words. She turned away quickly with a cruel laugh, "Ha! So you are to blame for helping the war progress. I didn't even have to guess."
Rainbow Dash cocked her head at her friend, "What are you talking about? We're just giving tools that help ponies here defend themselves."
"And those tools maim, injure, and sometimes kill. But now it just seems like an ordinary drill. We don't care who we hurt in this war. Whether enemy or friend, what's it all for?"
Braeburn just shook his mane, "Zecora, with all due respect, we need these supplies. It's better to defend ourselves then give up and become enslaved or imprisoned."
Zecora gave Braeburn an almost pitying look, "Is that the pegasai's true goal. Or is it all just mind control? For everything to make some sense, you must think with your brain, you eyes, and your heart. There you must think back all the way from the start."
She laid a hoof onto Rainbow Dash's forehead and the blue pony fainted abruptly. Everything had gone, not black for Rainbow Dash, but rather white. She was standing alone in a white chamber. She had the unbeknownst feeling that she was floating without even moving her wings. She looked around. The white chamber was fading away and swiftly turning into Ponyville right before her eyes. She was with her friends. Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and AppleJack.
They were walking past Sugarcube corner when a random light-blue, gray-haired pony came running along the path, screaming and hollering with a frightened Nurse Redheart trailing after her.
"Don't trust the pegasi! They're monsters! Horrible things! Help! Don't trust the pegasi! DON'T!"
They all stared in shock at this strange pony. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Rainbow Dash remembered this. This was the a few days before the pegasi raid. They initially had thought nothing of the worked up earth pony, but now…her ramblings seemed a bit connected to the upcoming raid. Rainbow Dash watched as she and her friends walked off, murmuring about the pony.
The scene faded away into the day after that strange event. Rainbow Dash was with Twilight and Pinkie Pie that day near town hall. She remembered how sore her wings had been after collecting clouds for Twilight's latest research. They were now walking back to Twilight's house. As they were walking two pegasi brushed past Pinkie Pie rudely.
"Watch it, Earth Pony," one of them snapped at Pinkie, "Don't want you to get...hurt, do we?"
The two started laughing manically before taking off into the sky. Pinkie Pie however, smiled back at them and waved, "Thank you for ensuring my safety!"
"Pinkie, I don't think they were usurping your safety at all. If anything, they were threatening it," Twilight spoke as she stared flabbergasted at the two pegasi's figures.
"THEY WHAT?" Pinkie Pie screamed.
Rainbow Dash covered her ears, as did the Rainbow Dash that was with Twilight and Pinkie. Pinkie Pie pulled out a megaphone out of thin air and promptly began to holler into it at the two pegasi, "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
Twilight snatched the megaphone away from Pinkie Pie before she drew more attention to them, "Pinkie, stop it. I'm not sure if it was a threat, exactly, but it was definitely something to take offence of. How come every pegasi has been acting so coldly towards earth ponies today? I saw Thunderlane and a few others harassing Carrot Top on my way over here. And now this? What is going on with every pegasi?"
Rainbow Dash looked up towards the sky at this point with her hoof raised to shield her face from the sun. Her face was grim as she nudged Twilight and Pinkie Pie, "Whatever's going on…I don't think it's a good sign."
"What makes you say tha-
Twilight stopped mid-sentence as she glanced up to the sky. Pinkie Pie's bubbly smile faded as her blue eyes floated up to where her two friends were staring at. In the sky were what seemed to be a hundred pegasi flying to Cloudsdale. Ponies in the street pointed up at the sky with bespectacled looks and agitated gasps. Windows were shut and doors locked. The street quickly began to clear of ponies, leaving only Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and a few other stragglers.
"This is not good, is it?" Pinkie Pie whispered under her breath as the masses of pegasi blocked out the sun.
"What did you do to my partner? You answer me at once!" Sandalwood yelled at the top of his voice.
"For the last time, I tell you, she is in no harm. There is no need for such alarm," Zecora replied calmly.
Rainbow Dash awoke with a start. Her eyes fluttered open and her breathing slowed down. She was lying on the floor of Zecora's shack with her arms wrapped around her head. She blinked several times before rising steadily onto all four hooves.
"You guys, I'm fine," Dash's words were slurred.
Sandalwood stopped his squirming in Braeburn's grasp as he stared at Rainbow Dash. Relief flooded his face as she walked over to the group.
"What's going on?"
"Your 'friend' here did a zoodoo curse on you. Are you okay?" Sandalwood stomped a hoof at Zecora angrily.
"No, that's not what happened," Rainbow Dash stood between him and Zecora, "I mean, she did do something...but nothing bad! I had a, uh, revelation or a flashback, or something. But Zecora's right about one thing. Mind Control."
"Mind Control?" Sandalwood's jaw dropped, "But how come we're not mind controlled?"
Zecora sat down by her cauldron with a small sigh, "That was what I was trying to explain, you see. Now please, take a seat and listen to me."
Rainbow Dash and Braeburn sat down next to Zecora, while Sandalwood stood across from them with one eye on the door of the shack. Zecora cleared her throat and began her story.
"As I was saying before your friend began to shout. Mind control works best with ponies full of doubt. Weeks before the war you could see that some ponies were not the same. Now as to who they were, I won't mention by name. It was only a small number of those who were under some said curse. But in the days that followed it only became worse. For those pegasi and earth ponies began to recruit others to their side. And the unicorns, in the middle of it all, were just cast aside. Those hateful days would take its toil. And soon all of the anger came down to a boil.
"Not everypony was controlled with such ease. It was a challenge to even bring them to their knees. But they cannot do a thing with the princesses gone. With their friends divided, they have no one to rely on. But this is a mind control, for that I have known. Whatever could they be besides a-
"Clone!" Rainbow shrieked, "They're clones. They have to be! I know who's behind it all, Zecora!"
"I was going to say drone if I must say," Zecroa smiled, "But please continue anyway."
"It's no pony other than..." Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply, "Pause, for dramatic effect."
"Will you just say it already, Dash?" Sandalwood snapped from his place across from them.
"It's Chrysalis!"
Zecora's eyes widened in surprise and fear. Sandalwood's jaw dropped to the ground silently. And Braeburn...looked in between the two ponies with mild confusion.
Rainbow Dash took notice to this, "What's wrong, Braeburn?"
Braeburn let out a breathy chuckle as he tilted his hat at the three of them, "I, uh, may not have been in town that day, heh. So, if you care to explain..."
Rainbow stared blankly back at Braeburn before elaborating, "Queen Chrysalis is behind this all, I tell you. Just like that time when she disguised herself as Princess Cadence to control Shining Armor into letting the force field down from Canterlot last year and tried to take over Equestria."
"Ohhh, that Chrysalis," Braeburn stopped fiddling with his hat, "I hate her so much."
"She and her minions have probably been behind everything. Locking everypony up somewhere so they could clone them, kidnapping Spike and the princesses, and even hiding the elements of harmony! We have to find them! Now!"
"Oh, about that, Rainbow Dash," Zecora smile was almosttriumphant in a way, "I wouldn't be so rash."
Zecora stood up and slowly made her way toward a large bookshelf, taking her time to get there. Everyone just watched her as she lifted up a book. The shelf in front of Zecora swiveled, revealing a secret compartment inside. Zecora stepped inside, disappearing into the dark crevasse.
"Celestia came prepared for this dire time. Forgive me for not coming forward, but it was no crime. She strictly told me one must find me here in my tree. If they do they will see..."
Zecora came back holding a shiny box in her hooves. Rainbow Dash hurtled her way toward her, staring at this mysterious box in the process. Zecora successfully turned the box away from Dash's wild grabs and set it gently on her small table in the corner of the shack. She slowly opened the lid. A bright, colorful light hit Dash directly in the eyes.
"Ouch!" Rainbow Dash shielded her eyes from the glittering lights. She gingerly rubbed her eyes. She heard Braeburn and Sandalwood trot to the box at full speed.
"Is that what I think it is?" Dash heard Sandalwood's appalled voice first.
"It is!" Braeburn neighed in delight.
Rainbow Dash removed her hooves from her eyes and stared down into the box. Although, she was a very tough pony, she could feel her eyes water slightly just at the sight.
"Zecora..." Rainbow Dash spoke in a soft whisper, "How did you-
"Like I said, the princess had left them behind in my care. For when situations were dire and full of despair."
The six elements of harmony twinkled in the light of the shack and already Rainbow Dash could sense something better coming her way.
Rainbow Dash was ecstatic when she came back to headquarters. She had found the Elements of Harmony in just one day. She soared through the air without a care in the world. Now all she had to do was find all five of her friends. She already had one living with her, so perhaps finding the other three wouldn't be so hard after all. She let out a hearty, delightful, giggle that only would be used once in her life.
"Hey, Giggles," Sandalwood shouted from in front of her, "You're going to blow our cover. No one should know about the elements, okay. It's just between us two for now. Just keep it cool...and stop staring at my bag."
Rainbow Dash let out another chuckle, luckily not as girly as the first, "It's just that...I mean...the elements are, like, a foot away from me. How can I not be psyched? This means that the war is going to over soon, just as soon as I find my friends!"
"Shhh!"
"Sorry," Rainbow Dash yelped with a gleeful smile, "Hey, where are we going with these anyway?"
"We're going to drop them off at your house," Sandalwood answered, "But first we're going to check back in to headquarters."
Rainbow Dash's smile deteriorated slowly, "Aw, man! I don't wanna go through that slide again. It totally blows."
"Well, deal with it. We're almost there anyway," Sandalwood's voice drifted over toward her.
Indeed, he was right, for Cloudsdale loomed overhead in the distance. Rainbow Dash jittered with excitement. She couldn't help it. How do you stay perfectly calm when you know there's a valuable item that you successfully found and are now carrying over to the place where it is highly illegal? How does Daring Do do it?
Rainbow's heartbeat only increased as they entered Cloudsdale. It nearly stopped when they neared the abandoned warehouse. Her excited jitters were quickly taken over by nervous shivers. When they were finally at the front entrance, Sandalwood knocked at the broken, unhinged door. There was a small grunt from inside. A few seconds later Rainbow Dash and Sandalwood were flying through the slide. Sandalwood leapt out with ease while Rainbow Dash fell to the ground, sprawled out on all fours. Sandalwood helped her off with a mild annoyance.
"I thought you'd get the hang of it by now," he muttered.
"Hey," Dash began to dust her wings off, "It's not like I choose to make a complete fool out of myself."
"No, because obviously you were just born that way," Sandalwood gave her a teasing grin.
"Yea-Hey!"
Sandalwood looked around the warehouse, a hint of mystery gleaming in his eyes. The warehouse was empty. Or at least too empty to be considered normal. Rainbow Dash stared around the warehouse like her partner, ears twitching slightly.
"Where is everypony?" she kept her voice to a low whisper.
Sandalwood shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know...but I don't like it, that's for sure."
Suddenly the sound of incoming hoofsteps caught the two of them by surprise. A dark, shadowed figure stood rooted at the other end of the warehouse, looking at them with a vertical cock of their neck. A light shone on the figure, revealing him to be Milky Way. Something was not right.
Sandalwood slowly raised his hoof to prevent Rainbow Dash from coming any further. She stopped in her tracks as Sandalwood moved forward. Milky Way had a stone cold glare etched upon his face but a small smile creeping up. Sandalwood came to a halt a few feet away from him.
"How did your mission go?" Milky Way asked, obviously hinting at something, "Did everything go according to plan?"
Sandalwood scrunched up his brow in confusion at his friend's odd behavior, "Yeah. The ponies needed a few extra supplies, so I'm making an order for some soap and water."
"Oh, really?" Milky Way began to pace in a small circle around Sandalwood, feigning confusion, "It's just that...a little birdy told me that you stopped at a certain hut of somepony and were able to get a certain thing. Isn't that so?"
Rainbow Dash felt her insides swoop downwards, hurtling through a bottomless pit. Sandalwood just remained perfectly calm and sincere, merely casting a bemused look at Milky Way.
"Your little birdy was wrong. Braeburn just gave us a tour of the place, since my partner was new to Fillydelphia. We listed a few supplies that needed to be ordered and that was all. Now could you care to explain to me where everypony is, Milky Way?"
Milky Way threw a scornful glance at Sandalwood before whistling a short, but shrill note. Everypony came out of hiding in the shadows. Rainbow Dash stepped forward a few more feet, her knees wobbling in anticipation. A bead of sweat ran down her back, only adding to her fearful chills. Sandalwood gave a small laugh.
"Oh, is this a surprise party?"
Milky Way stomped his hoof rashly, "Enough jokes, Sandalwood. I know for a fact that you two have the Elements of Harmony."
"Even if we did," Rainbow Dash found herself speaking, "Why would you corner us like this. Wouldn't finding the Elements be, oh, I don't know, a good thing?"
"It would be if they were themselves," Sandalwood responded slowly, "But they aren't. These aren't pegasi either, at least I don't think they are."
"What would make you think that?" Milky Way gave Sandalwood a cruel laugh, "Maybe we just want to know where the Elements are. For all we know, you two could very well be imposters or worse."
"Well, we aren't," Sandalwood snapped, "Anyone, including you, would be able to see that."
"I'm giving you one last time to tell me where the Elements are!" Milky Way roared, steam coming out of his nostrils, "Or do I have to beat it out of you!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but this ends now!" Sandalwood exclaimed, his chest rising heavily, "This is nonsense!"
"If it's nonsense, why are you sweating? Why is your friend here, all the way at the other end of the warehouse, why is-
And then he saw Rainbow Dash. She couldn't help it. She had drowned everything out and had been staring at Sandalwood's bag the whole entire time. Milky Way smiled evilly and began to cackle.
"Hahahaha," he laughed out loud, "Get his saddlebag! The elements are in his bag!"
A dozen pegasi lurched at once, fumbling to get ahold of his bag. Sandalwood let out a gurgled yell as he jumped over two blue pegasi. He sprinted to Rainbow Dash with all of his might.
"Get out of here. Go to your home. Grab Fluttershy and get out!" He said in a rushed whisper.
"I'm not leaving you behind," Rainbow Dash tugged at his hoof, pulling him toward the chimney.
Together they managed to zip out of the chimney and into the night sky. Five bodies of pegasi came out of the chimney behind them. Sandalwood clutched his saddlebag as they flew through clouds. Sandlewood pushed Rainbow aside hurriedly in an attempt to get her to leave. But she kept flying at his side.
"Get out of here!" he screamed at her, "Fluttershy needs you! They're going to-
A hoof grabbed ahold of his heel, causing him to fall behind.
"What's in the bag?" Milky Way shouted at Sandalwood with one hoof wrapped around his leg and the other moving to the bag.
With one swipe of Milky Way's hoof, the bag's contents spilled.
"NO!" Rainbow Dash shrieked.
Rocks of different shapes and sizes fell out of the bag and hurtled down. Milky Way's eyebrows went up, "What the ha-
He glanced over at Rainbow Dash's bag with gritted teeth. He whistled once more, pointing at Rainbow Dash.
"Get her bag!"
"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash soared through more clouds at a top speed.
Sandalwood had swapped bags, she realized. She had been a complete egghead and hadn't figured out Sandalwood's hints at her leaving him behind. Curse her loyalty. She looked behind her cautiously.
The small dots of pegasi were steadily getting smaller and smaller. She was safe for now. With a mighty jerk of her right wing, Rainbow Dash zipped to the right. Cloudsdale beckoned her back with open arms and she eagerly accepted, using the shadows of building to help aid her disguise. She silently ran to her house, moving as silently as she could.
Up in the sky, she could see the pegasi flocking together in a formation, no doubt searching for her. She kept to the buildings and only went out in the open to dart across to her house. But it was enough time for the flock to find her. Dash heard the shrill whistle of Milky Way and could already hear a dozen wings beating in the air above her.
She threw open the front door, rushed inside, and locked it shut behind her.
"Fluttershy!" she called through the house, "We have to go! Get Angel! We have to leave! NOW!"
Fluttershy looked up from her reading book, startled as ever.
"What's going on?"
"No time to explain! We need to get out of here!"
Angel stuck out his head from Fluttershy's hair, spitting at Rainbow Dash. Heavy knocks on the door caused him to dart back inside his caregiver's warm hair for cover.
"Oh good, you have him already," Dash spat as she took ahold of Flutterhshy by the hoof, "Now let's fly!"
Dash threw open the window and exited with Fluttershy at the same moment the door burst open.
"She's outside! Move, move, move!" Dash heard Milky Way's voice from inside the living room.
"RAINBOW DASH, WHAT"S GOING ON!" Fluttershy squealed with fright as they hurtled toward the Everfree Forest.
"No time to explain!" Rainbow Dash repeated as her eyes watered from the speed they were going, "Just take my bag and get out of the vicinity. It's me they're after, not you!"
Rainbow Dash bolted away from the ground at the last second. She dispensed Fluttershy into the middle of the Everfree Forest. Angel clung to Fluttershy's messed up hair with all of his life, even though they were safely on the ground. Rainbow tossed the bag over to Fluttershy.
"Meet me in Fillydelphia as soon as you can!" Rainbow explained quickly, "I can out fly all of those pegasi. I'll get myself a disguise. I'll blend in like a regular pony. Just don't lose sight of that bag and keep to the forest!"
"What's in here?"
"Just take a look for yourself," Dash looked up at the sky nervously. She didn't have any time now. The pegasi were almost here.
Fluttershy gasped as she peered inside the bag, "Rainbow, how did you-
"Long story, no time," Dash repeated for the third time, "Just promise me you'll be safe, okay?"
"I will," Fluttershy's eyes watered.
"Good, now I have to run," Rainbow Dash began to flap her wings quickly, "Stay away from the open!"
And with that, she opened her wings and soared off. Fluttershy backed into a tree slowly. She watched in horror as dozens of pegasi trailed after Rainbow Dash. Not one noticed Fluttershy's scared presence. When the last of them were gone, Fluttershy's eyes fluttered open and shut. Her legs began to give way and everything was going black. Before she even could comprehend what her body was doing, she fainted, hitting the ground with a soft thunk.
The sun beamed down on the surprisingly docile settlement of Fillydelphia as ponies walked around its cobblestone roads, mingling with other ponies at the marketplace. A row of stacked houses sat across from this marketplace, full of ponies still resting in their beds peacefully. Every house was silent with all of its lights dimmed and their curtains shut. Except for one on the far end, that is. This one was the standard red brick house with a black-shingled roof on the top. From one of the windows you could make out the sounds of a pony getting herself out of bed with great enthusiasm.
"Good morning!" ponies outside heard her screech to somepony inside.
There was a great clattering of hooves against wooden floorboards as the pony hurtled down the stairs. The brass doorknob of her front door jiggled slightly from side-to-side as she turned the handle eagerly.
"GOOD MORNING, FILLYDELPHIA!" the pink pony exclaimed as soon as she placed a hoof outside.
The remaining ponies outside the marketplace flinched at this sudden loud noise. They each glared at Pinkie Pie before giving a mighty, "SHH," in unison.
Pinkie Pie gave them all a sheepish grin as she shut the front door behind her and proceeded to waltz down the cobblestone path with everyone else.
"Oooh," her mouth watered at the smell of fresh bread from one of the marketplace stands, "That smells wonderful Mrs. Cake. Keep up the good work!"
"Thank you, Pinkie Pie," came the nervous voice of Mrs. Cake from her stand, anticipating Pinkie to gobble her products.
Instead the curly-haired pony trotted along the path, ignoring her desire to gobble every slice of baked bread and cake whole. She had to think of others first after all. It was still early in the morning, so not many ponies were out and about just yet. But they would be soon by the looks of it.
From out of the sky, Pinkie could make out the shapes of multiple pegasi flying fast from Cloudsdale. From out of thin air, Pinkie Pie pulled out her pair of binoculars. The shapes soon became figures with details Pinkie could make out. There were four anti-scouts preparing to land. One looked absolutely horrible, while the other three seemed to be unharmed, considering the fact that two were holding him up. He was a lean pegasus with a sandy brown coat and dark brown hair that was matted to the side. His eye was extremely bruised and it looked as though his leg was broken. If it wasn't, it still had to be painful. Blood was quickly running down his forehead as his eyes fluttered shut. Quickly, Pinkie dropped her binoculars from her eyes, letting out a gasp. This was just too much for her to watch.
The landing tower was only a block away. She wanted desperately to greet these scouts, but she knew the ponies at the tower wouldn't let her in. She wasn't exactly greeted anywhere here with entirely open arms anymore after she accidentally set a garden on fire while doing a stunt show performance for some of the pony troops. Let's just say that they didn't want an encore performance ever. Pinkie Pie finally got up the courage to at least stand outside the tower.
Two guards were patrolling it when she arrived. They eyed her down to size silently before blocking the entrance.
"You're not allowed here Pinkie Pie," one of the guards spoke gruffly, "Nor are any well-behaved civilians."
"What?" Pinkie's self-esteem deflated, "But I'm well-behaved."
"Yeah, tell that to the sunflowers that never grew," the guard gave a cruel chortle.
"That was a faulty cannon, I'll have the both of you know," Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes at the pair, "Had it gone to plan, you'd be still begging for another performance."
"Sure thing," the other guard rolled his eyes at her remarks, "Why don't you go burn down some trees in the Everfree Forest?"
"Maybe I will," Pinkie held her chin up high, "I'll burn it with laughter…and love…and other stuff. You know what I mean!"
Her face turned as pink as her mane as the two guards laughed her away. She stopped only when she was no longer within hearing distance from them.
She exhaled loudly, blowing air at the front of her mane, "Those meanies. They've been abusing their power with me all month...And it was just one fire! I mean, it's not like I haven't set more of them back in Ponyville."
With her back turned away from the tower, Pinkie was unable to see the small group of pegasi coming outside with the injured one being toted on a stretcher. Braeburn and a cyan blue pegasus lead the gang down the opposite end of the road. Had Pinkie not been muttering to herself, she probably would've heard the crisp voice of Rainbow Dash as she talked to Braeburn.
"Is he gonna be okay, do you think?" she asked slowly.
"Well, I reckon if you hadn't found him when you did," Braeburn put a hoof to her shoulder, "He would've been gone for. Besides this casualty, did you say that you four are the only ones left of the anti-scouts?"
Rainbow Dash nodded, holding back angry tears, "Yeah…I don't know what happened. We think it may have been clones that did this to us."
"But why would they do this? Did you provoke them?"
Rainbow Dash hesitated before lying, "I'm not sure. They thought we...had a weapon or something. They tried to look through our bags. I lost mine while they were chasing me."
Their voices died down as they took a right turn and disappeared into the city streets. Pinkie on the other hand just sat angrily against the wall of the tower, murmuring nonsense to herself. Usually whenever Pinkie Pie was in a foul mood, she would wander aimlessly without even paying attention as to where she was going. In this case, that was exactly what would happen.
Pinkie Pie muttered more arguments as she continued down the path toward the Everfree Forest. To be perfectly honest, Pinkie didn't even realize that she was in the Everfree Forest until she heard the sound of leaves crunching beneath her hooves. She jumped at the abrupt noise that stirred her away from her heated thoughts. When did she go this way? Pinkie Pie looked around to get a taste of her surroundings.
The cobblestone path had turned into a simple dirt road that was full to the brim of dead leaves. The trees seemed to glare angrily at Pinkie, but she paid them no attention as she looked around at the dry bushes. A sharp cracking sound floated out from one of them just as she turned her head to peer down the path. She glanced back at the bush cautiously. Something was in that bush.
Pinkie Pie resisted the urge to run back down the path like a frightened little school filly. Instead she inhaled sharply though her snout before taking tiny steps toward the noisy bush. The sound was a bit louder this time, causing Pinkie Pie to tremble slightly. Her tail twitched and her eyes began to flutter at the same time. Something unexpected was about to happen.
The bush began to rustle a few times as Pinkie slowly brought a hoof to touch the bush. All of a sudden a white blur attacked her hoof. Pinkie Pie let out a loud "EEP!" as she flew ten feet into the air from this unwelcome surprise. When she looked back down on the ground she noticed that it wasn't a white monster, but rather, a cute, little, white, bunny. Pinkie pie broke out laughing.
The bunny latched onto Pinkie's leg, fluffing his fur around her. This only made Pinkie Pie laugh more. She bent down closer to examine her new little buddy.
"Look at you," Pinkie grinned broadly, "Wow, you sure had me scared. What's your name little guy?"
The bunny just stared at Pinkie Pie with a bemused look upon his furry face. Pinkie blinked a few times, as if waiting for him to suddenly talk. The bunny just continued to stare at Pinkie until she looked away, distracted by another rustling noise farther away.
"You really shouldn't be wandering around here all alone, little guy. I mean, it may be a forest, and the forest may be your home, but it's dangerous here. There was this one pet bunny my friend Honeydew had in school and she let him out of his cage and you know what happened to him? He went to Everfree Forest and he was never seen again. For all we know he could've met a female bunny, had a family, and moved to a different forest…or worse. Hey, you look kinda familiar. Have I seen you before? I think I have," Pinkie rambled on and on.
The bunny had his tiny hands scrunched up to his ears as Pinkie went into depth about the feeling déjà vu and familiar faces she sees on a constant basis. He finally took his hands away from his ears just in time to hear her get to the point.
"…And that was when I realized…it was my Grandma. Anyway, as I was saying before, you kinda look a lot like my friend's pet-
"Angel!" a soft, transparent voice called out from behind Pinkie Pie.
At once the bunny was snatched away from Pinkie's leg and into the hooves of a light-yellow pony. Pinkie Pie turned to stare at this random pony that appeared out of nowhere with her jaw hanging on the floor.
"Oh, don't go wandering off like that," Fluttershy cooed to her pet as she wrapped him in a hug, "You had me oh so worried. Thank you for finding him-Pinkie Pie?!"
There was only a few seconds for Pinkie to build up enough steam to catapult herself once more into the air while letting out a loud, whooping shriek of delight. As soon as she touched the ground she pranced around in a circle around a very taken aback Fluttershy. Fluttershy's blue eyes darted around the forest as if worried that the pegasi could hear Pinkie Pie. They probably could with the volume and rate she was talking at.
"OOOHH, how did you get over here? No wait! Let me guess. You were teleported? You were kidnapped. You got lost on your way to Cloudsdale? You-
"No. No. No, " Fluttershy's worried look was still in place as she quickly shook her head, "Look, Pinkie Pie could you please quiet down. I'll explain everything later."
"Hey, what's in the bag you're carrying?" Pinkie asked with sudden curiosity, "Is it rocks? Is it cake?"
"Why would I carry around rocks?"
"You never know..." Pinkie stared into the distance for a short moment before snapping back into the present, "Anypony, what is in that bag?"
"Well, I can't show you here," Fluttershy whispered solemnly, "But if you know somewhere safe we could go-
"Fillydelphia it is then!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in a loud whisper, "Welcome aboard the Pinkie express. Hold onto your possessions and keep all hooves inside at all times! Here we go!"
Pinkie Pie grabbed ahold of Fluttershy's hoof and pulled her along at a breakneck speed. Fluttershy could barely keep up even though se was flying. Pinkie Pie continued to happily hum as they whizzed past trees and fallen logs. Fluttershy's eyes watered as Angel pulled onto her hair. Hard.
"Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy's voice trembled, "Where are you taking us?"
"I'm taking you to my house," Pinkie Pie sang, "Where else do you think we were going? To the hospital?"
"No," was all Fluttershy was able to manage saying at the rate they were running at.
It was a minute until they were finally back on the cobblestone road of Fillydelphia. Pinkie Pie thankfully slowed down as her hooves clicked and clopped against the surface of the path. Fluttershy's was getting a wing cramp so she went back onto land for now.
Tents were lined around like a little marketplace. It stretched on for about two blocks in front of them. As they came to a fast walk, Fluttershy was able to pick out a few familiar faces from Ponyville. She saw the short, light-green figure of Lyra Heartstrings selling candy with her roommate Bon Bon at one red tent. A few tents over, Fluttershy could make out the recognizable forms of a few Apple family members selling a small barrel of apples.
Stacks of houses were lined up neatly across from the marketplace one by one. And from the direction Pinkie Pie was heading in, they were going into one of those houses. Strings of ponies stared at Fluttershy and Angel with a mild fascination, but heavy suspicion. Not many pegasi wandered their way to Fillydelphia, especially if they weren't wearing an anti-scout armband. And this yellow pegasus definitely was not wearing any sort of fabric on her whatsoever.
Pinkie Pie continued to tug at Fluttershy's hoof as she skipped over to the brick-red house on the far end.
"We're getting closer," Pinkie Pie sang louder yet.
"Oh, um, goodie," Fluttershy murmured softly.
Although it was nice to see a familiar face again, Fluttershy felt a bit guilty for wanting that face to be someone other than Pinkie Pie. It wasn't that Pinkie Pie's intentions weren't good or that she was mean; of course not. It was just she was Pinkie Pie! Living with her probably wouldn't be such a piece of cake either, if Fluttershy was indeed living with her for the time being.
Pinkie Pie let go of Fluttershy so she could unlock the door to her house with a silver key she seemingly pulled out from nowhere. Pinkie Pie jiggled the doorknob this way and that for a full minute before it finally wanted to open.
"It's an old house," Pinkie laughed nervously for fear that Fluttershy would be upset over her home.
"Oh, that's fine," Fluttershy smiled meekly up at Pinkie, "At least you have a home."
"Yeah," Pinkie agreed, "It might be a tight fit though if you're planning on living here and all."
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
As soon as Fluttershy stepped into the house, her question was answered for her. A loud crash sounded from upstairs followed by the loud patter of hooves upon the floor. A short and yellow filly bounded down the stairs three at a time with a green alligator hopping behind her not too far away. Apple Bloom had grown only an inch or two over the spawn of the war. Her bow was a bit lopsided from whatever activity she had been doing upstairs and she was sporting an apron that was caked in blue and pink paint.
"Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie," the red-maned filly skidded to a stop, "Where've you been? I've been waiting for you-
Apple Bloom drifted off mid-sentence when she caught sight of Fluttershy. Her eyes popped out and her mouth gapped open, like a dead fish. Fluttershy gave Apple Bloom a weak smile in return. There was a loud shriek before the yellow pegasus found that the filly had gotten her face tangled in with her long pink hair while wrapping her hooves around her.
"Fluttershy, it's you!" she cried aloud, "Why haven't you been here? I've seen Rainbow Dash only a day ago and now you? It's a miracle!"
Both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie's eyes bulged out, "You saw Rainbow Dash?"
"Uh-huh," Apple Bloom nodded, "I saw her with a light-brown pegasus and Braeburn. I was calling them, but I guess they never heard me."
"WHAT?" Pinkie Pie hung in midair for a second or two before dropping down with little to no grace at all.
"Did you see her today?" Fluttershy asked eagerly.
"No. Big Macintosh wanted me to stay home today cuz, I have a cold. It's only a tiny one though," the filly whined.
"Gummy!" Pinkie Pie picked up her pet alligator with both hooves and began to carry him as if he were a newborn baby.
Fluttershy and Apple Bloom stared at Pinkie Pie with a matched expression of confusion. Pinkie Pie slowly put Gummy back on the floor in front of her, giving the two a wide grin.
"Ahem," She cleared her throat, "Please, continue."
Apple Bloom's eyes grazed back over to Fluttershy's, "As I was sayin', I saw Rainbow Dash just yesterday and I think Granny Smith saw her too. But Granny has been known for having some crazy dreams, so I doubt she saw Rainbow Dash last week at a skating contest for the family barn."
Fluttershy pondered this over for a few seconds. While she was in the middle of doing that Pinkie pie had begun to play with Gummy again, twirling him around in a circle. Apple Bloom glanced down at Fluttershy again just in time to see two furry feet dangle out of her pink locks of hair.
"Is that who I think it is?" Apple Bloom's face lit up again as Angel fell to the ground.
It was a small fall, but it still ticked him off. He quickly got up before his tumble caught anyone's notice. Apple Bloom bent down to pick him up off of the ground. Fluttershy barely noticed her surroundings until Apple Bloom stared back up at Fluttershy.
"What's in your bag?"
Fluttershy woke up from her trance to find that Apple Bloom was already trying to peer into it. Fluttershy snatched it away much to Apple Bloom's displeasure.
"Oh, uh, it's something that I need to show Pinkie Pie really quickly," Fluttershy had said, just barely audible over her pounding heart.
"But-
"I'm sorry, Apple Bloom," Fluttershy turned her eyes away from the filly's sad expression, "But it's none of your business for now."
Pinkie whipped her head back to look at Fluttershy, "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about the bag! What's in it? The suspense is KILLING me!"
Pinkie Pie bounced around the room as if she were a bird that had just gotten free from its cage. Fluttershy's eyes tried in vain to catch up with Pinkie, but it was no use. The pink pony was going way to fast for Fluttershy to keep track of.
"Can we talk in private, Pinkie?"
"Sure! Let's go to my room. Or should I say...our room? That's right! All three bedrooms are full, so it looks as though you'll be camping out with me tonight. Which reminds me, I've been wanting to go camping for a while now. I mean, I was kind upset when AppleJack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash went camping a few months back. That must have been fun. And I love FUN!"
Pinkie Pie led the way into a short hallway to get to her bedroom, talking all the while. Fluttershy sighed. A small part of her could already tell that she would be in for a long night.
Once Pinkie Pie had completely shut the door, Fluttershy pulled her over near the closet door.
"Listen you have to swear not to tell anyone about what is in this bag, do you understand?" Fluttershy whispered.
Pinkie pie nodded as she stuck a hoof on her eye to indicate a Pinkie promise. Fluttershy looked at the bedroom door before finally revealing the contents of her saddlebag. Pinkie's eyes widened as she saw the elements glisten.
"Where did you get those?" she yelled in a loud whisper.
"It's a long story," Fluttershy murmured, "But even I don't know half of it. I was getting ready for bed when Rainbow Dash just burst inside and told me to grab Angel so we could get out. She was in a hurry. And then as I was going to ask her what was going on, I could hear the front door being kicked down by the anti-scouts. Very angry anti-scouts. I have no clue what Rainbow Dash got herself into that night, but all I know is that we had to fly all the way down to the Everfree Forest-
"OOOH," Pinkie Pie accidentally let out an excited squeak, "That was when I found you!"
"Shhh," Fluttershy nodded over at the door.
Pinkie Pie slowly glanced over to it. At the bottom of the door, where you could see a crack, you could also see the four, yellow legs of Apple Bloom who was, without a doubt, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Ohhh," Pinkie Pie gave Fluttershy a weak smile, "Sorry."
"Anyway," Fluttershy could barely be heard, even by Pinkie Pie, "Rainbow Dash just had enough time to toss me this bag and tell me that she would meet me here in Fillydelphia."
Pinkie Pie suddenly bounced up and down, "Oooh," she whispered just as low as Fluttershy, "Before I found you, I also saw four or five anti-scouts flying in. I could only see three of them and they were holding somepony that looked really injured."
Fluttershy raised a head curiously before asking, "What did they look like?"
"Well…" Pinkie Pie thought back to the time she had the binoculars, "He had kinda a white-no, light-brown coat. His hair was a darkish brown and was all matted to the side with…sweat I think. And he had a cutie mark…but I couldn't really see it. It was just a splotch of black for me. He had to be carried by the two other pegasi and looked pretty bad."
"How bad?"
"It looked like one of his legs had been broken or badly sprained and there was blood running down the side of his head," Pinkie answered sadly, "It was an awful sight to see really. I dropped my binoculars just at the sight…in fact, I think they're still out there somewhere."
Fluttershy sighed as she leaned against the closet door, "I know the pegasi you're talking about."
"Huh?" Pinkie Pie leaned in closer, "Who is it?"
"His name's Sandalwood," Fluttershy's ears drooped slightly at the name, "He was the one who offered Rainbow Dash a job as an anti-scout when the real scouts fired her."
"Oh," Pinkie Pie stepped away slowly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"Do you know where he is? And where the others might be?" Fluttershy stood upright, "Because for all we know, Rainbow Dash could be with them. In fact I know she is."
"They shouldn't still be at the scouting tower. If anything they're at the hospital. At least that's where I would go if I one of my friends was wounded."
"Of course," Fluttershy spoke softly to mostly herself, "That means that Rainbow Dash could very well be at the hospital."
"We could go there if you want. I sometimes go do special performances for injured ponies to help them revcover. Laughter is the best medicine after all!"
Fluttershy smiled, "Oh, let's go before Rainbow Dash leaves. She said something about getting a disguise so the pegasi wouldn't know it was her. But I don't know if she was actually serious about that at all."
"Who knows, I know I would be," Pinkie Pie sang aloud in a cheerful voice.
"We need to go," Fluttershy closed her saddlebag quickly before quickly opening the bedroom door, ignoring Apple Bloom when she fell head over hooves in surprise. Angel, meanwhile fell out of Fluttershy's mane and onto the floor. He gave Fluttershy a small glare before hopping off.
"Oof," Apple Bloom clumsily got back to her hooves, "Uhhh… hi. I was just, uh, dusting the floor."
"I've got my eye on you," Pinkie bent down to reach eye-level with Apple Bloom and stared at her with her right eye closed.
"Pinkie!"
"Coming!" Pinkie pranced away from a very frightened Apple Bloom.
The hospital at Fillydelphia was not as one would expect. It had once been a prestigious school for young fillies and colts alike long ago, but it had been converted into a hospital in the months before Celestia vanquished Nightmare Moon and banished her to the moon. When Pinkie led the way to the front door, Fluttershy was pretty certain that her curly-haired friend was a bit lost in her sense of direction since this building before them was obviously a school, not a hospital.
"Pinkie," Fluttershy started, "I don't think this is a-
Fluttershy didn't get to finish her sentence when they stepped inside. It was relatively calm for today, but with nurses and doctors running back and forth from room to room, anypony could ultimately guess what type of building they were standing in.
"Here we are," Pinkie twirled around in a circle with her front legs outstretched, "Welcome to the Fillydelphia Hospital."
"Uh, wow..."
"I know right," Pinkie miraculously avoided the stream of patients and nurses as she hopped and skipped over to the front desk.
Fluttershy took a hesitant step closer to where Pinkie Pie was, but fell short after a patient brushed past her. She stopped, letting out an inner squeak. Pinkie stood by, waiting and watching happily for her friend to cross the hallway. Fluttershy took a bigger step, only to almost hit an incoming nurse and doctor.
"Watch it," the nurse replied rudely.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Fluttershy mumbled softly.
"You're almost there," Pinkie Pie's grin never faded away.
"Pinkie...you're just going to go without me. I-I don't think I can make it that far."
"Nonsense," Pinkie said with a flick of her wrist, "You can do it."
The yellow pegasus let out a small sigh before stepping forward tentatively. There was a crowd of earth ponies that walked briskly around her. Again, Fluttershy came to an abrupt halt.
"Oh, Pinkie," Fluttershy called out from two yards away, "Please just ask for a Rainbow Dash or Sandalwood. I'll catch up with you…Eventually."
"Pinkie promise?" the bouncy earth pony stared into Fluttershy's soul.
Fluttershy could feel her insides shift away from Pinkie's awkwardly powerful stare.
She bowed her head, "Stick a cupcake in my eye. Now, please?"
"Okey Dokey Loki," Pinkie turned her back toward Fluttershy and instead began to talk to the white pony at the front desk.
"Hello, how may I help you," the white pony asked in a monotone voice.
"Hello," replied Pinkie Pie, "I was wondering if a Rainbow Dash is checked in here?"
"Let me check…" the pony ducked her head down to check a long list of patient names. After a minute passed by she came back up, "No. I'm sorry, there is no Rainbow Dash here."
"Oh. Oh!" Pinkie bounced up and down, "How about a…shoot, I can't remember the name. What did you say it was Fluttershy?"
"Sandalwood," the soft voice of Fluttershy floated over from the middle of the hallway.
"Yeah, Sandalwood," Pinkie repeated back to the pony, "Do you have him checked in?"
"Let me check," the white pony ducked down once again. She came up after a few seconds, "Actually, there is a Sandalwood here. He's in room 102. But no visitors are welcome at the moment. He's undergoing surgery in a few minutes."
"Thank you for the information…" Pinkie leaned a bit closer as if waiting for an answer from the white pony.
"Cloudy sky…" the pony gave a deflated sigh, "But most call me Cloudy."
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Cloudy," Pinkie grinned from ear to ear, "I will see you later."
Pinkie Pie turned back to her yellow companion who was still stranded out in the middle of the hallway, "He's not open for visitors."
"What was that?" Fluttershy leaned in closer to hear, "I can't hear you."
"I said…he's not open for visitors! So Rainbow Dash could be anywhere!"
Fluttershy let out a puff of air, "She could be anywhere. It could take all day to find her…"
"What?" Pinkie called out.
"I said what are we going to do? It'll take all day to find he-oof!"
Fluttershy had been leaning in a bit too close and had toppled into some other pony. There was a scatter of hooves as the ponies around the pair dodged their sprawled out bodies.
"Ouch," a voice came from the floor, "My wing…it was just done healing too."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry-wait…your wing?" Fluttershy swiftly got up to her hooves.
The pony she had crashed into had risen as well and was now dusting off her anti-scouting badge. To her disappointment, it was not Rainbow Dash she had crashed into, but a tall, grey pony with silver hair. The pony's green eyes darted over to Fluttershy and stayed in the same spot for some time.
"You're a pegasus," the grey pony whispered, "And you're not an anti-scout. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm looking for my friend Rainbow Dash. You haven't seen her here, have you?" came Fluttershy's meek voice.
"Rainbow Dash, huh?" there was a hint of suspicion in the pegasus's tone, "Who are you?"
"Fluttershy…"
Recognition dawned onto the grey pegasus's face, "I know you. You're Dash's roommate, aren't you?"
Fluttershy gave a breathy chuckle, "That would be me. Yes."
The grey pegasus extended out a hoof for Fluttershy to shake, "The name's Storm. Hail Storm. I go by either name, whether Hail…or Storm."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Hail Storm," Fluttershy slowly shook the pegasus's hoof carefully, "So, do you know where Dash is? I've been trying to look for her for the past hour and a half now."
"Wait! You're a peagasus," Pinkie Pie bounded over to the two pegasi, "And you're an anti-scout too."
"You're Pinkie Pie, yeah?" Hail Storm gave a backwards nod to Pinkie, "I saw your stunt show. I loved Act Two, just to let you know."
"Ooh," Pinkie said, "I like you…"
"Storm. Hail Storm."
"Well, you're alright in my book, Ms. Storm Hail Storm."
Fluttershy cleared her throat, "Ahem, so you were saying about Dash?"
"Hm? Oh, she's waiting outside Sandalwood's room. She looks devastated just to say. You see, Sandalwood is-
"I know Sandalwood," Fluttershy interrupted, "If you don't mind me saying…"
"Oh not at all," Hail laughed, "You saved me a long story to tell."
"Hey," Pinkie frowned, "I don't know who Sandalwood is."
"I'll explain later," Fluttershy half-whispered.
Hail Storm led the way down the hallway as multiple ponies rushed past them in different directions. Pinkie Pie skipped the whole length.
"Well, could you explain a bit sooner? Cuz, every pony I know who says that has never once gotten around to explaining it to me whatsoever."
Fluttershy mentally rolled her eyes, "He was the one who introduced Rainbow Dash to the anti-scouts...which reminds me, what happened that night?"
Hail Storm sighed slowly, "It's a long story, just to warn you. But I'll tell you anyway. You deserve to know."
Pinkie's skipping stopped as she listened intently to this new story unfolding before her. Hail Storm turned a corner before starting.
"I was at my usual post at headquarters. My job is usually scouting, so I wasn't there when…those clones attacked us. I was with my scouting partner, Dust Devil, in Las Pegasus. We were there to help slow down a message sent from one of the generals to the scouting leader, Icy Rain, in Cloudsdale. While flying back home after stopping the letter getting sent, we both saw that a whole crowd of anti-scouts were chasing somepony. I saw a blast of rainbow and knew it had to be Dash. She let the others eat her dust. I was going to cheer her on, but at the time, I had no idea what was going on.
Dust Devil on the other hand knew something was not entirely right. She spotted something and started zooming straight for it. I had no choice but to follow her. That was when I too saw that there was somepony falling from the sky."
"Who was it?" Pinkie's voice was surprisingly calm if not on edge.
"It was Sandalwood, plummeting to his death. Dust Devil and I caught him, but he had built up quite the momentum by the time we had reached him. He was dragging us down with him. Dust Devil let go of him at the last second. Her wing had gotten sprained. It seemed as if Sandalwood was doomed. I couldn't hold onto him for much later. And then out of the sky came a streak of color and Sandalwood was no longer in my hooves. Rainbow Dash had gotten him for me. She was carrying him higher into the air. I followed after them."
Fluttershy's eyes widened. For a few moments, she had genuinely thought that she was actually in Hail Storm's place. Her heart was racing and her breathing was heavier than it usually was.
"W-What happened afterward?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, we were a few hundred miles away from Cloudsdale at the time, so it took a while to get here. Dust Devil and I took turns carrying Sandalwood. He had lost consciousness when we found him and wasn't showing any signs of waking. We all thought that he was dead or dying."
"I remember!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "That was you two I saw holding him when you landed. But…there was another pegasus with you two. I didn't see Rainbow Dash because somepony must have been blocking the way."
"Oh, that was probably Shining Glory you saw. He was stationed over here with another scouting partner when we were flying over to Fillydelphia. He saw that we were carrying a wounded pony, so he rushed out to help us. His scouting partner is over by the Fillydelphia marketplace looking for some stuff to put in a care package for Sandalwood if he wakes up..." Hail Storm's eyes went misty at this sentence. She quickly dabbed her eyes with her left hoof.
"It's okay," Fluttershy gently rubbed the grey pegasus's back, "I can only imagine what you've been going through."
Hail Storm fought back the few tears that had already started to spill out from her eyes, "I'm fine, Fluttershy. It's just that...they're not letting anyone in, so anything could happen with him. Especially with the state he was in when we had found him...he may be dead by the end of that operation."
There was a loud sniff from the right of Fluttershy. She turned to see Pinkie Pie's giant blue eyes spilling with endless tears. Her eyes were like two giant, blue, orbs, shimmering in the light. Fluttershy stopped rubbing Hail Storm's back to rub Pinkie's instead.
"Pinkie?..."
"I-I'm sorry," Pinkie stammered after each sob that ensued, "I-I-I s-saw him. H-he was…was...really, badly injured. His leg, his head, his wings, his...his…"
Pinkie burst out crying at the memory of his gruesome appearance. She had never knew this pony, but she felt as though she somehow did from the way everyone talked about him. He was a friend to all. If he died…No. She couldn't think like that at a time like this. He wasn't going to die. He couldn't.
Fluttershy felt a lump in her throat forming rather quickly. There was a small silence between Pinkie Pie's bawling and Hail Storm's mild sniffs as they continued to walk down the long corridor. This corridor was almost empty of staff members. Instead it housed extremely nervous shells of what would normally be cool ponies, all waiting on loved ones. Hail Storm turned another corner with a throaty sigh.
"It's this door to the left."
Sure enough door 102 stood right in the middle of 101 and 103. A few empty waiting chairs stood end to end on the other side of the wall. But there was no cyan blue pegasus that was seated in the any of the seats. Fluttershy felt as though someone threw a bucket of cold water on her head. She had never been prepared for the possibility that Dash wasn't at the hospital. Hail Storm seemed to sense this as well.
"Huh?" she wiped back the last of her tears, "I…I could've sworn she was here a few minutes ago. At least, I think so."
"I think I know where she is," Pinkie Pie replied softly.
"Where?" Fluttershy and Hail Storm asked at the same time.
"Well, I'll just say this," Pinkie paused, "I hope you don't mind going back into the Everfree Forest."
"Oh, I hate this place," Hail Storm gulped as wet leaves crunched underneath the three ponies' hooves, "This forest always gave me the creeps growing up."
Fluttershy remained calm and unworried by the low hoots and growls coming from around them "Don't worry Hail, if Pinkie's right about this, then we'll find Dash."
"I'm right about this. And even if I'm not, at least we see another familiar face from this whole thing."
"And you two are talking about that zebra, yeah?"
"Oh, you'll like her," Fluttershy smiled, "She's a really nice pony once you get to know her."
The trees around them cleared out to make way for a particularly small, wooden shack built into a large redwood tree.
"I love this tree..." Fluttershy murmured as Pinkie Pie pranced over to the front door.
Pinkie Pie knocked once, twice on the door. There came the soft creaking of floorboards sounded from inside Zecora's home. The door opened silently with the black and white silhouette of Zecora poking out from its frame.
"What is this? Oh, Pinkie Pie. And...Fluttershy?"
"Zecora, it's so great to see you," Fluttershy beamed from her spot outside her shack, "But, is Rainbow Dash here?"
"Why yes she is, but I'm afraid she has been through an emotional event that hasn't come to rest quite yet. But you may come inside. I don't want you to fret."
Zecora opened the door to her shack wider, allowing the three ponies to come inside. The shack was a bit warmer than the last time Pinkie Pie noticed. The fireplace that had seemed to be there for only decoration now had a fire crackling away in its hearth. And sitting in front of it with a blanket thrown over her shoulders was no pony other than the cyan blue pegasus they had been looking for all of that day.
She turned to see who had walked into Zecora's shack slowly, the blanket slipping over her right shoulder slightly, "F-Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie?"
"DASHIE!" Pinkie Pie sprinted to her friend as fast as Rainbow Dash could fly. Fluttershy watched in horror as Rainbow Dash was tackled instantly by a flying Pinkie Pie hug.
It took the efforts of both Hail Storm and Fluutershy to pry Pinkie Pie off of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash clutched her neck painfully as Pinkie Pie clung onto the other two pegasi.
"Gosh," she muttered under her breath, "It's been a while, Pinkie, but you don't have to kill me over it."
"Oh, it's…so-oof-great that you're s-safe," Fluttershy's thimble arms were struggling to hold onto Pinkie Pie.
"Here, I-I've got her," Hail Storm locked her front legs around Pinkie's torso to prevent her from doing even more damage to Rainbow Dash.
Fluttershy helped Rainbow Dash get up off of her feet with a concerned Zecora standing off to the side.
"Why, my dear Fluttershy, you are so very nice. Rainbow Dash, do you want some ice?" Zecora winced at the red hoof marks on Dash's neck.
"No, no," Rainbow Dash inhaled heavily, "I'm good. I'm fine. Just dandy."
"We were looking for you at the hospital," Fluttershy said, "I heard what happened to Sandalwood. I'm so sorry, Dash."
Dash's eyes became stiff and her expression turned stony, "Me too. It just happened out of nowhere. And it's my fault he was in that condition. I left him."
"What?" Fluttershy's eyes blinked rapidly. This was unheard of from Rainbow Dash.
"He told me to go without him and deliver the elements to you…and I did. I never should have! He could be dying because of me."
"Rainbow Dash, it's not your fault at all. In fact, if it's anypony's fault, it would be the-the anti-scouts," came Pinkie Pie's voice from across the room. Hail Storm had loosened her grip on her.
"Those weren't the anti-scouts," Hail Storm said almost to herself, "They were clones. We already have a hunch that it's Chrysalis behind it all."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash nodded her head in approval, "She's located in Canterlot. That's the only place that isn't completely in utter ruin. Plus, that's where the princesses lived anyway, so it would make perfect sense for her to be there."
"So, what are we supposed to do about it? It's not as though we can simply march right on over to the castle, completely undetected, right?" Pinkie Pie's head was cocked in confusion.
"Actually, that's exactly what we were planning."
Zecora's eyes flickered over to Fluttershy, "Don't worry, for Rainbow Dash is one to plan a lot. For one does not simply walk to Canterlot."
"Zecora's right," Fluttershy replied softly, "You need to really be able to plan this through. And it's not as though we're the only ones to have attempted doing a thing…like this. I mean, well, if they really are changelings…they could change into one of us easily and if the elements get into the wrong hooves…"
"You think I honestly didn't even think about that? Why do you think I was over here in the first place? I came to Zecora to get a few potions to mix together to see if we can make one that can allow us to have a changeling's ability too. Kinda like the Horsey Potter series where they have that Ponyjuice potion stuff."
"You read the Horsey Potter books?" smiled Pinkie Pie, now fully out of Hail Storm's grasp.
"What?" Dash nervously laughed as she waved a hoof dismissively at Pinkie, "Pfff…don't be ridiculous Pinkie. I only skimmed a few pages…or more. But that's not the point. The point is…we could make potions that can change who we are. Even if it's only for an hour."
"So the plan is that we mix up a few brews and then…"
"We find Rarity and Twilight," Rainbow Dash finished for Fluttershy, "And then we try to find AppleJack. We'll need all the elements to send Chrysalis back to the Badlands from where she came anyway."
Fluttershy raised a hoof as if asking a question in class, "Um, but Rainbow Dash…doesn't love send the clones back to the Badlands…not, uh, the elements."
"Well, we'll just have to make do with what we have right now. And all we have is the elements…oh."
Hail Storm's eyes met Dash's, "Wait, you have the elements? I-is that what the scouts were chasing you for?"
"Yes," Dash looked down, "It was. That's why Sandalwood made me leave him behind."
"Why didn't you leave them here?" Hail's voice was steadily becoming more and more raised, "You guys wouldn't have been chased."
"They would've cloned us and thrown us away. At the time, I was just going to show the elements to Fluttershy and then fly her and the elements back to Zecora. That was my original plan at least."
"And what good did it do? If anything, it made things a lot worse!"
"Stop yelling at me!" Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared, "You think I don't feel guilty just at the thought of Sandalwood's condition right now? I've been crying for hours because I already know that it's my fault! But would it have been any better if they cloned us and threw us in a dungeon with everypony else? Would it have been any better if Fluttershy had no idea what was wrong with me and I had turned against her? Would it?!"
Hail Storm grew quiet. She sat down in her place, defeated by Dash's harsh-yet-true words still ringing in her head. Rainbow Dash was right. This wasn't the best scenario for them to be in right now, but it wasn't the worst either. Hail Storm's head fell slightly as she nodded.
"You're right…" she looked back up at Dash, even though she knew her apology might have been too late, "I-I'm sorry. I'm just so stressed out. I-
Rainbow Dash let out a sigh, "It's fine Hail. We're all feeling a bit burned out. It's not been your average day, huh?"
A dry laugh escaped Hail Storm's lips, "No, it hasn't. Not one bit."
Zecora cleared her throat, "I'm so sorry to interrupt all of these words, but may I ask what happened to the birds?"
"What birds?" Pinkie Pie's eyes fluttered around the room.
Fluttershy spoke up from her spot near the fireplace, "There were a lot of birds chirping when we entered Zecora's house, but…it's silent."
"So what? The birds decided to leave, so what?" Rainbow Dash retorted sarcastically, "There's nothing scary about that."
"It's the silence that concerns me the most," Zecora walked over to the window cautiously, "And I do not mean to roast…but by any chance, were you three followed?"
Pinkie Pie, Hail Storm, and Fluttershy exchanged frightened looks as Zecora peered outside. She swiveled back to face the others, still sounding quite calm.
"It seems as though a there are some pegasi standing outside my shack. But do not fret my friends, for there is a hiding place in the back," she galloped over to what looked like a closet, opening the handle with her mouth.
Fluttershy grabbed ahold of her saddlebag as quickly as she could before tripping over her long, pink hair. Rainbow Dash helped her friend up as they rushed over to Zecora's side and by the open door of the closet.
Inside was the contents of a closet, but when Fluttershy turned to look at Zecora with a confounded look upon her face, she saw that Zecora was now opening another door inside the closet.
"Hurry ponies, come inside," Zecora whispered hurriedly, "While I talk, you all must hide."
The four ponies went inside the dark space one by one. The door swung shut behind them and they listened intently at the sound of Zecora's hoof steps leading toward her front door.
"Excuse me, but may I just ask why you are in my yard?" they held their breath as Zecora's voice carried out from the threshold of her doorway.
"We are from the scouting unit from Cloudsdale. We believe that two pegasi are in this vicinity with…a certain weapon."
"Then why stop here if they are on your side? Why go looking for them far and wide? Why ask for the help of someone against war? So leave, be away with you with your blood and your gore!"
"If you don't comply, we can have you taken with us. No pony will ever know," came a gruff voice that sounded a bit familiar.
"Milky Way?" Hail Storm murmured under her breath.
"Fine, go search my hut," Zecora spat at the pegasi, "What you'll find, I don't know what."
Multiple sounds of hooves upon creaking floorboards were heard from the crack of the doorway. Zecora closed the door.
"What's this?" Milky Way shouted at Zecora impatiently.
"Hey, that is a treasured gem," the deep voice of Zecora answered, "They are from-hey, what is going on with them?"
"Who?"
"Those buffoons straight ahead. Hey. Hey! Stay out of my shed!"
The four ponies trapped in the closet's manes stood on end when there came the sound of the closet door opening. There was a great deal of rummaging from outside their door. A sound of a loud slap stopped the pegasi short from reaching the doorknob.
"You'll pay for that," the pegasi screetched in pain.
"No, leave her be," Milky Way snapped as he too began to rummage around the closet, "If she had to resort to violence, that means she is definitely hiding something."
"The only thing I'm hiding are my prized artifacts, which took many a year to collect and find. So please, don't be so blind. You barge in and I gave you permission to do so. You can search high and you can search low. But don't touch my possessions; they are worth more than you and me. You see?"
Milky Way did not reply. That only made the ponies even more nervous. A speck of dust floated over around them, tickling their snouts. Fluttershy inhaled rapidly as the others struggled to cover her mouth.
"Let's go," Milky Way finally announced, "There's nothing here but a lonely zebra and her stuff anyway. We have better places to be anyway."
"Where are we going sir?"
"We're going to pay Fillydelphia a visit. Without the anti-scouts, they're sitting ducks. And that is just what we need."
Fluttershy gasped over the six pairs of hooves covering her mouth. She looked up to see the worried expressions of Rainbow Dash and Hail Storm. After a few minutes there came a knock upon the door. Zecora opened it slowly.
"Are you four alright? That was the worst fright-
"Zecora, we have to go to Fillydelphia right now! We need every throwing knife you have, every flammable device you have on you, right this instant!" Rainbow Dash shouted in a hushed whisper.
"I'm sorry, my four. But I got rid of those a few days after the war."
"Look, Zecora," Dash sighed, "We can make the potions later, but for now, we have to defend Fillydelphia. If they burn down the hospital or take captives…"
Zecora sighed too, "Alright, I see what you must do. But if you want, you can take these two."
Zecora took out a small bag that was on the table and opened it. Out of its contents came out two daggers.
Hail Storm's eyebrows shot up, "I thought you got rid of-
"Tis a lie I made up to save you. But now I realize that the time is too few. I cannot hold you four back. So by all means, attack. But meet back here after the fighting and you four commence. Pinkie, you stay with me. I need your Pinkie Sense."
Pinkie gave a hoof salute to Zecora and hopped on over to the table to sit beside her. Fluttershy meanwhile cleared her throat.
"Um, Zecora. Could I stay behind too? I'm not much of a fighter."
"Hay," Rainbow Dash rested her hoof on her faint-hearted friend, "If you've helped defeat clones before, then you can do it again. It's easy as pie."
"OOH, where? Where?" Pinkie looked around the room excitedly.
"There's no pie, Pinkie," Hail Storm snapped.
"Well, Dash…" Fluttershy gulped, "It was easier then when we had six of us…and not three."
"So? That means we have more wing power. Look, just stay on the ground and find Sandalwood before the pegasi do. Hail and I can do the nitty gritty work."
"If you're sure…"
"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash looked deeply into her friend's eyes, "I've never been more sure about anything in my life. Now...let's go!"
Zecora had already gotten to the door and opened it for them, "Bring Sandalwood and your friends back to my shack. Trust me, there is more than that secret closet in the back."
Rainbow Dash and Hail Storm opened their wings and were already in position to fly out with Fluttershy lingering behind them. Fluttershy felt her stomach take a swan dive leap off of a five story building as she glanced back at the shrinking figures of Zecora and Pinkie Pie. And then with the swift close of the door, they vanished.
Fluttershy's heart hammered at her chest as she ran across the dirt floor of the forest, which was quickly fading into cobblestone road with every step she took.
"Just get Sandalwood and go," She repeated to herself for the fifth time, "But-wait...he's in surgery. How am I supposed to get him?"
Fluttershy was now by the marketplace of Fillydelphia. Ponies to the left and right of her were loading up their fireball launchers. Fluttershy was just going to keep going when she heard a squeaky voice from overhead.
"Fluttershy, what's goin' on?" Apple Bloom was staring out the window with large, glass-like eyes.
"Oh, um," Fluttershy racked her brain for a reasonable answer to tell a little filly.
"There's pegasi comin', isn't there?"
Fluttershy looked back up to the window. Apple Bloom's face was closer still from the second story window of Pinkie Pie's house.
"Uh, Come downstairs with Granny Smith, but you have to hurry, Apple Bloom," Fluttershy called.
The window was shut immediately. Fluttershy moved silently past other ponies until she was at the front door. As soon as she leaned against the door for support, it magically swung open. Apple Bloom and Granny Smith hobbled over to Fluttershy.
"Why do you want us outside durin' a raid?" Granny asked in her crackling voice.
"Here," Fluttershy got herself up off of the ground, "Follow me."
They pushed and shoved past more ponies. Apple Bloom was having trouble staying with them, so Fluttershy grabbed Apple Bloom by the mouth and swung her around so she could sit on her back. They began to pick up more speed until they were back at the outskirts.
"Okay, I have to go do something really, really important. So, just follow that path no matter what until you see a cabin. That's where Pinkie Pie and Zecora are."
"But what about you?" Apple Bloom asked, ignoring what Fluttershy had just said moments ago, "I wanna come with ya."
"Apple Bloom, uh, sweetie," Fluttershy took her off of her back, "You have to stay with Granny Smith. You can't just leave her here. And you have to go now, before the pegasi-
"Look!" a brown pony screetched, "Look in the sky!"
Fluttershy looked up and saw a giant cloud of pegasi littering the sky, but one by one they were being taken out by a treak of rainbow. Ponies stared upward, appalled by this dash of color across the sky, followed by a white and grey one.
"Apple Bloom, go now!"
Before Apple Bloom could argue with her anymore, Fluttershy trotted away as fast as she could to the hospital. She knew that she was already running out of time.
• • •
Cloudy Sky hadn't been planning on working a single minute past her final shift for the day. She also hadn't been planning on being the only pony working at the front desk during a pegasi raid either. Everypony had fled to get to the safety of the bomb shelters or to the grounds of Fillydelphia to fight. This wasn't the firs attack either. As soon as the pegasi had tore Ponyville to shreds they immediately sought Fillydelphia. It was the biggest earth pony camp in all of Equestria after all.
Cloudy knew the drill anyway. Stay at the desk in case anypony came in, duck underneath the desk whenever a bombshell erupted over the hospital, and for the love of Equestria, don't leave until the all clear siren went off. It would probably be midnight by the time that happened though. She had found it fishy that a band of pegasi had come in only hours before this invasion happened. For all Cloudy knew, those pegasi could've been conspiring with those wretched animals that were flying around the city. But deep inside, she knew it wasn't true. Something had happened to just that small group of pegasi.
One of them was in the middle of on operation, two of them were wandering around outside somewhere, as for the other three she had seen come in…
BOOM! The sound of the hospital doors being thrust open caught Cloudy Sky by surprise. The dark shadowy figure of a pegasus stood in between the two doors. She ducked under her desk, shivering slightly as the doors slammed shut. She was done for. The pegasi had gotten in. Every pony would be captured, starting with her!
And then the tiniest voice sounded, "Uh, hello? Is anyone here?"
That voice, Cloudy peered from the edge of her desk, she knew that voice. It was that yellow pegasus from before. Cloudy pointed a hoof at Fluttershy.
"You! Yeah, you! Don't move. W-what side are you on? Huh?"
Fluttershy bowed her head shyly, "I-I'm sorry, but I'm looking for Sandalwood. Is he still I his operation?"
Cloudy narrowed her eyes, "I think he is. The doctors went into his room two hours ago, and usually it's a five hour operation. But who knows, maybe your friends is lucky."
"Oh no," Fluttershy murmured ever so softly.
She couldn't wait a whole three hours. By then the pegasi could very well break through Fillydelphia. The anti-scouts hadn't been able to equip them all with fireball throwing technology so soon, or at least when there had been anti-scouts. Weapons were running low for the ponies even with Hail Storm and Rainbow Dash on the scene. Things were still grim one way or another.
A loud roaring sound brought both Cloudy and Fluttershy down to the floor in fear. When the roaring noise faded away, Fluttershy looked around hesitantly.
"Why are y-you still here?" she asked Cloudy Sky.
"You think I had a choice? I'd give anything to be in one of the bomb shelters right now with everypony else, but I'm stuck here, guarding the front desk, until either the pegasi leave or until your friend is done with his operation."
A loud shriek from outside drew Fluttershy and Cloudy Sky closer together.
"I-I think that w-was-
Cloudy Sky's sentence was cut short as the twin doors of the hospital were catapulted forward, nearly crushing Fluttershy and Cloudy.
Up in the sky, Rainbow Dash and Hail Storm were zipping in and out of enemy pegasi. Rainbow Dash already had a string of pegasi chasing after her, but it was no use for them. Everypony that came within a foot of Dash was sliced by her throwing knife or smacked aside by her powerful wings. Hail Storm followed in her wake, taking care of any pegasi that were still trailing after her friend.
She swung her knife down onto a pale pink pegasus, cutting her wing in the process. The pegasus let out a bloodcurdling shriek as she fell downward. Her screaming finally stopped when she hit an oncoming cloud. The black pegasus that had been in front of her turned to see Hail Storm's hoof kick him directly in the face.
"Hail Storm!" Rainbow Dash called out from behind her shoulder as she raced past a short and stout pegasus, "Do you see that small group of pegasi over there?"
She indicated a small cloud halfway towards them with up to five pegasi on top of it. Hail Storm squinted and was able to make out the indistinct outline of a bomb.
"Yeah," she answered loudly as she zipped along Rainbow Dash's wake, cutting the ear of a light red pegasus.
"Let's crash their party!"
Rainbow Dash's wings folded in as she rocketed herself at the group. Hail Storm watched in fascination as Dash reminded her of a bullet that was yet to reach its target. Dash knocked several of the ponies off of the cloud, but two clung onto the bomb, accidentally activating it. Dash had clopped them aside the heads when the bomb toppled out of the cloud suddenly. Hail Storm, not even thinking, dove for the bomb before it could do any damage.
Her wings folded in just as Dash had done, but it wasn't doing much for her. She was only a few feet away from the iron casket when a cyan blur careened past her at the speed of light. Hail Storm was thrown off course as a sonic rainboom roared slammed into her body.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion from that moment forward. Hail Storm collided into a cloud with a loud snap, letting out a mangled scream. Rainbow Dash struggled to hold up the bomb that was hurtling down to the depths of Fillydelphia. Hail Storm watched in horror as her friend descended with it. And then it happened all too fast.
Just as the bomb was reaching its destination with Rainbow Dash still clutching onto it for dear life, she was magically pulled off. As for the bomb, it exploded in the air, just a few meters outside of the hospital. Dash sputtered in shock as she landed right outside the hospital doors unharmed.
"Wha-what?" Rainbow Dash looked around in disarray.
"I never knew that you could still be reckless even in a war, Rainbow Dash," A familiar voice said from behind.
Rainbow Dash spun around to come face to face with Twilight Sparkle. Dash's rose-colored eyes widened as she took a step back.
"How? What are you…why?" She stammered uncontrollably.
"Let's just say that the unicorns are no longer neutral in this war anymore," Twilight smirked.
Rainbow Dash looked around Fillydelphia and saw dozens upon dozens of unicorns scattered about, throwing magic spells at incoming troops of pegasi. It just felt too good to be true. Members of the royal guard were standing side-by-side with other ponies and flinging burning arrows at individual pegasi. The scratched and bruised Lyra Heartstrings shielded her friend Bon Bon from a fireball coming in from the enemy's side. And a familiar shaggy blue-maned unicorn was levitating Hail Storm out of her cloud.
"How did you guys get here?" Rainbow asked, astonished at the scene around her.
"Zecora had a tunnel leading directly to Manehatten. We had a little help getting here from a very little friend of ours-
There was a small moan coming from inside of the hospital. Reality came crushing back on Rainbow Dash. She had forgotten about Fluttershy what with the unicorns and the bomb. It had never occurred to her that her friend was still in there until now. Rainbow Dash rushed inside the gaping hole where the doors used to be with Twilight following right behind her.
Fluttershy had gotten knocked out momentarily from the blast, but was otherwise all right. She had woken up just as Rainbow Dash and Twilight got inside.
"Fluttershy! Are you okay?" Dash called out.
"I-I'm over here. T-Twilight? Is that you?"
Yes," Twilight smiled grimly as she helped a passed out earth pony come out from the charred remains of her desk. The side of her head was scratched slightly, but that was the only wound she had on her. She would be fine.
Fluttershy gasped at the sight of Cloudy Sky being flung onto Twilight's back, "Cloudy...Will she be okay?"
Twilight nodded, "She'll be fine Fluttershy. But we have to leave and fast. The unicorns are all using a lot of magic right now and we're still waiting for backup to arrive."
"Backup?" Dash asked at the same time as Fluttershy.
"You'll see," Twilight winked, "So, where's your friend?"
"He's getting operated on. Or that's what they say," Fluttershy answered, "Wait, how did you know about Sandalwood?"
"Pinkie Pie explained. A lot."
"Pinkie Pie?"
"It's a long story," Twilight murmured as she set Cloudy onto a mildly scorched bench, "Here, Fluttershy, you stay here until this pony wakes up and then meet me at Sandalwood's room. Rainbow Dash, protect this place with everything you've got."
"I'm on it," Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a salute before opening up her wings and flying out into the war stricken sky.
Twilight turned back to Fluttershy, "Okay, tell..."
"Cloudy," Fluttershy finished for Twilight.
"Well, tell Cloudy that she can leave when she wakes up. Also try to find a first aid kit and patch her up. She had a few scratches on her.
"Uh, but where am I going to find a first aid kit, Twilight?" Fluttershy's darted to and fro.
Twilight arched an eyebrow at that question, "Um, you do know that we're in a hospital, right?"
Fluttershy's light yellow face began to turn a crimson red, "O-oh…I know. I-I just meant, uh, what room."
"Well, try the one across the hall," Twilight pointed at a door that was a bit burnt by the impact of the two flaming hospital doors.
Fluttershy ran into the room just as Twilight ordered her to do. Sitting on a windowsill was a bright orange box already left unopened. Fluttershy opened the box and looked inside to find all she needed: bandages, band-aids, pain relievers. She closed it and proceeded to grab it by her mouth.
"Twi, I've goft irt. Twilight?"
There was nopony in the hallway anymore. Fluttershy gulped as Cloudy Sky began to groan aloud. She walked toward her carefully with the box still being held in her mouth.
"W-where am I? Am I still in the hospital?" Cloudy asked in a shallow gasp, "It's you. What are you still doing here? I'm not dead am I?"
"No, not at all," Fluttershy placed the first aid kit down onto the ground, "But you got a bit hurt. Nothing to worry about though. Here, just lean back and let me patch you up."
Cloudy laid her head back down onto the bench, "Okay...I had the weirdest dream. Or, I think it was a dream. I was walking through this meadow…a-and it began raining, like, really hard. I saw this cabin up ahead, so I ran towards it. Only...the mpmore I ran to it, the farther away it got. The rain was turning to snow and then the snow…I-I think it began turning to hail. It was really hurting me to be outside and I needed to get to this cabin. A giant hail stone hit me in the head when I woke up."
Fluttershy was already taping down the bandage on Cloudy Sky's forehead when she finished her story, "Well, don't worry. You've been here this whole time. Nothing to worry about."
A scream made both Cloudy and Fluttershy jump. The scream had come from Sandalwood's room.
"Twilight!" Fluttershy gasped, "Come on!"
"Wait, what?" Cloudy's beady eyes locked onto Fluttershy's large ones, "You're crazy to think I'm coming with you after all of this."
"Fine, then stay here," Fluttershy took off as another scream pierced the air.
She glanced behind her to see that Cloudy Sky was chasing after her. Cloudy called aloud, "Nothing better happen to us, okay!"
"Don't worry," Fluttershy fibbed, "I'm sure we'll be fine."
But she didn't realize how wrong she was.
Twilight had seen many grizzly scenes in her life before, but for some reason nothing could amount to what lay before her right now. The sight she saw was neither gory nor bloody in any case. It was just alarming and unnerving to see to the average pony, but for Twilight…it brought back the faintest memory that had been locked away inside of her mind for years. And it was all rushing back to her as she stared at the pale body of Sandalwood strewn over his cot with the smallest hint of a shadow lying right over him, covering him like a blanket.
It all happened on the same day Twilight had gotten her cutie mark. The same afternoon Princess Celestia had declared her to be her newest student. Twilight had been on her way home to her house so she could pack her belongings. Princess Celestia had given her the offer of living in Canterlot Castle with her, so of course Twilight couldn't resist. She was walking down the cobblestone pathway with her parents side-by-side with her when something dashed past them in the corner of her eye. She had turned her head to look around for whoever had caused that movement to happen, but there was no pony there.
Shrugging, Twilight leaned a bit closer to her father in case she saw the shadowy figure again. Another five minutes passed before she had the oddest sensation that she was being watched. Her eyes flickered back and forth and her breath was caught in her throat.
"Twilight, what's wrong?" her mother frowned at her daughter's sudden intense behavior.
"Huh?" Twilight jumped, "Oh, it's…nothing."
Twilight's lavender-colored eyes scanned her surroundings once more just to make sure she wasn't imagining things again. And then she saw it. It was only there for twenty seconds at the most before it vanished seemingly out of thin air, but Twilight had it stuck in her mind for a while. She had glanced over at one of the buildings, the one that was right next to the bookshop, and saw a dark, misty pony galloping by. The only thing was that there came an audible, choked out cry from the pony as it trotted away as fast as possible. As Twilight leaned in a bit closer to see, she could see that it was in fact a tall, brown stallion with a large, black sheet of shadow wrapping him up in such a way that it was strangling him.
Twilight closed her eyes tightly as she let out a frightened scream. When she opened her eyes she was standing right in front of Sandalwood's bed. His eyes were bloodshot and his mouth hung ajar but in that moment before the shadow completely covered him, he breathed out just three words.
"They aren't…c-c-c-lones."
And then he went limp. The shadow began to quickly disappear, sinking into Sandalwood's sandy coat. His body went three shades darker than before and his eyes fluttered shut. Twilight let out an alarmed scream again as she took a step back.
The door to the room opened and a light yellow pegasus poked her head inside, "Twilight, what's wrong? Oh no!"
Fluttershy's eyes focused on Sandalwood's body, "Is h-he dead? Where are the doctors?"
"I-I don't know," Twilight gasped, "He-He…"
Cloudy Sky just managed to poke her head in along with Fluttershy's when Sandalwood suddenly sprang back to life. His eyes narrowed into slits and he smiled cruelly up at the three ponies.
"I thought you said he was dead." Cloudy turned to look at Fluttershy with a panicked grimace.
Sandalwood threw off his blanket and in rigid motions began to slowly rise from the bed. Fluttershy and Cloudy took multiple steps back in fear. Twilight stepped forward.
"Sandalwood?" her voice rang out in the short stretch of silence.
The Sandalwood that stood before Twilight let out a sharp crackle, whipping his head back viciously before answering her question, "You have no idea."
Before Twilight could decipher what he meant by those words, he began to dig his hoof into the floor, getting into charging position.
"Run!" Twilight burst out, "Run you two!"
Cloudy Sky and Fluttershy didn't need to be asked twice. Fluttershy's wings opened up as she soared toward the gaping entrance of the door, trying not to go too fast. Cloudy sprinted for her life; just a few strides shy of Twilight. This new Sandalwood however was already flapping his wings open with a mighty snapping noise. Twilight glanced over her shoulder just in time to see him take off, reaching outwards for Cloudy Sky.
"No!" Twilight skidded to a halt, her heart hammering loudly.
Without time to even breathe let alone think, Twilight shot out a spark at the incoming Sandalwood. His manic grin froze in place along with the rest of his body before he simply vanished. Cloudy Sky, who had stopped running and was simply cowering, just stared at the puff of smoke that indicated where Sandalwood had been. Twilight breathed in and out slowly and deeply.
"D-Did you kill him?" came the soft voice of Fluttershy from her position near the entrance.
"No," Twilight shook her head, "I just teleported him. He's somewhere in the Badlands now."
"What exactly happened in there?" Cloudy Sky gawked at Twilight.
Twilight sunk to the ground until she sitting in a heap on the floor, "I don't know. He had this…shadow thing covering him. It was killing him, I think. Or-no…it couldn't have…"
Fluttershy let out a small, shrill, yelp as Rainbow Dash landed right next to her, "The pegasi aren't falling back, Twilight. Do we need backup? Uh, where's Sandalwood?"
Twilight spun around to see her cyan blue friend poking her head from the charred remains of the two doors. Her eyes hung on Dash before she spoke up, "He's gone."
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Rainbow Dash attempted not to show the panic in her voice, "Is he dead?"
"No…he's-he…he turned into something. I'm not sure what, but I sent him to the Badlands."
"Why'd you do that for?"
"Well, since he came back from the dead to attack us…you're right. We should've just thrown him a surprise party instead," Cloudy didn't even try to mask the sarcasm in her voice.
"Hey, watch the tone, pegasister," Rainbow Dash snapped, "Or do I have to beat it out of you?"
"Bite me," Cloudy shot back.
"Be careful what you wish for," Dash let out a heavy snort from her nose.
"You guys, stop it. We're already in a war and we don't need another going on in here, okay?" Twilight stomped her hoof in defiance.
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to retort but thought better of it. Cloudy Sky merely let out an unregistered grumble. Fluttershy glanced between ponies with her slanted, teal eyes. Twilight stood back up.
"That's what I thought," she barked, "Now, I say let's go back outside and fight while we still can. And don't worry; back up is on its way, Rainbow Dash. Let's move on out."
The three other ponies followed Twilight out of the battered doorway and into the open. A small bomb exploded in the air overhead, showering down orange and yellow flames onto the street. The pegasi in the air had thinned out by quite a lot in number. Rainbow Dash flung herself back into the air while Twilight shot at other pegasi. Cloudy Sky dodged a flaming piece of wood miraculously and ran off without warning, leaving Fluttershy by herself. Fluttershy trembled in the midst of this chaos surrounding her. A loud series of booms caused her to look up into the sky.
"The back up is here!" Twilight laughed as she shot a freeze spell at a furry pegasus speeding toward her, "They're here!"
In the air were the unmistakable, soaring back-up Twilight had mentioned. Their uniforms were curved around their winged bodies and their goggles were fully polished. The remaining loyal Wonderbolts were in position with Spitfire in the middle. Her jet-orange hair was slicked back with perspiration and wind. Lots and lots of wind. Fluttershy almost missed them as they broke the speed of sound.
Hail Storm, who was on the ground getting her wing bandaged by a white earth pony, smiled from ear to ear. She punched the air with her good foreleg, hooting as the dozen or so Wonderbolts passed her overhead.
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. To be honest, she had been expecting a few dozen more unicorns with the exception of Pinkie Pie with her party cannon strapped to some flying contraption, but this…this was more than she could've imagined. She found herself screaming with joy as her idols turned a sharp right one at a time, shooting themselves toward the nearest enemies.
Even Cloudy Sky was enthused by the winged ponies' appearance. She stared at the sky, awestruck by all that was happening so fast, unaware that something had caught fire next to her.
In the end, the last few pegasi remaining high-tailed it to Cloudsdale before anyone could shoot them down. The all-clear siren was barely heard over the few hundred ponies shouting in victory. Many were gathered around the marketplace, celebrating, laughing, and singing. A hundred voices were heard around Fillydelphia for the first time in weeks if not months.
"We won! We won!" Rainbow Dash had chanted when Twilight joined her and Fluttershy by the marketplace.
"So I've heard," Twilight chuckled, "Pretty neat, huh?"
Fluttershy smiled lightly, "How'd you get the Wonderbolts as back-up Twilight? I thought they were imprisoned."
"Well, a few were taken as prisoners, but I think the unicorns were able to get them before the changelings cloned them," Rainbow Dash answered before Twilight could.
Twilight suddenly remembered Sandalwood's last words. They aren't clones. If they weren't clones…what were they? And what happened the night Twilight saw the shadow thing? Twilight opened her mouth to tell Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy this, but the sound of a horn interrupted Twilight, or rather the sound of a certain flugelhorn. Pinkie pie was marching to the marketplace from the pathway to Zecora's shack with ten royal guards marching in two lines behind her. She blew the horn again, causing the remainder of the ponies to look at her.
Pinkie Pie spat out the mouthpiece of the horn with a grin, "Mares and Fouls, I present to you...Princess Cadence!"
A few hoof claps followed, but not many. Twilight looked around the sea of faces. Some looked a bit unhappy to have been interrupted in the middle of their celebration while others were more perplexed. In their minds' eyes, Princess Cadence had been the only princess in Equestria left and she didn't do anything to help with the war. But here she was after sending a hundred unicorns out to battle with the pegasi. Most of the ponies standing around the marketplace didn't really know whether to think of her actions in perfect timing or a little belated.
Two royal guards stood to the right and left of Cadence; one holding a royal banner and the other holding a small saddlebag. Twilight let out a small tsk at Cadence's shy expression. Even Cadence knew the feelings of the ponies around her. But now was not time to dwell, it was instead time to talk. She levitated a scroll of paper out from the saddlebag and began to read aloud.
"My dear citizens of Equestria…" Cadence began, "You probably have been wondering more than ever why there has been no help from the unicorns until now. I will tell everypony here what happened, not because I want my conscience cleared, but because I want everypony here on this day to know the truth. "
And then Cadence launched into story about how Prince Blueblood was running a tyranny in Manehatten. How there was nothing she could do to him because he had Shining Armor dangling in front of her like a puppet. How Twilight saved her husband and was able to recover a small detail about who started the war. This left many ponies wanting to know that little detail, anything that may give away who had caused this living hell for everypony.
"Who is it? What pegasus would cause this?" a few earth ponies in the crowd heckled in the middle of Cadence's speech.
"It is no pegasus," Cadence murmured slowly, "But rather...an earth pony like yourselves."
Gasps were passed around in unison. One of their own kind had been the one behind this the whole entire time? It just seemed like a cruel trick now. A few colts and fillies burst out crying. Everypony was yelling and hollering. Twilight shot a single blast of fire out from her horn to silence the angered crowd.
Cadence cleared her throat, "Thank you, Twilight. Well, we want to end this war more than ever. I, Princess Cadence, officially declare the unicorns to be part of the earth pony reliance. Whenever there is a battle between ponies and pegasi…we will be there. Whenever there is famine, hardships, or tyranny running amuck…we will be there. And when the pegasi are defeated once and for all…we will be there!"
The entire crowd of ponies burst into applause. Even the ones that weren't clapping along had huge beams on their faces with the faintest tears running down their cheeks. This was a dream come true. They had driven pegasi out of their camp for perhaps the final time. They won the battle and had the proof to show it. And now they had an ally in this whole war.
Cadence turned away from the cheering sea of ponies and instead turned to face Twilight and the others, "You guys have to go to Canterlot and find the source of the war. I've already called for Rarity and she's on her way. Use the elements of harmony and Zecora to get there."
"But what about Apple Jack?" Pinkie Pie frowned as she bounced up and down, "She isn't here. We can't activate the elements without her."
"Find her as fast as you can then," Cadence finished, "Equestria lies in your hooves from this point forward. I'll assist you as much as I can. I promise."
The four ponies bowed to the princess in an according manner before galloping off to Zecora's hut, leaving the other ponies behind to continue their festivities, completely unaware or the worries the mane six, or five for now, felt. But why would they have to? It wasn't their quest. To them, their quest was completed when the last pegasus cowered away from their fireballs and spells.
As the four were trotting down the weed stricken dirt road, Twilight let out a defeated sigh, "You guys, there's something I need to tell you guys about what happened at the hospital…"
"What do you mean they're not clones?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
The ponies had met up with Zecora and Rarity only minutes ago and were now in the confines of Zecora's shack once more, sitting down all together at her table. Rarity stood to the side of the table with her eyes fixated on the map of Equestria laid out on the table's wooden surface.
"That's just what he said," Twilight shrugged defensively, "Zecora, do you know what he means?"
Everypony turned to stare at their zebra friend. She had been sitting at the head of the table, naturally of course. Zecora took a long sip of her herbal tea before looking back at them with a somber stare.
"I'm afraid that…I am not quite sure what these creatures are if they're not clones. But maybe they are some kind of…drone."
"Drone?" Fluttershy asked softly, barely audible over the distant noise of ponies celebrating, "You mean something that controls other ponies?"
"That is what appears to be," Zecora looked around the shocked faces that were sitting around her in a circle, "But I wouldn't believe all that you see."
Rainbow Dash felt her stomach churn. If those weren't clones…who had she and Hail Storm been hurting out there? She suddenly had the urge to vomit.
"I don't feel so good," she muttered in a hoarse whisper, already feeling a steady trickle of bile bubbling up in her throat.
Rarity let out a small pitying tsk, "Oh, Rainbow Dash…do you need some water or fresh air, darling? You look greener than an emerald jewel."
In reply, Rainbow Dash rushed over to what looked like a trash can and threw up. A few ponies such as Rarity and Pinkie groaned at the sudden, putrid smell. Zecora stood up from the table to lay a hoof on Rainbow Dash's back, stroking it like a loving mother would. After a second heave, Rainbow Dash came up, breathing heavily with tears streaking down her cheeks.
"I-I'm fine," Rainbow Dash said finally as she took a seat back at the table, her chest rising heavily.
Twilight turned back to everypony else at the table, "We need to find a way into Canterlot undetected. Rumors had it that that was where the pegasi, or the shadow-things, had taken all of their captives. Zecora is there some sort of spell or potion we could drink that may make us, I don't know, invisible?"
Zecora walked over to her cauldron, nervously, "There is one particular brew...but I am still waiting for it to change its hue."
"What does it do?" Rarity inquired from her spot next to Pinkie Pie.
Zecora was stirring the brew counterclockwise with a long, wooden paddle. She placed it back down gently as she answered, "It's a home made brew that can cause you to take the shape of the pony they'll least expect, or so I hope. If it turns bad, please don't mope. For, I've already made an antidote."
"What's the worst it can do?" Rainbow Dash asked only the slightest but skeptical.
"It may cause you to lose your sight for a day or two," Zecora shrugged, "But it depends on who I give it to."
"So, not all of us are getting it?" Fluttershy asked tentaviley, relaxation creeping into her tone of voice.
"You will, after I look over the pony who had it first to make sure that they don't become too sick. But I'm sure that the antidote will certainly do the trick."
Rainbow Dash did a facehoof as Twilight and the others fidgeted around slightly. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh, "Zecora, we don't have time to wait."
"The pegasi do," Zecora spat back at Dash, slightly surprised at the way she sounded, "And so will you."
Twilight raised a hoof slightly as if she were back in magic kindergarten again, "Zecora, why don't we wait in Manehatten. I'm sure that that's where the pegasi will make their next attack on. We can take the tunnel back there and then get the potions from you and then hitch on over to Canterlot. Us waiting in Manehatten would seem a bit...well, less unnerving if you will than waiting here."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Zecora smirked, "That you are not comfortable doing it my way?"
Twilight found herself blushing heavily, "No, no, no, not at all. I'm just trying to say that…we'll feel more useful to be in Manehatten where the unicorns will need us. It's just Shining Armor there after all, so…"
"Have some patience, my dear Twilight. Making this brew will not take all night. It's just a twenty-minute wait. But alas, I can see why you're in a nervous state," Zecora poured a salt of some kind into the cauldron now, making it bubble and boil. Pinkie Pie watched in awe from behind.
Rarity stepped forward, "I could be the first test subject if you want, Zecora. I'm not af-afraid as long as there's an antidote."
Zecora laughed, "My, my, Rarity, you really are full of generosity and charm. And alas, this potion won't do very much harm."
"No, I'll do it," came the squeaky voice of somepony who had been eavesdropping from the closet.
"Apple Bloom?" Fluttershy gasped, "H-How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," Apple Bloom charged for Zecora, coming to a skid right next to her cauldron, "But I'm serious. I want to do it."
Zecora glanced over everypony, "But my dear Apple Bloom, you are just a small filly. Please sit down and stop acting so silly."
"Silly? If you give that potion to Rainbow Dash and she really does go blind, And just for the hay of it, let's say that that antidote of yours doesn't work, how will she be able to fly or even go to Canterlot with the rest of the mane…uh four?"
Twilight shook her head, "Apple Bloom, we all appreciate your reliance, but Zecora's right, you're too young."
"I'm not too young," Apple Bloom pulled away from Twilight, who had been tugging her back by the foreleg, "All of ya'll have something to lose if you take even one sip of that there potion. What will I lose? Nothing, that's what. So what, I can't see for a few days, big whoop. If any of ya'll do it, we're all doomed, cause who knows when the pegasi will come back."
Rainbow Dash bowed her head silently, "She's right you know. But why don't we get somepony else. Somepony who's older, you know?"
"And who's gonna agree to take a potion that'll probably make them lose their vision? The answer to that is no pony, that's who. I'm the only pony you've got. Or would you rather have me go get Granny Smith to take the potion instead?"
The room fell silent at this suggestion. They all knew for a fact that Granny Smith wouldn't hesitate to take the potion instead of them and it would be the last thing they wanted if anything went wrong.
Rainbow Dash looked at Apple Bloom with a mixture of sorrow, regret, and admiration, "Apple Bloom, you don't have to do this. One of us can-
"Rainbow Dash, we both know what needs to happen and when. If you want to put an end to this war, give me the potion."
Zecora let out a mighty sigh, "The potion is done as soon as it turns gold like the sun."
"What color is at right now," Twilight asked, "It can't have been twenty minutes already."
"It is an orange color right now," Zecora nodded over to her fresh brew, "As for Apple Bloom...her drinking this potion, I just cannot allow."
It went back and forth like this for quite some time with Apple Bloom arguing with the others. Rainbow Dash repeatedly tried to carry her out of the shack, but Apple Bloom would kick her in the snout, causing Dash to drop her. After the third time she was dropped, Twilight exclaimed rather loudly, "ENOUGH!"
Everyone stopped debating and looked at her. Twilight was looking at the brew still bubbling in the cauldron now.
"I'll drink it. As long as it's not Apple Bloom. It's already golden and we don't have that much time, okay?"
"But Twilight, you're the strongest out of all of us," Fluttershy murmured from her place under the table (she had gotten too overwhelmed by all of the chaotic arguing and hid there until now).
"Then that means It'll have a less chance of having an effect on me," Twilight tried to sound as confident as Rainbow Dash, but it came off as a tight-lipped grimace.
Zecora already had a cup ready for Twilight and was handing it over to her, "Don't worry too much Twilight. I'm positive that you won't lose your sight."
Twilight scanned the insides of the cup wearily. It was more of an orange-hazel color in this light. Twilight cast a glance at everypony. Rainbow Dash had Apple Bloom in a headlock and was staring at the cup rather than at Twilgiht herself. Rarity had her hooves over her eyes along with Fluttershy. And Pinkie Pie- wait, where was Pinkie?
"Has anypony seen Pinkie Pie?" Twilight looked behind her shoulder, sloshing a few drops of the potion onto Zecora's rug where it fizzled slightly.
"I'm in here!" came the high-pitched voice of Pinkie from inside the closet.
"What are you ever doing in there?" Rarity took a hoof off of her eye.
The door to the closet opened widely and Pinkie Pie stepped out carrying what looked to be a pile of silver and leather, "Uh, we're still going to Canterlot, yeah? Well, I'm getting us armor so we don't have to end the trip because some bandits shot an arrow through our leg."
"Bandits?" Fluttershy whimpered ever so softly under her breath with her hooves still over both of her eyes.
"Yep. Tons of em'," Pinkie deposited the leather and silver onto the table in front of them, "I met one or two of them back at the forest when I was kicked out of Manehatten. They tied me up to a tree and were about to light me on fire when I was able to convince them that I was a gypsy by telling them a really, really long story. They must have been impressed by my gypsy powers because they untied me and threw me back onto the road, which must have been hard because they had their hooves on their ears…hm...Hey, you guys want to help out with the armor? I could use your fashion skills, Rarity? Huh?"
"Pinkie!" Twilight called aloud with the cup of potion tilted over by her mouth, "We're kind of in the middle of things here."
"Ohhhh," Pinkie mimicked zipping her lips shut and throwing away the key before going back to her work.
"Thank you," Twilight gulped, wishing that Pinkie would start talking again so she wouldn't have to go through with this.
Everypony watched in horror and excitement as Twilight gulped down the golden brew with her eyes shut tight. The potion tasted of really sour grapes to Twilight, but she continued to drink every last drop. Once she was done she hiccupped slightly, giving a small giggle. She felt light-headed for a second and then incredibly fuzzy. The room began to spin a bit but then steadily went back to normal.
"What's wrong? Am I okay?" Twilight asked in a slurred voice.
But everypony was staring with their mouths hanging down on the ground. For some reason this only made Twilight furious. What happened to her? They weren't even telling her like normal ponies would do. They were taking many steps back, including Pinkie Pie, who had dropped a leather belt without even noticing it.
"Hey, you guys aren't being very ni-
Twilight yelped as she felt a pulsing heat spread throughout her body like a ticking clock. It stung and hurt at the same time. She could feel herself being lifted off of the ground almost by magic. Her legs and head were stretching and contorting in very awkward positions. Everypony was screaming in terror, ducking for cover underneath the table, except for Zecora. It felt as though a million needles had pierced Twilight all at once. And then Twilight exploded.
Twilight floated ominously in space. She had no memory prior of ever have arriving here in this desolate-yet-beautiful place, but she wasn't keen on leaving. She drifted past a few planets and focused on the twinkling array of stars scattered out in the sky around her. Starswirl the Bearded had a dream like this one that Twilight had read about before, but she couldn't care less right now. She was in space without so much as a helmet full of air. This was a marvelous feeling. Her forelegs felt as though they were made entirely of jello and her face would get the most pleasurable chills every minute or so. Thoughts zoomed around aimlessly in Twilight's mind, getting dropped here and there without so much as a care. Warmth cascaded around Twilight as she passed by a red dwarf star a hundred miles away, wrapping her in a cocoon of some sort.
Just as Twilight was drifting off into a joyful stupor, chills began to run up and down her spine. But these chills were different from the ones she had been experiencing lately. For starters, she could see her breath in the suddenly cold atmosphere and a light breeze trickled down her back, tossling up her fur. How could there be wind in outer space? Twilight was slowly becoming more aware of her surroundings. Her eyes opened a crack more and she looked around. Not a single star shone in this vast wasteland, except for the faintest outline of a swirling star in the distance. But the lights kept disappearing and reappearing almost at random. It couldn't be a star, could it? Twilight was slowly being rushed back into reality and she did not like the feeling at all. As she grew closer toward it she could see that it resembled a moon of some sort. But what moon had blinking lights like that? Was it an alien aircraft?
As she zoomed even closer to it, Twilight knew exactly what it was in a manner of seconds. The way it swirled, the way it blinked on and off, the way it seemed to be sucking things in. It was no moon. Nor was it a space station. It was...a-a black hole. Panic swelled up inside Twilight's chest as she found herself having a heart attack. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute as she was pulled in the black hole's deadly grip. Everything was becoming colder and colder. Twilight closed her eyes shut with all of her might as she felt herself going steadily faster. She would be squeezed into nothingness. She would be dead in less than a second. All of the thoughts that Twilight had dropped completely were now swirling around all at once with other panicked thoughts. Pretty soon the light began to dim and Twilight felt the rishing sensation of being sucked completely into the black hole.
"Is she...o-okay?"
"Don't you worry, Fluttershy...hey, there's no need to cry."
"But s-she looks so different," a high-pitched drawl came from the left of Twilight.
Twilight's eyes fluttered open as she let out a heartened moan. Her head felt as though it had split into two pieces and was being sewed back together. She looked around the bright room of Zecora's shack. She was lying on the rug on her back, looking up at the disgruntled faces of Fluttershy and Apple Bloom. Fluttershy let out a light meep as she ducked her head away from Twilight's line of vision. Apple Bloom just continued to stare.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight's voice was hoarser than she remembered it being.
"Yes?" Fluttershy still did not appear from her hiding spot, "Is that y-you, Twilight?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Twilight rose unsteadily to her hooves with the help of Zecora.
"Well, let's just say that you look a little bit different," came the voice of Rainbow Dash from the corner of the room, "Try looking in the mirror."
She pointed a hoof over by the stand-up mirror propped up against the wall. Twilight gave a skeptical look over at Dash before slowly making her way toward it. Fluttershy let a whimper as she backed away slowly. What was wrong with them? Did Twilight really look that different? Did her horn go a floppy again? Did she-
Any other inquiring thoughts stopped dead in Twilight's mind as she came face to face with a pegasus. She stared at Twilight in a mix of awe and suspicion with beady, grey eyes. Her body was a bit leaner than Twilight's would ever have been and her mane was curled up slightly at the ends. Her wings were folded and closed in her light grey fur. You wouldn't notice them ever being there unless she opened them up. Twilight moved over to the right at the same time she did. Twilight was just about to turn around to ask Rainbow Dash why this pegasus was here when she realized...she was the pegasus. Twilight let out a small shriek as she fell over her own-or the pegasus's hooves. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to catch her breath.
"Oh, wow you look sooo different," chimed another voice from behind Twilight.
Twilight didn't recognize the dull voice at all. She looked behind her to see a dark mauve colored pegasus staring down at her intently. The wings were wide open as if on full display to everypony. She was short and sported freckles here and there along her face. Her mane was black and cut short. If it weren't for the familiar, oblivious smile that Twilight had seen so many times, Twilight would never have guessed who was standing in front of her.
"P-Pinkie?" Twilight croaked in her hoarse voice.
"The one and only," Pinkie managed to make her new, dull voice pipe up with enthusiasm.
"W-What happened? You're different..."
Pinkie rolled her eyes at this remark, "Well, you're one to talk. You do know that you were the one who changed first, right?"
Twilight squinted her eyes at Pinkie, taking in her new form, "When did you take it?"
"Oh silly, we took it right after you did."
"When I passed out?" Twilight raised an eyebrow as she glanced in the direction of Zecora, who was escorting Apple Bloom to the door.
Pinkie helped Twilight get off of the floor, "Zecora said it was fine and that it was just a side effect. We practically had to shove the potion down Rarity's throat though..."
"Where's Rarity now?" Twilight looked around the hut.
"Uh," Rainbow Dash scratched her head from her place next to Zecora, "She wasn't feeling so great. I mean, she didn't really take the whole new body thing very well. She's somewhere in the back right now."
Zecora nodded her head solemnly as she held out a cup of the brew for Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash took it from her cautiously, licking her lips before taking a quick swig of it. Her eyes became unfocused as she hiccuped. Pinkie tried to steer Twilight away with a grim smile.
"Heh," Pinkie's laugh was nervous and fake, "Why don't we just go and help out with the armor and stuff?"
But before Pinkie could grab Twilight by the shoulder, Rainbow Dash had fallen to the floor. Something interesting was taking place in her body, that was to be certain. Her body was twisting in shape. Her legs were elongated as she convulsed on the floor like a fish out of water. Her wings puffed out a bit more and her eyes rattled shut. Rainbow's entire body was quickly turning a shade of dark blue starting from her hooves and up. Twilight was revolted at the sight in a way and hoped that this wasn't what she had looked like when she had changed. Pinkie grabbed her again from the shoulder and led her toward the tunnel.
Twilight had stepped foot in the tunnel before, but it was always a bit breathtaking seeing it more than once. The walls were perfectly and sculpted and were a light coral color. There was the faintest of lights hanging from the walls, but tossed meagerly on the side nearest them were tons and tons of armor. Leather-like material sat on one side while shiny straps of metal were located next to it. Twilight took a step forward just as Pinkie Pie went bounding into the piles. There came a loud "OOF" followed by a long whimper. Twilight trotted swiftly over to Pinkie.
"Pinkie?" Twilight's voice trembled, "Pinkie Pie, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Pinkie ducked her head out from the piles of clothing, "I just found Rarity, that's all."
"Rarity?" Twilight peered down at where Pinkie Pie was sitting.
A regular, misty orange pegasus was softly wailing with her hooves covering her face. Twilight slowly touched a hoof to her back, giving a reassuring smile.
"Rarity, what's the matter? Are you okay?"
"N-Nooo," Rarity's voice came out in a hushed whisper, "I-I-I'm...hideous!"
Rarity had taken her hooves away from her face for a single second before covering it up again. And Twilight couldn't help but laugh a little at her friend's melodramatic behavior. If anything, she looked plain. Her eyes were a little bit too far apart, but that was about it as flaws went. Her nose was dotted with freckles here and there, which gave the impression that she was a teenaged filly. Rarity's wails came to a stop as Twilight bit her lip to keep from laughing anymore as the pegasus flared her nostrils angrily.
"Oh, I see..." Rarity spat, "You find my pain funny. I try to ask for sympathy and a little excess pity and you give me cruel laughter...because you find my pain funny!"
"No," Twilight rolled her eyes, "You look great, Rarity-
"Now, you're just patronizing me. Leave me be...right now. I'm in no mood to talk anymore," Rarity let out a huff of air that blew part of her light blue mane up a bit, "Good day!"
"Oh, come on, Rarity" Twilight tsked.
"I said good day!"
Before Twilight could say anything else, Rarity shuffled around to face away from them. Twilight suddenly found herself getting angry. She wasn't sure if it was one of the side effects of the potion, but she didn't care. She stomped a hoof onto the ground, kicking up dust.
"Rarity, I am sorry that things aren't going your way," Twilight's voice echoed loudly throughout the tunnel, "But we need you. So, don't go wallowing in your self-pity. It could've been worse, okay? You could've died, or exploded, or worse. Be lucky that this is just one of the side effects of a changing potion."
Rarity's head snapped up straight. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud squeal coming from the shack. Everypony looked at each other wordlessly before rushing back to the hut. The scene was not as terrifying as they had been anticipating, in fact just about the opposite of that. The pegasus that was now Rainbow Dash stood at the mirror with her hooves clasped over her head. She was kneeling down, staring at her reflection in horror. It was surprising that Dash was taking this just as bad as Rarity. Her new body was not at all that bad, Twilight thought. She was a lavender color with shimmering blue hair that glistened in the light. Her eyes were a light shade of blue. She was actually the best looking pony in the room.
"What's wrong?" came the higher-pitched voice of Rarity from behind Twilight.
Rainbow Dash just stared at her reflection, shaking her head slowly, "T-This cannot be me. It can't! Zecora, I thought you said that the brew just randomly assigned us bodies."
Zecora walked into the reflection of the mirror, looking just as confused as everypony else, "It was supposed to. As of how it did this, it is something new."
"What's wrong with how you look?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously, "I think you look just fine."
"Just fine?" Rainbow Dash's shiny blue eyes locked on Pinkie as though she were a target, "Fine? I would be if this didn't happen to be the body of my old scouting boss. Icy Rain!"
She pounded at the ground in fury. Her temper was still steadily rising as she breathed in and out rigidly through her nostrils. It was becoming apparent to to Twilight that this special brew was bringing out the worst in everyone very fast. Rarity was becoming more headstrong, Pinkie was beginning to get on many a nerve, and both Dash and Twilight were becoming irrational at a miraculous rate. As for Fluttershy...wait, where was Fluttershy?
As Twilight glanced around the room, she could see the slightest indication of pink hair fanning out from under the table. Fluttershy's eyes met Twilight's for a second. Twilight felt sorry for Fluttershy. If she was only scared at the potion before, she must've been terrified for her life now. This was just the beginning of the many after-effects of the drink and it was Fluttershy's incoming fate. She knew that and there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she could, she would be too nice to.
Rainbow Dash stopped pounding the floor after a minute and just stared at her reflection again. She gave herself a cruel snort, "This is just great isn't it? For all I know, Icy Rain could very well be alive and well in Canterlot."
"We still have to do this, Rainbow Dash," Twilight stood taller.
Rainbow Dash's eyes landed on Twilight's and Twilight had the fleeting feeling that she was about to be killed. Rainbow Dash just glanced away and mumbled, "We'll see."
Another shriek caused everyone to look back over at the cauldron. Fluttershy had just drunk the potion when no one was looking. The cup fell to the floor with a clatter with Fluttershy's limp body. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her mouth shut. Zecora raced over to her to check for any signs of breathing. After a few seconds, Fluttershy began to spaze and shake as in a seizure. Tears were coming out of her closed eyes. Zecora wiped them away with a motherly gesture.
"Stay back," she warned the others, "Fluttershy may be having an asthma attack."
Just as she said that, Fluttershy's eyes opened and she began to cough. Her body was starting to quiver as her limbs shrunk a little. Her eyes shut again and a grimace replaced her silent face. The others watched in horror as their friend's body began contorting just as theirs had before. It was frightening to see her face change so abruptly. It appeared as though someone had just snatched away her snout and replaced it with a slightly longer one haphazardly. There was a certain darkness in the atmosphere that followed after Fluttershy's long, pink mane was magically straightened and turned a brilliant shade of red. Her yellow coat changed into a lilac color and her wings grew a size bigger.
Zecora backed away to give Fluttershy some air. She woke up a minute or two afterward with a mighty gasp.
"Oh dear," she examined a hoof, "I just had the strangest dream...what's wrong with my hoof?"
She stared at it and simply shrugged, "So, uh, h-how do I look?"
Rarity sniffed absently at the sight of Fluttershy's body, "Well, you don't look very bad if that's what you're wondering. At least you got a nice coat color..."
Rarity shut up instantly as she caught the look Twilight had thrown her way. Fluttershy got herself up and examined every inch and detail of her body as she could. After four minutes had passed, Rainbow Dash and Rarity left to go make some armor. Pinkie Pie soon followed after she got bored of seeing Fluttershy mess with the same area of her hair over and over again. Twilight stifled a yawn after the thirty second turnaround Fluttershy had done that whole time.
"Fluttershy, I don't mean to be rude or anything...but we do have a mission to do in order to restore the balance and harmony of Equestria and bring back Spike and the Princesses," Twilight paused, "...So, could you help out with the armor?"
"Hm?" Fluttershy looked up at Twilight with the same wide eyed expression, "Oh, sorry, Twilight. I didn't know I was here for so long."
"It's fine," Twilight was starting to get anxious, "Could we just hurry up a little bit?"
"Sure, sure."
Fluttershy led the way into the tunnels. Twilight felt a stab of guilt with the tone she had just taken for no reason with Fluttershy. And judging by the rest of the way everypony was acting around each other, Twilight had the feeling that the rest of the day wasn't going to be easy at all. But she threw away that thought and went back to the tunnel to finish working with the others.
Twilight never remembered having fallen asleep while making the final touches on her shiny, metal body armor, so it was very unexpected to be woken up with the persistant shaking on the shoulders by Zecora. Her eyes opened enough to catch the distressed faces of her friends anxiously packing everything into their saddlebags at the speed of cheetahs.
"Zecora, what's going o-
"They are coming, Twilight. Now, hurry and pack. Get out of sight," Zecora was pushing Twilight onto her hooves with incredible force, "I have decided to stall them for as long as it takes. There is no time to argue about past mistakes."
Twilight closed her mouth as the situation was just starting to dawn on her. She furiously began to pack her finished armor into the closest saddlebag next to her, but a swat at her hoof stopped her. Twilight jumped at the sight of the pegasus standing before her, but was reminded of last night's incidents.
"Get the food and supplies, darling," came the somewhat recognizable voice of Rarity, "Rainbow and I have the armor. Move quickly though!"
Twilight was herded over to who she assumed was Fluttershy. Fluttershy zipped around the tunnel, opening trunks and fishing out what little food and water they had. She pointed over to other remaining trunks and barrels and debris whenever she came back for Twilight to go through as well. Twilight found it becoming harder and harder just to keep up with everything. It felt as though she had woken up from a thousand year nap and was being bustled in to war the very moment her eyes were open. In a way, that was exactly what was going on. Yet, she persevered and opened, and re-opened trunks left and right until Zecora came back with Pinkie by her side.
"It's time you left right now," she gave Pinkie a saddlebag, "Follow the tunnel and take the left passage no matter how foul it looks. It is the safest, I give you my vow."
"We've gotta hurry," Pinkie chimed in, "Start hightailing it as fast as you can. Don't look back. Move out!"
Rarity fastened two saddlebags onto her body before she sprinted away. Fluttershy and Dash took flight and passed overhead with the remaining saddlebags. Twilight, without really thinking, grabbed ahold of a random saddlebag on he table and took off with Pinkie nipping at her hindlegs.
"Fly, Twilight!" Pinkie screamed, her voice reverberating back at them, "Fly!"
"But I can't," Twilight protested, "I don't know how."
"Just start flapping your wings, okay?" echoed Rainbow Dash's voice from ahead "We've gotta move it. I mean, it's bad enough as it is that they can hear us."
Twilight clenched her eyes shut and let her new wings do as they wanted. When she opened them, she found that her hooves were floating a few meager feet away from the ground, but that was better than nothing. A loud shout and bang, made the five ponies' ears perk up anxiously.
"Keep going," Rainbow Dash commanded in her booming voice, "Don't stop. You heard what Zecora told us."
It went like this for the next two miles. They would hear a bang from farther and farther away as they flew out of sight. And Twilight began to wonder just what was going on back there and if she truly wanted to find out.
"We've got to keep going you two," Rainbow Dash flashed Fluttershy and Rarity, who were now lagging behind the others, a very cold glare for the fifteenth time.
"But we can't..." Rarity panted, apparently too tired to whine, "We've been flying and running for hours now."
"It's only been three, and we're still not at the passageway," Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity's melodramatic behavior, "You guys can make it. For all we know, the enemy could only be twenty minutes away from us. And what then when they catch us? Hm? We pretend that we're one of them? Say that the mane six got away and that we have the elements in Pinkie's bag?"
"What?" Pinkie frowned from alongside Twilight, "I don't have the elements."
"But that bag that Zecora gave you-
"-Was full of potions," Pinkie wiggled her eyebrows at Rainbow Dash arrogantly, "I don't have the elements."
"Wait," Rainbow stopped for the first time since that morning, "If Fluttershy and I have the food...and Rarity has the armor...then who has the elements?"
Everyone grew quiet. Twilight quickly looked into the bag hanging on her side. Relief flooded her face as she withdrew her head from the saddlebag.
"I've got it," Twilight let out a sigh, "It was in my saddlebag the whole time."
"Oh, then let's keep going," Dash shrugged after a second of comfortable silence.
A soft thud made everyone turn around however. Rarity was sprawled out on her stomach with the saddlebag weighing down on her. She let out a soft whimpering noise as Twilight rushed over to help her. Rainbow Dash's empathy level, however, was running low.
"She's fine, help her up and let's keep going," she sighed submissively.
"No."
Rainbow Dash's head swiveled around to see Fluttershy standing in front of her. no longer flying.
Dash's eyes narrowed as she came to rest on the ground, "Why not."
"We're not going any farther until we get a breather."
"Well, where are we supposed to go? There's no place to hide if the pegasi do pass by us."
"Actually, there are a bunch of rocks. If you still have so much strength in you, why don't you gather some into the corner of the tunnel, over there that way if the pegasi do pass by, they won't see us," Fluttershy pointed a hoof over at the wall of the tunnel.
Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a look, as if pondering whether or not to slap her good friend. She rolled her eyes again and zipped over to the wall, picking up large rocks left and right and dropping them into the same spot, to form some half-hazardous rock fort. When she was done, she made a point of carrying Rarity's saddlebag over to the fort and dropping it to the floor.
"There, do you want to make a fire while we're at it too?" Dash asked with sarcasm.
Twilight snapped her head to face Dash, "You know what? That is it, Dash. I know tensions are high right about now, but you're just as bad as Icy Rain. You may think you're some great and all-powerful leader, but get a raincheck. You're just a scared little filly. Take a page from Fluttershy's book and learn to help somepony out."
It was all out of Twilight's mouth before she even had time to evaluate it. Rainbow's eyes shrunk back suddenly. There was a silence so thick, not even a dagger could stab through it.
Twilight sighed, "I-I'm sorry Rainbow Dash...I-I don't know where that came from really. I think the potion is having its effect on all of us right now. Not just you. I-I didn't mean that-
"Yeah you did," Dash replied back calmly, still looking down at the ground, "It was true. You just had the guts to actually say what everypony was thinking. Kudos to you."
"Rainbow Dash-
"No, Twilight, listen. I'm not mad, okay. I was being an ass. You pointed it out. It happened," Rainbow Dash stated with that calm tone again.
Twilight blushed as Dash brushed past her. She really did regret saying those cruel words to Dash, even if they were a little bit true or not. The side effects of this potion was bringing everyone to their wits end. And of tensions were this stretched out, this journey really would be the longest they ever encountered...
An hour break was all they needed. It was all they could decide. After no signs of incoming pegasi approaching, Dash had everyone slowly make their way into the air in a single file line, with herself leading the way for them. They covered a good ten miles worth of land before they finally reached what looked like a break in the single passageway. Dash let out an eager hoot of triumph.
"Perfect, we should have the head start already," Dash did a small loop-de-loop in the air, "Now we take the right."
"Hold on a second," Fluttershy grabbed ahold of Dash by the shoulder as she peered around the corner toward the left side of the passageway, "I heard Zecora with my own ears. She told us to take the left side even if it didn't look all that great."
"Nu-uh" Rainbow Dash persisted, her stubborn behavior already getting the best of her, "You can see a light ahead from the one on the right."
Twilight racked her head as the arguing went on. What had Zecora told them? Go to the right side of the tunnel or to the left? Eventually, Twilight made up her mind.
"If you were the enemy, where would you think to go," Twilight spoke up loudly in order to be heard, "The thorn-encrusted passageway or the safest, harmless looking passageway? I'm with Fluttershy on this one."
"What a surprise," Dash spat out suddenly.
Twilight's mouth gaped a bit at this remark as Dash quickly apologized profusely, "I am so sorry. That was the potion, not me. I swear. I'm sorry, Twilight."
"I-It's fine," She quickly replied with a forced smile, "Let's just keep walking before the pegasi catch up to us."
"Uh, guys..." Pinkie Pie looked horrorstruck as she pointed a trembling hoof at the way they had just came from, "I think it's too late."
The fluttering of wings echoed from the turn behind them and the silhouetted figures of pegasi were following swiftly behind. Twilight gulped as the sounds of their laughter found their way toward them.
"To the left, hurry," Dash whispered feverishly.
All ponies lifted up their wings and took off at the speed of bullets. Dash followed behind them, waiting for their attackers to come after them. It took the five of them just under fifteen minutes of sprinted flying to realize that Twilight had been right. The enemy had taken the right passageway. But there had been more of them...it would make much more sense to have somepony take the left just in case. After all the pegasi weren't that stupid now, were they?
The morning began to turn into night as the ponies continued their hike and with much arguing, Rarity was able to convince Rainbow Dash to let them set up camp during the night.
"You are without a doubt, completely crazy if you honestly think that I am going to stand watch while you sleep," Rainbow Dash hollered in a hushed whisper at Rarity.
"I'll take the night watch next time," Rarity yawned feebly as she stretched herself on a rock, "After all, every pony needs their beauty sleep."
"Except me?"
"Well, you mustn't have to put it that way, but yes. You're the leader after all..."
This shut-up Rainbow Dash long enough. With her silence assumed as a yes, Rarity folded herself up next to a rock and let her eyes flutter shut. Fluttershy scooted in right next to her along with Pinkie Pie. Twilight glanced back at Rainbow Dash however. Rainbow Dash was sitting herself outside the entrance to their mare-made hut and was kicking up gravel softly.
"Are you okay, Dash?"
Rainbow Dash jumped slightly as Twilight sat down next to her, "I'm fine, Twilight. Worry about yourself, okay?"
Twilight sighed, "I will. But...do you know where they're keeping Apple Jack? I mean, is it really true that she's locked up somewhere in Canterlot with other ponies?"
Rainbow Dash leaned against the sharp edges of the rock wall, not even caring if it hurt, "Well...It's the only lead we have."
"So our plan is to risk everything we've accomplished, everything we've worked for so far, to just let it go on some half-assed guess on where Apple Jack is?"
"Yeah, I guess we are," Rainbow Dash took a snide tone as she glared at Twilight, "Look, if you have anything to say about it, then just leave. Go back to Manehatten and stay there for all I care."
Twilight groaned, "No, Rainbow Dash, I want to get Apple Jack-
"Then quit complaining-
"I will when we have a back-up plan. You know? A plan B," Twilight tried to keep her anger pent up enough to sound reasonable.
Rainbow Dash's eyebrow twitches as she spoke, "A plan B, huh? Well, on the off chance we get caught in the prison...I say that we split up into a team. There's five of us, right? So we can have Rarity and Pinkie Pie try to sneak into the castle while the rest of us get Apple Jack, give her some of the potion, and then get the elements of harmony ready so we can put an end to this whole war. Sound good?"
"Actually, it's not a bad idea," Twilight smirked, "But where should we even meet up?"
"I say...we meet up over at the wishing well. The one in Canterlot Gardens."
"Okay," Twilight stiffled a yawn as she nodded her head, "Well, I'll remember to tell the girls that when they wake up. Do you want me to stand guard with you too?"
"No, I've got it," Rainbow replied almost bitterly.
Twilight was about to retort, but thought better of it and instead murmured, "Goodnight."
"Oh, Twilight," Rainbow Dash tilted her head back to look at Twilight.
"What?"
"I'm sorry again...if I'm acting so bitter. I don't mean to be."
"Don't worry about it," Twilight yawned again, "It's the potion doing the work, not you."
"But I think I should. What if I'm turning into...her?"
Twilight wondered who Rainbow Dash was talking about, but her thoughts were answered as Rainbow looked down at her hooves with mild distate.
"You're not going to turn into Icy Rain," Twilight reassured Dash.
"How do you know?"
"I don't. I'm just relying on faith at this point...but I'm pretty certain these are just side effects. They'll wear off when the potion wears off."
"Thanks Twilight," Rainbow Dash grumbled under her breath, "I mean it."
Twilight gave a grim nod in Dash's direction before joining the others in a blissless sleep.
"Wake up!"
"What's going on Rainbow Dash?"
"Wake up! They're here."
Fluttershy's eyes snapped open as if she had been pretending to be fast asleep the whole time, "Who's here?"
"Oh, who do you think?"
Suddenly as if by answer, two voices could be heard through the tomblike structures of the caves. Everypony froze in place.
"Where are they? They can't be far now...I bet anything that was all just a ploy!"
"Shut up! You don't know....hear us you moron," the second voice spoke. It was a mare's voice.
Rainbow Dash held a hoof up, signaling for everypony to keep their heads down. Only Fluttershy peered up as little as she could without being noticed. A tiny droplet of the tunnels was lit up farther down where the pegasi stood. The light brown one was scratching at his head, "I just don't understand...how? I mean, how could they have escaped? It's a dead-end!"
Fluttershy felt her heart hammer in her chest as Rainbow shoved her back down with the others harshly. Twilight put a hoof onto Fluttershy's shoulder reassuringly. There was a short silence as the mare let out a cold laugh.
"They probably didn't, you know...I bet you anything that they're hiding somewhere...like here."
Hoofsteps echoed closer and closer until it came to a stop. Twilight let out a hushed gaspas the voices sounded right next to them, only feet away from their hiding place.
"There's nothing here, Cry," the light brown pegasus rolled his eyes, "They probably teleported or something."
Cry looked over at her partner in crime with a dark intensity thrown over her shoulder in his direction, "Really, how? Tell how could they?"
The pegasus let out a huff of breath, "Because two of them are unicorns, Cry. Think about it. If one of them can, odds are she could have enough power to teleport all five of them either all at once or one at a time."
"We've only lost them for three hours!"
A rock clanged against the wall of the hiding place, splinting dust off onto the hunched over ponies. Cry let out another shriek of anger.
"This is not fair, Arrow. I HATE this!"
"Cry, calm down," Arrow sighed sadly, "It's fine."
"No it's not. Shiver is going to KILL us both," Cry exclaimed.
There was another loud thud of a rock being thrown at a wall. Rainbow Dash's eyes watered as she tried not to inhale any of the dust heading her way as Arrow held back a struggling Cry. Their voices died down as they headed back from the way they came. Cautiously, Rainbow Dash looked over the top of the hiding place. Nothing was there except for the scuffle markings on the dusty ground.
"It's all clear," she smiled grimly, "There's no pony here."
Quickly, all four of the remaining ponies staggered out of the hideout shaking from their newfound adrenaline rush. Fluttershy scampered into a rock and fell to the ground in her hurry, wincing as the sound reverberated throughout the tunnels.
"I didn't say that they were that far away," Rainbow Dash hissed under her breath as she helped Fluttershy to a wobbly stand.
"Did you hear that?" the voice of Cry rang out, all anger gone from her tone.
"Yeah, I think I did," Arrow replied as if he were hungry for action already.
Twilight's eyes widened as their shadows were illuminated by a torch light. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, had both Rarity and Fluttershy in each arm and was flying towards the dead end.
"We've gotta go, Twi," Pinkie cried out, pushing Twilight with all of her might toward the others.
It took a second for Twilight's fight or flight response to kick in immediately, but when it did she was kicking up a dust trail behind her as she hightailed it with Pinkie Pie. They skidded to a stop at the pile of bricks blocking off the rest of the path.
"Great, now what?" Rainbow Dash let out an exasperated tsk.
"We're going to die. We're going to diewe'regoingtodiewe'regoingtodie," Rarity chanted to herself in a hoarse whisper that barely escaped her lips.
The sounds of wings beating against air only made Rainbow Dash more impatient. Everypony saw their fate flashing before their eyes as they backed into the wall, everypony except Pinkie Pie...Pinkie Pie sidestepped through the mix of rubble and debris, her eyes scouring over the walls.
"Pinkie...what are you doing?" Twilight's voice quivered as her friend kicked pieces of rock around as if digging for treasure.
"I'm looooking," Pinkie sounded out slowly, "For the exit."
"The what?"
Rainbow Dash did get her answer, unfortunately that was at the exact moment Pinkie Pie found the trap door lever. The floor opened out underneath them and they flew through a chute. If Twilight thought she was scared before, she was nearly peeing herself as she flew left and right in the darkness. Rainbow Dash just sighed angrily as Fluttershy's hoof collided with her shoulder.
"And here we go again..." she muttered to herself.
"Where are they? They could NOT have just vanished. THEY WERE HERE!"
Arrow's ears stiffened at the shrill intensity of Cry's voice, "Will you calm down already? I actually don't know if it was them or not, okay."
"What are you talking about? There was five of them," Cry's head whipped back.
"Yeah, but I saw three of them flying. Only two of them are pegasi. How do you explain that, Cry?"
"Easy," Cry drew closer to Arrow, their noses practically touching, "Go get your eyes checked."
There was an uneasy pause between the pair before Arrow turned away, "I know what I saw, Cry. Look, let's just meet up with Needles and Swift. We can think of a plan back at base."
Cry's eyes narrowed and her teeth barred in fury, "NO. I am not leaving here until we find them! I will not turn up empty hoofed like a complete and utter moron. Not again!"
She picked up a rock and chucked it at Arrow. There was a sickening crack that echoed throughout the tunnel as the rock hit Arrow in the leg. He fell forward, howling in pain while Cry searched for some sort of exit, to busy to notice him.
"Why the HELL did you do that for?" he bit his lip as tears threatened to spill from his eyes "You're crazy. I'm heading straight to base with or without you. You can meet me halfway or you can stay here with your five pony friends. But me? I've had it up to here and I'm not going to take it anymore."
And on that note he limped into a starting position. Arrow was just about to take off when he heard the strangest sound. Cry was...laughing. He stole a glance back at her to see her head whipped back in laughter and her hoof holding something.
"W-W-What are you laughing at?" He tried to keep his voice steady, but it was no use, "What's that?"
Arrow's eyes slid down the length of Cry's leg to find two doors fastened shut right underneath her. Where had that come from? He noticed the lever positioned right underneath Cry's hoof and immediately knew the answer.
"It's a trapdoor. I knew ponies would think of something as stupid as this..."
"Stupid," Arrow chuckled along with Cry, "...But, didn't it fool us for a few minutes though?"
"Shut up," Cry gripped the lever closer to her, "At least we know that there's only one place those brats could've gone."
"Where?"
"...Down."
"You call this going down?" Rainbow Dash gasped as her hooves struggled to find a foothold, "We've been going in loopholes for minutes."
"Oh, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie zipped past Rainbow Dash with a hint of a giggle, "Just relax...It's fun once you get the hang of it."
"But where does it lead to?" Twilight had her horn ignited with the brightest light she could conjure, "Surely we're not past Manehatten yet..."
"Nope, not yet. We're still over by the business district of the city. At least I think that's it..."
"Why are we going so faaaaaaAAAAASSSSSTTTT?" Rarity sped past everypony in a whimsical blur.
"Duh, to keep us going the same speed," Pinkie rolled her eyes, "This is physics 101, I hope you know. That's why this isn't rock, but instead is a system of chutes and pulleys."
"Chutes and pulleys?" Twilight repeated as they went up another loop de loop.
"Yep, you see, this certain bit of technology is kinda like a roller coaster. You can't go up without a little help with a conveyor belt thingy. That's what's keeping us going."
"Then why the loop de loops?" Fluttershy could barely be heard with the whipping of the wind behind everypony's ears.
"Because, it's FUN. That and it keeps those goons away from us for a bit. We still have a five minutes head start. Any other questions?"
"Yes," Rarity was sprawled backwards now, "How long is this ride going to take exactly?"
"Half an hour to one hour," Pinkie replied in a chippier voice, "But wait until you see the grand finale..."
"The grand finale?" Twilight and Rainbow Dash murmured in unison.
Pinkie Pie was wrong about one thing, however...the grand finale was a lot closer than half an hour away. In fact, it was rounding up the turn as they talked. The sound of rushing water fille the air seconds later.
"Uh oh..." Pinkie's smile faded away as the sound became more powerful with every inch they flew past.
"What do you mean 'uh-oh?'" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Um, okay, I'll fill you in on the grand finale..." Pinkie turned to face everyone, "We're basically going to be falling out underneath a waterfall which is a twenty foot drop and then we have to swim to shore and take it on hoof the reat of the way there. Sound good?"
"NO," Rarity shrieked, "It does not sound good at all! Do you have any idea how long it took to fix this oily rag of mane last night?"
Rarity's whines and hollering fell to deaf ears as a bright light filled the chute. And then there was nothing but a few shrill screams followed by a mighty sploosh. The water was freezing cold and smelled awfully musty. Pinkie Pie was the first to come up. Her dull mane was even darker with the mass of water added to it. Pinkie began to laugh instantly as Rarity and Twilight floated up to the surface.
"See, wasn't that fun?" Pinkie let out a snort.
"I'm at heart to see you as cheerful as ever," Rarity muttered with complete and utter sarcasm, "But now what?"
Twilight turned her head this way and that, searching for the other two ponies in their group, "Wait, where's Rainbow Dash? And Fluttershy?"
"I haven't seen them," Pinkie Pie shrugged her shoulders non-chalantly.
"We're up here," Rainbow Dash drifted down slowly, her wings opening and closing.
"That's not fair," Rarity whimpered, "You two have wings..."
"We all do," Twilight sighed, disappointed with herself for not remembering that simple fact, "We just didn't have the impulse to flap our wings right away."
"Just our luck, girls," Pinkie smiled from ear to ear as she pointed a hoof at the treeline, "It's getting darker."
"How is that in our luck, exactly?" Rainbow Dash helped a soaking wet Rarity out of the lake.
"Because," Pinkie hopped out all on her own, "Zecora told me that when the night comes, just follow the brightest star above."
Twilight's ears perked up at this, "You mean the northern star? Zecora's right...Canterlot was built so that the star is right above it. If we can see it, which shouldn't be hard by now, we can just follow it."
All five of the ponies' eyes scoured the sky. A few seconds ticked by and still no sign of the northern star. Crickets slowly began to play their sweet, symphonic songs and the treeline began to grow fainter. And then one of them let out a shocked gasp. It was Fluttershy who yelped in surprise, signaling for the others to come to her frantically.
"I see it," she pointed at the sky.
"I can't see anything," Rainbow grumbled.
Twilight squinted her eyes, "No, she's right. It's a bit dim right now, but that's the northern star. All we have to do is follow it and it's a straight shot to Canterlot."
"Okay, but there better not be any more finales or else I'm going to really be mad," Rainbow Dash's wings opened again as she led the others over the treeline and into the sky.
There was a few minutes of silence that fell upon the lake. Not even the crickets were stirring. It was as if they knew someone was coming. And just like that, two pegasi were flung out of the chute and into the bitterly cold water. Arrow burst out of the water, flapping his wings as fast as possible with a small shriek.
"It's freezing!" he landed on a nearby tree branch that overhung the minuscule lake, drying himself off.
Cry came up for air slowly, "Where are they? Great, they could be anywhere now...Arrow what are you doing?"
Arrow jumped a few inches as he checked over his shoulder, "Oh, you scared me Cry. I thought the fall might've killed you..."
"Don't get your hopes up too high," Cry made her way to the shoreline, spitting to the left of her as she did so, "What are you doing?"
"I was drying myself off," Arrow answered her question with a simple shrug, "Just waiting on you, that's all."
"Thanks, I'm very touched," Cry rolled her eyes as she looked left and right, "Now, listen to me...our best bet is to fly up. Those ponies could be anywhere, alright? For all I know there could be another secret tunnel they went to, so keep your eyes peeled on the forest as we fly. Got it?"
"Got it," Arrow let out an exhausted sigh, "But can we get a minute's rest?"
"Sure and while we're at it, let's go and see a movie. I've always heard that Pony of Steel was a great watch."
"Fine, I'm going, I'm going," Arrow's wings opened with an involuntary shiver before their host took off into the evening sky with his partner in crime.
"Don't worry about them if you do lose them though," Cry called out behind her shoulder to Arrow, "I know exactly where they're going."
"Where?"
"Didn't you know by now?" Cry's eyes narrowed in determination, "They're heading straight for Canterlot..."
Canterlot Castle glowed in the rising sunlight, reflecting across the stricken land. Streets usually full of unicorns bustling through their daily routines were now replaced with 'royal' guards patrolling the area, ready to pounce at any intruder that came their way. But inside the surrounding buildings, pegasi and unicorns alike were getting up, getting ready for their daily grind of work...War. However, as the streets began to become fuller and slightly more lively, Canterlot was all-too oblivious to the five visitors emerging from the entrance of town.
Twilight fidgeted slightly as she walked down the cobblestone path with her four friends, "Are you sure they didn't notice?"
"Twilight," Rainbow Dash scoffed, "I'm an exact copy of Icy Rain, you know?"
"I'm talking about my hair," Twilight hissed, glancing ever which way.
Her hair had been slowly turning straighter and purpler within the hour. The effects of the potion had started to wear out as they were flying to Canterlot. Fluttershy's tail had been gradually growing since they exited the lake, Rainbow Dash's coat was turner lighter, Pinkie Pie's mane was curling in more than one place, and Rarity's eyes were already completely blue (much to her pleasure). They only had so much time left.
A few of the pegasi turned their heads at the ponies as they walked further up the road, but most avoided eye contact with Rainbow Dash in particular.
"Icy Rain must have quite the reputation," Rarity whispered in a low voice to Fluttershy, "Don't you think?"
Fluttershy nodded. It was all she could really do. She hadn't spoken a word since the guards had let the five of them through. Twilight and Rainbow Dash came to a steady halt, turning their heads this way and that.
"Why've we stopped?" Pinkie piped up, "You guys got sore hooves?"
"No," Twilight gave a peeved sigh, "We don't know where the jail is."
"Then ask somepony, silly."
Twilight snapped, "It's not the simple Pinkie!"
A few pegasi's eyes drifted over to Rainbow Dash, suspicion etched across their faces. Twilight's cheeks flushed as Rainbow Dash gave her a stern look.
"Oh, for Celestia's sake..." Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath.
With a sudden burst of energy, Rainbow Dash grabbed a random passerby by the shoulder, spun them around to face her, and began to yell, "Jail! Where is it?!"
"W-What?" the orange pegasus stammered under Rainbow Dash's firm grip.
"English! Do you speak it?!"
"Y-y-yeah..."
"Then tell me where the jail is or I'll have you reported," Rainbow Dash's voice growled like a minotaur's.
"It's o-over by where the bakery was. I-it's right across from there."
"Thank You!"
The pegasi was thrown away from Dash with a simple toss of the hoof, sprinting away from the mad mare as fast as he could. Twilight, meanwhile, gave a backwards nod to the upcoming fork in the road, "It's over there."
A total of four guards were standing in front of what used to be the Canterlot Pub. The five ponies approached the place carefully, trying their best to act casual.
"Same drill as before," Rainbow Dash hissed at the others, "And please no crying this time, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy let out a tiny meep at the memory as she tried to hide behind her mane for comfort.
"Morning," Rainbow Dash mumbled to the guards, who stood up straighter at the sight of Rainbow Dash, "I'm here to check up on one of the prisoners, so if you could let me through with my partners, that'd be great."
A white, buff pegasus let out a heavy snort, "Sure. If you have the proper credentials."
"Do you know who I am?" Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared as her anger increased, "I just happen to be one of the leading scout masters of the whole pegasi brigade. I was in the front lines of the Ponyville Raid. And you want to see my credentials? I think I should check all of yours, because if you obviously have no idea who I am...Then, you all could be traitors for all I know. And I will tell the boss about my suspicions, I can tell you four that much."
There was a heated silence that followed. Three of the four pegasi were nervously looking at the ground, with their heads bowed. Except for the white, buff pegasi. He glared at Rainbow Dash with full power, as if scanning her retinas. He sighed loudly, "Make it quick, alright?"
"I'll take as long as I need, okay?"
"Fine."
"Good day," Rainbow Dash added with a flick of her tail as two of the guards opened the door for the five of them.
The pub had seen better days. Within the months of it being out of business, it was already damp, dark, and cold. The place reeked of mildew and rust. Twilight ducked her head at the smell, trying her best not to sneeze as she sized up the jail. A few, wooden, homemade cells lined the walls with three to four prisoners tucked away in each one. All were pegasi, either possessed or not, the five ponies weren't sure.
The sound of Rainbow Dash's hooves against the wet, stone floor ricocheted off the walls as she neared a cell. Two yellow and blue coated mares glared up at her with an unspoken accusation in their steel eyes. The blue-coated one even went so far as to spit at the ground where Rainbow Dash stood.
"Where's the one they call Applejack?" Rainbow Dash ignored the spit at the ground with great difficulty.
"What are you talking about?" The yellow of the two rolled her eyes, "Or are you trying to get us tortured again? We don't got no information, alright?"
"I'm talking about one of the prisoners."
"You don't know your own prisoners now, Ice?" the pegasus that spat on Rainbow Dash snorted, "Ain't that some shi-
"Tell me where she is, right this instant!"
The pegasi in the cell next to theirs flinched, as the blue pegasus spat at her face, "No."
Twilight stepped forward, "Rainb- I mean, Rain...This isn't going to do any good. Why not tell them the truth?"
A cruel smile dawned on the yellow one's face, her eyes flicking back and forth from Rainbow Dash to Twilight cheekily, "I know who you are..."
"Of course you should you little-
"Not you," she snapped, "I meant, you ."
Twilight's eyes widened as the mare pointed a hoof at her, "Me?"
"Yeah, I do," the yellow one smirked, "How come you ain't in jail with us, Rosy?"
"Rosy?" Fluttershy murmured under her breath.
"That's right," it was the blue pegasus' turn to smile, "It's been a long time. We haven't seen you since you went and ditched the raid on Ponyville. What happened there, Rosy? Change of heart?"
The yellow mare's smile faltered, however, when she caught sight of Twilight's hair, "Hey, Rosy? Has your hair ever been that...that...that...HEY!"
"W-what?"
"Impostor! She's an impostor! IMPOSTOR!"
"No, I'm not! Shut-up!" Twilight hissed at them both.
"No, why's your skin turning purple as we speak? You don't got no STD do you?" the blue mare drew back from the ponies, "What's going on with your wings?"
"They're fine," Twilight snipped, "See?"
But the pegasi weren't looking at Twilight anymore. Instead, their gaze was fixed on Rainbow Dash's wings, which were starting to shrink slightly in size. Her coat was already turning a cool cerulean shade.
"You ALL are impostors!" the blue pegasus laughed, "What a hoot...AND you snuck into a jail? Classic!"
"It's not what it looks like," Pinkie Pie shouted, already in her earth pony form, "...Okay, maybe it is a little. Just, tell us where Applejack is?"
"No, you traitors."
"Oh, and this is coming from the ones that are in the jail cell?" retorted Rarity with a low snarl.
"You can stop it now Rarity," Twilight sighed, "We're already back to our proper selves as it is."
"Not now, Twilight," Rarity raised a whitening hoof to silence her friend, "I am in a rage."
"HEY, you're those...those ponies. The ones that defeated Chrysalis, aren't ya?"
"We don't know what you're talking about! Where's Applejack? Speak!" Pinkie pounced at the cell, rocking it back and forth on its hinges.
"Oh, you'll see..." the blue pegasus let out a high-pitched laugh, "GUARDS! GUARDS! IMPOSTORS! THEY'RE ALL IMPOSTORS!"
Twilight slapped a hoof at her own face, letting out a low groan, "For the love of Celestia, whose side are you two on anyway? You're BOTH in jail!"
"It isn't our fault. We were framed!" the blue pegasus sniffed condescendingly, "GUARDS, OVER HERE! HURRY!"
Thundering hoofsteps sounded closer and the gang held their breath for what seemed to be ages. It didn't help that the blue pegasus screamed the entire time though.
"What's going on?" The beefy, white pegasus stopped short from the group of transformed ponies, "You guys?"
"See, see, see? Didn't we do good by reporting them? Isn't THAT enough to let us out?"
"Don't even count on it, Whisper," the guard growled at the blue pegasus, "And don't let me hear a word from either of you. Got it, Echo?"
"Wait, her name is Whisper?" Rarity deadpanned, blinking up innocently at the lanky pegasus.
Whisper piped up, "They was wondering about Applejack. We didn't say nothing, I tell you. We're innocent!"
"I think your commander was the judge of that. Running away in the middle of combat isn't exactly a proven gesture of loyalty. Now can it or I'll-
"You'll do what? Lock us up?"
A sly grin spread across the guard's lips, "No, I was thinking about taking you two on a field trip to the bridge-
Echo's eyes widened in horror, "You can take her. I didn't say anything. It's her fault. Not mine."
"Echo," Whisper's head snapped back to her friend, "What was that all about?"
"Sorry..."
"Look, I don't have any time for this. It seems as though we've found the fugitives we've been after. And what's this? They all come with baggage?"
Twilight flinched as the pegasus swiped her saddlebag away and then it dawned on her what exactly was in there. She bared her teeth in desperation, clawing at the pegasus. But it was no use. He was three times bigger than her and was holding the bag over her head.
"Hm? Something valuable in here, hm?"
Without warning, the guard turned the bag over in his hooves and shook it. The ponies' eyes fell to the floor as a bundle of objects clattered on the stone floor. Wet, splattered books covered the length of the floor along with several overturned ink bootles and a set of broken quills. Twilight's legs wobbled slightly as her eyes scanned the length of the floor. From the corner of her eye, she spied Pinkie Pie slowly putting something behind her back, in the same place she would normally put her party cannon...
"Wha-what is this exactly? Rebel plots and schemes? Plans? What is it?"
"My books," Twilight cried out slightly, "All of my stuff is...ruined!"
Rainbow Dash's brow fell a few inches, "You're crying about a bunch of old, soggy books at a time like this?"
"This is the perfect time to," Twilight threw a quick wink over her shoulder which was met with confounded looks.
"Do I have to bag search every one of you guys? I can do it right here, right now."
"Here, just drop your bags everyone. We only came here for one thing anyway, and it's not as though you could carry it in a bag," Pinkie threw her hooves in the air with a sigh of defeat.
"You came here for one thing?" scoffed the prison guard.
"One pony more like it," Whisper smirked coldly from behind the wooden bars of the cell.
"Apple Jack was it?" The beefy guard murmured almost to himself.
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash stepped forward, "Now where is she? What did you DO to her?"
There was a burst of laughter from both the mares and the guard. The guard whipped his head back at Rainbow Dash, meeting her glare with another cruel laugh, "Oh, I didn't do anything to her. I can assure you that much. But I can't say the same for the five of you. You heard the earth pony, throw down your bags."
"No."
"Rainbow Dash," Twilight's pleading look failed to make any impact with Dash in the slightest.
"What if I don't? I won't do it until I see Apple Jack."
"Well, I'm not taking you to see Apple Jack period...so it seems as though we're at an impasse, aren't we?"
"Oooh, look at the fancy language on egghead."
Rarity let out a shriek, "RAINBOW DASH!"
"What?!"
"Put. Down. Your. Well-designed. Saddlebag. Or. I. WILL. BE. IN. A. RAGE."
There was a small pause between the ponies as Rainbow Dash pondered over what this meant or if it had any meaning whatsoever. Her eyes drifted down to her saddlebag and then up to the harsh eyes of the guard. She looked back at the pleading eyes of her friends and let out a slow, sad sigh.
"...No."
"Oh, come'on Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy meeped from behind her hair, "Just do it, please."
"It's too late Fluttershy...this got personal."
"You know what? I really don't have time for this."
Without any warning, a heavy impact struck Rainbow Dash in the back of the head. Her hooves wobbled at the numbing pain, and her teeth gritted together. Large blobs of red and purple threatened to shut out her whole vision as sharp tingles stung her face and hooves. With a cut-off moan, Rainbow Dash hit the floor, her eyes already shut. The guard's face errupted with a smug grin as he snatched the saddlebag off of her.
"See, that wasn't so hard now..."
Rainbow Dash's eyes opened a small crack, her eyes dialating from the sudden light that blindsided her. Wincing, she turned over to her side, trying to get a grip on her surroundings. A stained glass window gleamed up at her, its surface sparkling in the dawning sunlight. With a small groan, Rainbow Dash sat upright. She had been lying down on a long, dark-red carpet that stretched over a white marble floor. Before she could immediately take note of where she was, a soft voice cried out behind her.
"She's awake!"
Twilight and Rarity's heads turned at the sound of Fluttershy's voice, their eyes meeting Rainbow Dash's. Pinkie Pie lept up from her spot on the ground, her wide eyes soaked in tears of happiness, "Do you have ANY idea how worried you got me, Dash?"
"What's going on? Where are we?" Rainbow Dash half-grumbled through clenched teeth. She had been awake for ten seconds and already her head was throbbing in pain.
"We're in Canterlot Castle," Twilight whispered in a low voice as she crept closer to Rainbow Dash, "That pegasus and a few other guards escorted us here not too long ago after Rarity here knocked you out."
"YOU were the one th-
"In my defense," Rarity was quick to interject, "It was the potion wearing off..."
Fluttershy let out a small squeak, "That doesn't matter now...We still don't know where in the castle we are."
Rainbow Dash's eyebrows shot up, "Wait, did they just leave us here by ourselves?"
"Yes...But-
Rainbow Dash burst out laughing before Fluttershy could continue her sentence, "We have wings though. Or did they forget that tiny detail already?"
"No, they remembered. Try to open your wings..."
"My wings..." Suddenly, Rainbow Dash began to feel faint as she tried to move her wings, only to have them be constricted by some force. She quickly glanced up at Fluttershy for some sort of support, but was shocked to see the metal bands that were tying her friend's wings to her body.
"When...How?"
"They put them on so we couldn't leave. They even put magic blockers on Twilight and Rarity's horns..."
Rarity sighed, her eyes getting cloudy-eyed by the second, "Just look at these ugly, metal things. I look like a cyborg!"
Pinkie let out a small laugh as she pranced around the hallway in circles, "I'm the only one they didn't change."
"But Pinkie," Twilight tried to follow the swirling outline of Pinkie as she continued to dance around the place, "You're an earth pony...You're the one in the most danger here. For all I know, we could be getting taken to our graves this very moment."
"Oh, relax Twilight, it isn't all that bad."
Rarity's eyes snapped onto Pinkie, her pearly white teeth already barred, "It isn't all that bad? Really? Where exactly are we at this very moment, Pinkie?"
"Canterlot Castle."
"And why are we here?"
"We got caught in a horrible, horrible lie. And because we're the carriers of the elements of harmony..."
Rarity rolled her eyes, "No, I meant why are we in Canterlot."
"Hm? Oh, I know! To rescue Apple Jack."
"And do we have Apple Jack?" Rarity inched closer to Pinkie Pie, her left eye twitching dangerously.
"Um, no," Pinkie stopped her hopping and stood in place awkwardly.
"So, is there a silver lining that you can think of with that energetic, little mind of yours? Or do I have to spell it out for you?"
"No need," Pinkie Pie flashed a positive smile in Rarity's direction, "I know how to spell."
There was a white flash of movement, the sound of hoof against shoulder bones, and Pinkie's cut off scream as Rarity shook Pinkie with all her might, "THERE IS NO SILVER LINING, PINKIE! THERE IS NO BRIGHT SIDE TO THIS STORY! WE ARE GOING TO DIE AND THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT!"
"We have the elements though..." Pinkie's voice quivered in fear as Rarity released her from her cold grip.
"Oh, and how is that going to work without Apple Jack?"
Pinkie Pie, for the first time in ages, fell silent. Her smile was extinguished all too quickly, as though a bucket of water had slashed through a small candle-lit flame. Her pink, curly hair seemed to be two shades darker than usual...and a bit straighter. Pinkie Pie let out a short sniffle, "It won't..."
Rarity felt a small stab in the stomach at the softness of Pinkie Pie's words. She bowed her head down slightly, "I'm sorry Pinkie Pie. I-I-I shouldn't have snapped at you that way."
"Don't be," Pinkie's blue, orb-like eyes threatened to swallow Rarity whole, "I was just acting stupid...As usual, huh?"
Twilight stepped forward, "It wasn't like that Pinkie...You know that. If anything, it wasn't your fault at all."
"Twilight's right, Pinkie...It was all my doing. I'm terribly sorry...could you please forgive me for acting so brutish?"
Pinkie Pie opened her mouth to say something when a loud and mighty voice shook the room.
"Prisoners, line up single file!"
The beefy pegasus was back with two armed guards standing right behind him. He cocked a bushy eyebrow at the five ponies, his smug look still alive from hours before.
Rainbow Dash returned the look with a rude snort, "Prisoners?"
"Yeah, and if you have a problem with that, I could ask your friend to knock you out cold...Again."
The other two guards chortled at the lame joke, their sharp and jagged teeth glinting in the light. Twilight struck Rainbow with a stern look, silently gesturing for her to line up as they said. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in defeat as she got up from the floor. One by one the ponies lined up next to the beefy guard, their faces twisted in anticipation.
The white guard's gleeful stare turned swiftly into something cold and bitter as he signaled for the other guards to leave with a backwards nod. The two sauntered off, opening the wooden door they had entered from, and closed it with a lengthy slam. Twilight flinched as the pegasus slid by her, his eyes fixated on the group.
"Now, it's time for you five to meet a very special friend of mine..." his voice trailed off slightly as his shoulder brushed up against Fluttershy, "She's been tracking all of you very intently...even before we arrived in Equestria."
"What does she want to meet us for?" Rainbow Dash spat, "To be there in person when she turns us into shadow slaves like you?"
The pegasus's eyes flashed intensely at Rainbow Dash's words. His lips trembled slightly as he tried to keep his composure, "Yes, in fact she does. But she also wants to clear a few things up. Offer a couple of deals that you five could benefit from. You could find her to be blatantly honest; very trustworthy. But trust me, if you do turn into one of us...I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Rainbow Dash muttered something under her breath, but the beefy pegasus wasn't paying attention to her anymore, "I will be escorting you all to your fates in a few minutes, but let's get something straight, shall we? I can and I will make sure that each and every one of you behaves while in the presence of my ruler. Any sudden movements, danger-provoking gestures, or bad attitudes can be easily fixed. If it can't be fixed...it can easily be possessed. Is that understood?"
"Yes," the group said as a whole.
"Good," He smirked again, "And if you're nice...well, maybe my ruler can answer a few questions for you. Now, follow me."
The pegasus turned on his heels and promptly began to escort the ponies out of the giant hall. Fluttershy whimpered slightly, to afraid to think. Twilight was looking around the hall, trying to bide the time. Rarity and Pinkie Pie trudged behind them. And Rainbow Dash glared at the pegaus' backside, wondering if it would be possible to knock him out cold and escape in ten seconds flat. The wooden doors in front of them creaked maniacally as they opened ever so slowly, depositing the ponies into a very familiar and very bright surrounding...
The ponies' eyes watered at the sheer luminosity that greeted them. White, marble floor stretched out before them, shining in every direction except on the long, red, velvet carpet that led to the other side of the room. A shining gold, square object glinted among the dozens of stained glass to the sides of it. The ceiling shone above them with a furious anger, illuminating every sparkling surface before them. It quickly began to dawn on Twilight as to where they were. They were in the throne room of Canterlot Castle.
"We have the five ponies you've been looking for your majesty," the beefy pegasus bowed to a small spreck in the distance.
"Good," Twilight heard the faint voice of a mare, sitting in what used to be Princess Celestia's throne, "Bring them here."
Twilight's eyes wandered over to her friends. Rarity's head was bowed down, her wavy mane covering her face. Fluttershy's face was frozen into a state of utter terror, her eyes threatening to spill every tear she was attempting to hold back. Together they moved forward slowly.
Details that were blurry were soon becoming crystal clear. Individual, carved images were appearing in the blobs of color that were the stained glass windows. The golden throne still seemed a mile away, but with every new step they took, it radiated with heat. Rainbow Dash looked around the almost empty throne room in mild bewilderment. It was hard to think that throughout all of the chaos outside, this was the only place in Equestria that looked exactly the same as before. But who could say that these creatures hadn't changed it? After all, there was somepony sitting in Celestia's rightful place at that very moment before them. Rainbow Dash craned her neck to get a better view, but just as she did, a small herd of guards closed in on them.
"You've taken their personal belonging away, right?" a powerful voice growled from his place in the herd.
"Of course."
"Then you may be excused, Light."
Light scowled softly as he walked away from the group, muttering under his breath. Rainbow Dash looked back at guards, her curiosity peaked at its highest point. The others did the same. The guard with the powerful voice smirked at Light before talking once more.
"You five, will address our high and mighty ruler as 'Your Highness', or, 'Your Majesty'. Is that understo-
"It's fine, North," the mare's cold voice sliced through the air like a dagger, "Let's just get on with it. There's no need for formality at this point, wouldn't you say?"
North's face flushed slightly as he bowed his head slowly, "Point taken, your highness."
"Stop crowding the ponies, everyone. I want to see my guests face-to-face."
"Yes, your highness," North repeated once more before he and his following guards dispersed.
There has always been a moment in the universe, where time itself just seems to stop entirely. The moment before a tree snaps in a thunderstorm. The small insert of time before pain comes crashing through a pony. Those are small, insignificant examples compared to the time it took to pass before all five of the ponies realized who was in front of them this whole time. The thing to organize the entire war. The very creature to bring untold destruction to all of Equestria. And they had seen her face before. Like lightning, it hit every single one of them. From the unnaturally cold smile on her face, to the subtle glint in her green, orb-like eyes. All of them had recognized her in a heartbeat.
"Did you miss me?" Apple Jack smiled from her place on the throne.
Silence. That was all that followed after time stopped. But like everything in the world, time has to come back at some point or another. And it was gone for approximately ten seconds. Together, the group stared out at their friend, their jaws agape. Apple Jack was still lounging in Celestia's throne, looking rather pleased with herself. Her eyes were glued onto the five ponies, large and unblinking. And then slowly, as if in slow-motion, Apple Jack stood up. Her bones cracked into place as she took a few steps toward them.
"Apple Jack?" Rainbow Dash croaked out finally.
"No, you idiot," the creature inside Apple Jack snapped with a roll of the eyes.
"T-Then s-s-she's poss-possesing Apple Jack. Right?" Fluttershy was startled to find herself talking at all. She quickly dived back into her long, pink hair.
Apple Jack beamed, taking another few steps closer, "What a smart, little filly. But yes, I possessed that hillbilly you call a friend. She was one of the first prisoners of war too. What a shame."
Twilight was next to speak up, but the voice that came out didn't seem like her's, "W-Who are you?"
"Good question," Apple Jack walked around the group slowly, taking the time to brush shoulders with every single one, "And since I'm most likely going to kill you all anyway...I suppose a name must be in place. Correct?"
Rainbow Dash was the only one to nod her head. Apple Jack wound her way toward her, a cruel smile bearing down on everyone, "My name is Night Shade. Queen Night Shade. I came all the way past the bad lands to conquer this place. Turns out it's easier than a lot of ponies say."
"Wait...That's why your voice sounds familiar," Pinkie piped up with her squeaky voice from the back, "Do we know one of your relatives?"
"That's preposterous," Queen Night Shade's voice faltered for a moment, but that was enough for Twilight.
Twilight's eyes widened in comprehension, "You're related to Queen Chrysalis, aren't you?"
Queen Night Shade whipped her head to stare at Twilight. Her eyes flashed red as her voice boomed throughout the ambient room, "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT NAME TO ME!"
"I'd take that as a big yes," Rainbow Dash snorted without so much as a flinch.
Night Shade let out a heavy sigh, "Chrysalis came back to the kingdom after years of planning, years of waiting, years of boasting about how she was going to rule over Equestria. She comes back with only twenty of our soldiers and says that something went wrong. I am NOT like her what so ever. I've made it past a day. Even if someone were to assassinate me now, I would still be more accomplished than that little crying, thing ever was."
"If you're related to Chrysalis...Aren't you supposed to be a changeling?" Rarity found her voice at last.
"What makes you think I'M the different one? We all could possess ponies and beings alike. Everyone but Chrysalis that was. She was different. She could mirror everything around her. Was that better than our powers? No. Was it rare? Yes, only a few select beings in history had that 'gift'. Was she spoiled rotten because of her disability? Of course she was. Mother and Father gave her everything she could hope for. They supplied her with that clay to mold out her army. They comforted her when she was overthrown. SHE WAS AN IDIOT. But none of that matters now...because I'm here and she isn't."
"You're sisters?" Pinkie Pie gasped, "I thought you were cousins or something."
"Shut-up, you," Night Shade glared across the room at Pinkie.
"But I-I don't understand..." Twilight began, "What happens to the body, er, or the host when you possess them?"
Night Shade bowed down her head, smirking slightly, "My, my...take a look at the brains on Twilight Sparkle. Tell me Twilight, I have managed to destroy your government, send all of your leaders to the moon, twist your world from the inside out...and you want to learn more about the science of what my kind do to ponies such as yourself?"
"I want to learn about all of the above...If I'm going to die, I might as well get the curiosity out of my system."
"Very well, Sparkle," snorted Night Shade as she sat back down on Celestia's throne, "But only because you amuse me...slightly."
Rainbow Dash glanced over to Twilight; the confusion on her face was anything but subtle. Twilight stared straight ahead, but slowly gave a backwards nod over to Pinkie. Rainbow's brows furrowed.
"Where to begin? Our power is quite extraordinary in its own form. I have possessed your little friend here, but there is no chance for her being conscience. As soon as a possessor takes hold of its host, the hosts' mind gets shut off until further notice. It's a simple hibernation mode if you could call it that."
"But what about the possessors that were wounded during the pony raids? What happens to the hosts inside of them?" Twilight asked, quickly nodding over to Pinkie Pie again before Night Shade could notice.
Rainbow Dash gazed over to Pinkie Pie. Her pink hooves shuffled silently, but somewhere not too far away, something jingled right next to her. Rainbow's eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to pinpoint the noise.
"The host is wounded and we feel all of their pain for them. The hosts' body stays wounded, but mentally, they can't feel anything-
"And if they die inside a hosts' body?"
Night Shade chuckled darkly, "The host would die. Their body wouldn't be able to withstand. But somewhere, their soul will drift off through time and space itself. As for us...we would be trapped inside that body until we ourselves perish. It's a dark twist of fate, so as you can see, not many of us are willing to die so easily. And that is usually because we can't. Possessors can heal very quickly before we 'die'. It's a type of guardian angel system if you could call it that."
"Wait, you can possess ponies, but you can't possess alicorns, right?"
Night Shade's smug smile dropped for a second before reappearing, "What made you come to that conclusion?"
It was Twilight's turn to smile as she explained, "I'm pretty sure that anypony who had the capabilities of possessing would take control of an alicorn that's as powerful as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. But something tells me that even the best possessors can't do it even if they tried."
Night Shade cocked an eyebrow up slightly, "Nice deduction skills, Sherclop Pones. And yes, it's true...Although I am an alicorn myself, it is impossible to possess anyone of my certain structure. Alicorns have an immense defensive power against most magical elements. You can defeat them in combat, yes...but you can't take over their divine being. But if one was to, let's say, send somepony like me to the moon for infiltrating their government, a reflective spell is quite useful to have."
"You sent Luna and Celestia to the moon...by using a reflective spell?"
"You make it sound like such a petty thing," tsked Night Shade with a cruel smile.
"Well, you are a petty thing," Rainbow Dash mumbled under her breath.
There was a tense silence that filled the air.
Night Shade's gaze rested on Rainbow Dash and a snarl unfurled from her snout, "No one was talking to you, Rainbow Crash. And frankly, I don't like the attitude you've been giving off so far. Be careful, or you may be the last one to die."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "The last one to die?"
Night Shade's nostrils flared once more, "Yes. It's a fate worse than dying, because you get to watch me kill each of your friends without being able to stop me."
"Is that supposed to scare me?"
"Yes," the sound of teeth grinding together could be heard, "But torture could be adequate for you as well."
"Good," Rainbow Dash bit back, "Oh, and by the way...you cheated."
"Cheated?" Night Shade smiled slowly, her teeth barred, "Really? What makes you say that?"
"During the duel. You just used some hocus-pocus spell that technically made Celestia send herself to the moon. You did nothing. At least your sister actually defeated Celestia last time she was here."
Like a bullet, Night Shade's breath shot out icily. Everypony's eyes were upon either Night Shade or Rainbow Dash.
"Guards," Night Shade's voice trembled in anger, "Leave us be right now."
The few guards that were standing at the door paused, unsure if they heard correctly, "Your highne-
"GO."
Twilight glanced back at the retreating guards. Her eyes lept toward Pinkie Pie hopefully, but Pinkie was still shuffling her feet. The jingling noise was just barely audible.
As soon as the giant doors closed, Night Shade got up from her throne quickly, "That was the last time you dare compare me to my sister. That was the LAST time you do anything at all. Do you hear me?"
"Yeah, crystal clear," Rainbow Dash's voice was dipped in sarcasm.
"Oh, you..." Night Shade fumed, "I will make you suffer, alright. And it will be the most satisfying part of my life."
Twilight leaned closer to Rainbow Dash, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Stalling," Rainbow whispered back, "Or does inkie-pay not have the lements-ey?"
"Wow, your pig latin in bad," Twilight muttered, "But that's what I assume all of that ruckus was coming from her backside."
"Yeah, what is that exactly?" Rainbow Dash mumbled with a small, underlining hint of confusion.
"Her secret pocket. Where do you think she stores her party cannon?"
Rainbow tried to hide her flushed face from view, "Uh, that's not important right now."
"What are you two doing?" Night Shade glowered at the two ponies.
"We're, uh, saying our goodbyes..."
Night Shade sighed, "Isn't that sweet? I suppose you all would want to part ways with peaceful, heart-felt goodbyes, right?"
"Y-yes," Fluttershy's muzzle poked out from underneath her pink locks.
"Well, too bad!" Night Shade spat, "You all had plenty of time to do that on the way here."
"Please, just give us one minute," Twilight bowed her head respectfully, "If you will...We'll do whatever you'll command us to do."
There was another long pause. Night Shade's sneer faltered for a moment before returning to normal.
"Since I am a merciful queen...You get thirty seconds. And that is it. No more. no less. Understood?"
"Perfectly."
"Your time begins now..."
Twilight quickly beckoned everyone over to gather in a circle. Fluttershy and Rarity were both misty-eyed as they trotted over toward everypony else.
"We're not going to die. Not yet," Twilight whispered as fast as she could, "Pinkie, you have the...things we need, right?"
Pinkie gave a stiff nod, "Yep."
Rarity frowned, "The things...Oh, you mean th-
Rainbow Dash spoke loudly to mask Rarity's sentence, "It's okay, Rarity. I love you too!"
Twilight, "Thank you Rainbow Dash. Now, what Night Shade doesn't notice is that she's in an earth pony's body. She has no spells and no wings."
"Ten more seconds, fillies!"
"Neither do we at the moment," hissed Rarity.
"We tie her down, somepony gets Apple Jack's element, put it on her, and we get Night Shade out of Apple Jack's body."
"Sounds good to me," Pinkie chirped quietly.
"Time is up!"
Twilight gave a slight nod to Pinkie Pie before turning back to Night Shade, "Thank you for that...Night S-
"Queen Night Shade," she corrected with a growl.
Twilight took a few steps forward, "Queen Night Shade. Thatnk you for your hospitality...your, uh, mercifulness...and your graceful attitude. What I'm going to say next may be a bight rash-
"Then I wouldn't say it if I were you."
Another step forward, "That may be...but what I need to tell you is this...could you listen closely though?"
"Here is fine."
"I'd rather this be kept away from my friends..."
Night Shade smirked, "Betrayal? Is that your intention, Sparkle? I'm surprised."
Twilight nodded as she took one more step closer, "I suppose you could call it, uh, that."
Behind Twilight, however, Pinkie Pie was slipping the saddlebag out of her pocket as quietly as she could. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were moving just as close as Twilight was but at a slower pace.
"Go on," Night Shade's voice was peaked with interest, "Get on with it."
"What I need to tell you...is this..."
Before Twilight could continue, her hoof collided with Night Shade's jaw. She cringed as a dark pink mark spread its way across the cheek of Apple Jack.
"GO!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she and Rarity raced toward Night Shade.
Rainbow Dash was the first to reach the queen with a mighty punch to the neck. Night Shade kicked up her hooves with a small grunt, sending Rainbow Dash flying through the air. With a heavier kick, Twilight was sent spiraling down the throne room floor.
Night Shade lept up to her hooves and began to scream, "Gua-
But Rarity threw herself at Night Shade, wrapping her hooves around her mouth.
Pinkie scrambled as she opened the saddlebag, rustling through each necklace as fast as she could.
"Fluttershy!" Pinkie threw the butterfly embroidered necklace to her.
"SHE'S BITTING ME!" Rarity hollered.
Rainbow Dash stumbled over to the two ponies before landing another punch to Night Shade's gut.
"Get her off of me!" squealed Rarity as she threw Night Shade off of her.
"Rarity!" Pinkie flung the element of generosity Rarity's way.
Twilight's eyes fluttered open as her surroundings became clearer. Rainbow Dash had taken the place of Rarity and was now glued onto the backside of Night Shade for all it was worth.
"Rainbow Dash!"
The element of loyalty whizzed past Rarity's head and seemed to magically attach itself to Rainbow Dash's neckline. Night Shade growled and snarled as she whipped around and around, trying to get Dash off of her back.
"Twilight," Pinkie trotted straight toward Twilight with the element of magic in her mouth.
Twilight caught the crown before hastily flinging it onto her head.
"ME!" shrieked Pinkie as she fastened on her blue element.
A spark ignited smoothly from the tip of Twilight's horn, flickering and sparkling as it grew bigger and bigger. All together the elements individually lit up, humming as they did. Rainbow Dash pinned Night Shade to the cold ground as the others formed a circle before her.
"Stop it. You can't-I-I-Don't do this!"
Night Shade sputtered as the giant, emerald-colored orb that was now steadily sprouting out of Twilight's horn engulfed the room. A giant flash of green light erupted, blasting the stain-glass windows and brass doors open, flooding the entire grounds with its light. And then there was silence.
No pony moved. Twilight opened her eyes, awestruck at what had just happened. Night Shade was still trembling on the ground, held down by Rainbow Dash's strong hooves, but was still trapped inside Apple Jack's body. Slowly, she began to cackle.
"Green light? That's all that spell did? Cast a bright light? How did you manage to screw up this far? This is what Celestia's apprentice has to offer?" Night Shade spat, her fury rising once more as she let out a cold laugh, "I thought it would be a bit more climatic than that."
"Really? I thought this would be climatic enough without having to explain," Twilight snarked back at Night Shade, ignoring her insults completely, "But I guess I thought wrong. You see, that wasn't just a flash of green light, Night Shade. Oh no. It was a beacon of green light."
"Ha," Night Shade's eyes narrowed, "I don't see a difference."
"Oh, but I do," a voice rang out from behind the ponies.
All eyes widened as the figure strode into the circle, her green eyes set on Night Shade and only Night Shade. Her tall, white body was rigid, as though she had slept on rocks for months straight. Night Shade let out a small gulp before feigning laughter.
"Well, this was a-a surprise I wasn't, um, expecting-
"Quiet, you," Celestia's nostrils flared.
"Celestia?" Rarity squeaked, her voice wavering this way and that, "How? How did you-you..."
"That beacon of light Twilight sent out was bigger than you would think. It shot straight up into the air and was able to reach us on the moon. And luckily for us, that was what we needed. Not any simple unicorn magic would have sufficed. We needed element magic to grab onto. It was enough magic to get us back here in one piece."
"Us? But that means-
Luna trotted out from the main doors, her stare directly on Night Shade. Night Shade whimpered as Luna drew closer. Twilight beamed as she spied the purple outline of a small dragon clutched onto Luna's back.
"Sister, I took out the guards on watch," Luna siad hastily, "They're knocked out cold, but are still otherwise possessed."
"Possessed?" Rainbow Dash struggled for a split second to hold down Night Shade, "But that beacon of light was supposed to-
"It did exactly what I wanted it to do, Dash," Twilight explained quickly, "Send the princessess back home. We need them for the last step anyway. And besides, you didn't honestly think we could get the element of honesty on Night Shade without getting maimed in the process, did you?"
Rainbow Dash laughed nervously, "Just messing with you buddy. I know all about...beacons. And stuff."
"We haven't much time, so whatever it is you need to do, do it fast," Luna checked the coast behind her, sternly.
Celestia smiled, the corners of her mouth sliding up across her face just slightly, "Do you guys have the element of honesty with you?"
Pinkie jumped up and down, raising her hoof feverishly, "Ooh. Ooh. I know where it is!"
And with the last jump, she flung the element of honesty into the air, its orange, apple-shaped gem glistening in the light before she caught it expertly. Celestia gave another smile as Pinkie offered the necklace to her.
"Thank you, Pinkie," Celestia bowed her head before using her magic to levitate the necklace into the air.
It spun wildly before settling onto Night Shade's neck. Night Shade hissed as she started to struggle even harder, tossing and turning, and kicking up her hooves like an indignant filly.
"Activate the elements," commanded Celestia in a booming voice, "We need to get Night Shade out of Apple Jack before she ends up killing her. Along with the other things that are trapped in just about every pony else."
Twilight gave a single, short nod. Celestia's body stiffened all of a sudden, her eyes clenched shut and her teeth gritted together. A long, silver wisp trailed out the end of Celestia's horn, growing larger and larger. The smoke twirled and spun around throughout the circle, casting a mist upon the group. Soon the glowing elements were the only things to be seen in the dense, thick fog that was encircling everyone. All the elements except for Apple Jack's that was.
"Princess Celestia," came the sound of Fluttershy's soft voice through the fog, "What's happening? Why isn't Apple Jack's element lighting up?"
Celestia explained quickly as another wisp of smoke puffed out from her horn, "The element doesn't know that Apple Jack is in there. All it can make out is Night Shade. And the fact that, arg, Night Shade has been suppressing her beyond belief isn't a helping factor at the moment. Apple Jack will be lucky to make it out in one piece. But once I can lure Night Shade out of Apple Jack's body, the element should work almost instantly. When all of the, ah, elements are together they will-
A loud cough startled everyone. Rainbow Dash let out a yelp as if hot water had scorched her and let go of Night Shade. All was quiet until Celestia let out a loud groan that seemed to shake the throne room.
Celestia's body shook rigidly as a tiny ball of black light lifted out from the collected smoke havoc that bundled around the ponies.
"Princess?" Twilight called out in a light whisper, "What is that?"
"I'm not sure," Celestia's leg twitched slightly as she observed the ball of black light, "But I wouldn't get too close, Twilight-
There was a long pause as the blue light suddenly disappeared. Nothing happened. Once more, time stood still. And then an orange light flickered on from the center of the group. A whooshing sound roared through the heavy layers of fog, lifting the six ponies off of their feet. Twilight flinched as the wind whipped at her mane and her skin. Light bounced off every object, blinding everypony with its rays. And through the layers of noise, ponies were yelling and shrieking in the distance somwhere on the castle grounds, sending shivers down Twilight's spine. One single, pitiful scream shot out from the corner of the room. And then the whooshing stopped.
Slowly, one by one, each of the mares floated down, starting with Pinkie Pie first. Fluttershy landed with a soft thud next to Pinkie, her hair looking as though somepony had run it through a cotton candy machine. Rainbow Dash and Rarity followed suit, both landing crisply on the marble floor. Twilight felt herself being lowered down gently as well. Her hooves touched the marble as the noise began to die down. The only pony left that was floating down limply, was no pony other than Apple Jack. Her eyes were closed shut and tight and her breathing came out raspy and jagged.
Celestia jolted toward the orange mare, her head bowed down to examine her. She ignited her horn once more and kneeled against the hard floor. Apple Jack murmured softly to herself as her eyes rolled around under the safety of her eyelids. Celestia bit her lip softly.
"Sister," she spoke up in a hurry, "Go check the surroundings with Spike. The elements seemed to have done their job...but I'm going to need access to the nearest medical facility. She's going to go under soon and my magic isn't quite as strong as it was before this ordeal began. Fetch any pegasi nearby that can carry Apple Jack. Rainbow Dash, I'm going to be needing your assistace as well."
Rainbow Dash's voice cracked, "Of course, Princess. I-I-Of course..."
"Good," Celestia sighed, "Now, if you excuse me, I'll need to be alone for a few minutes. Give her all a bit more air."
Fluttershy whimpered, tears rolling down her yellow face, "Will-will she b-be alright?"
"I can't say for sure. But I will do everything in my power to make sure she will."
"Come, girls," Rarity nudged the rest of the group, "Let's give the Princess some space. Apple Jack will get better soon. Now is just not the time yet."
The girls slowly trailed away from Celestia, weary and downcast as they made their way to the open windows. Twilight peered outside, her eyes scanning the landscape.
Pegasi were littered around Canterlot, rubbing their heads, walking aimlessly around, all too confused to do anything. They all seemed like lost sheep in a herd. Twilight gazed around to Ponyville, still just a pile of rubble as far as she could see. But deep down she could feel herself smiling through all the layers of stress, sweat, and sorrow this war had brought with it. Little did the dumbstruck pegasi below know that it had all ended only a few minutes ago.
"What was that black light?" Fluttershy spoke up at last, her eyes fidgeting from the windowsill to the outside world, "You don't think it was her, do you?"
"I'm not sure, Fluttershy. I'd like to think that Night Shade just vaporized right then and there, but even I know she didn't."
"Um, you guys?-
Rarity sniffed slightly, "And all of the others? Did they all just blast off the same way they did when Cadence and Shining Armor cast them out? Or do you reckon they're still out here?"
"Guys," Pinkie motioned at a spot on the ground, "I dont' know about the others...but I think I found Night Shade. Or what was left of her..."
There on the white, marble floor, over where Twilight had heard that one scream, was a mound of black dust, smeared across the slick surface. Twilight slowly made her toward Pinkie and the dust pile, not quite sure whether to be sympathetic or glad. Her eyes dropped to the floor with a grim smile.
"Are you- Are you sure that thing's her?" Fluttershy squeaked from the windowsill.
"Was her," corrected Twilight, "I heard her scream right before that wind tunnel we were in stopped. The elements must have incinerated her while she was getting away. I bet you anything that black light we saw was Night Shade."
Rainbow Dash's smile spread from ear to ear, "She got what she deserved in the end. Serves her right."
"I don't know," Fluttershy murmured.
Everypony stared at her with wide eyes and slackened jaws, as though she had just admitted to murder.
"Fluttershy, what on Equestria do you mean?" Rarity croaked, her eyelashes batting in surprise.
Fluttershy gave a low sigh as she turned her attention to the outside world, "I don't agree with what she did, don't get me wrong...but it all seems sad when you think about it. She marched into Canterlot, wiped out the government, committed acts of murder, and played an entire game of mousetrap with the kingdom...all to outshine her sister. That was the only reason."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes heavily, "Sounds like the perfect reason to take over Equestria. Next time a tyrannic, egotistical, psychotic leader comes into town, I'll be the first to take them out to dinner."
"But, it just seems so sad to think about how much jealousy it took for her to do all of this," Fluttershy pressed on with a weary sigh, "Whenever you get jealous over someone for...um, being faster than you or being smarter, prettier, and for getting all the attention...you do stupid things in a way to spite them. But even if you were to sabotage them in a way, it would be nothing compared to all of this. I think Night Shade wanted her parent's attention so badly...she would've have done anything to just make them proud. And, well, here we are now."
"That was very well-thought of Fluttershy," Celestia spoke from behind the group, "Not many ponies are so keen to look into other ponies' perspective."
"Uh, Princess," Pinkie cringed a little, "Where's Apple Jack?"
"In the care of my sister. They're headed straight to the infirmary as we speak."
"And where's Spike?" Twilight looked around the throne room for any sign of her dear, purple-scaled friend.
Celestia gave a small chuckle, "Don't worry. I gave him the important tast of checking on the ponies outside for any mental stress or damage. There might be some in worse condition than Apple Jack for all we know, but it's a small chance. Not many of the possesslings were as strong as she was. But for know... you all should rest. We'll be needing you soon enough."
Twilight walked back to the windowsill, where Fluttershy still stood, "Do you think everypony will change?"
Celestia followed her faithful student to the window, "Change in inevitable. It can't be stopped. You know that the most."
"I know," sighed Twilight, "But will they change for the worst?"
"It depends on the ponies. Earth Ponies and Pegasi may forgive each other, whether it be the other side or themselves, but they won't forget it."
"I see..."
"Don't give up hope on them just yet, Twilight," Celestia cracked a smile, "We'll all figure out a path to tread in due time."
Twilight's eyes scanned the horizon, not quite sure what she was searching for, "You really think so?"
"I always have."
