Blue, part two: A shattered country

Chapters

Prologue: The makings of a hero
Chapter one: The prince and the pauper
Chapter two: Flitter and Mare-Do-Well
Chapter three: Making amends
Chapter four: A day of horrors and surprises
Chapter five: Nightmares of Equestria
Chapter six: War
Chapter seven: Underground
Chapter eight: The mansion
Interlude one: The confidant
Interlude two: Griff off
Chapter nine: Tales of Equestria (part 1)
Chapter ten: Tales of Equestria (part 2)
Interlude three: Tea for three

Prologue: The makings of a hero

Creepy. That was the first that came to her mind when she entered the abandoned library. Twilight Sparkle has been in Canterlot for quite some time, and Spike simply left a few weeks ago for whatever reason. Meaning there was absolutely no living soul inside said library... perfect for a little break-in. She hadn't really come to terms with stealing, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, it won't be for her.

She frantically searched the whole library, making sure she covered the windows before lighting a light. Sure, the chances of somepony being awake right now were one-in-a-million, yet she couldn't afford failure. Not now. If she can't find it—she found it. A small cardboard box, hidden in the depths of the wardrobe. She smiled, even if she wasn't particurally happy. She brought her findings to candlelight, proceeding to open the box. Inside was something purple; but what was more important: symbolic. The costume of Mare-Do-Well, from a time when the Elements trusted each other, and tried to right the little faults they had. Still, this particular piece has been discarded after only one use. There was a lesson to be learned there, but frankly, she didn't care about it right now.

She tried on the costume. It was a perfect fit. Practical, too, because it covers the muzzle and the body. Nopony will recognise her. Now, for the tenous part.

She spread out a few newspapers on the desk she lit the candle at. Even though the library was abandoned, the magazines and newspapers ordered arrived on schedule. She was a little behind on fresh news.

She skimmed paragraph after paragraph, ignoring the articles covering nobles and politics. She was interested in two things: the movement of the Changeling Containment Force, led by Applejack and Prince... Redblood; also responsible for hunting down escaped convicts, and gathering blue ponies for transferral to Azure City. Azure City was actually the second thing she was very curious about; nothing factual was revealed to the public around it. One thing was for certain: blue ponies entered. Nopony saw food shipments go in, either, or any reasonable supplies a pony might need. A thick, well guarded wall, with the Princess herself casting enchantments to be intraversible from above, and unscryable by any means. Of course, she found nothing about it.

She did find an interesting tidbit about her other concern, though. The CFF was currently operating near the Badlands, choosing to wipe out a changeling nest in a critical strategic position. Would it fall, the southern borders would be undisturbed by any type of spy activity; if proper patrols would keep watch for a change. Well, this only means the big guns are down there, so her little plan here in Ponyville would be mostly undisturbed. Hopefully.

She buried her muzzle in her hooves. What happened? Two weeks ago, four Ponyvilleans decided they should stick together, and get as far as possible from Equestria. Flitter, Cloudchaser, Cloud Kicker, and her. Even though the former three had ambigously purplish coats, they decided not to take a risk. The plan was for the escapees to meet up with Bon Bon, in a small clearing northwest of Ponyville, then they would escape together, for greater security. Something went wrong, however. Flitter, Cloudchaser and Cloud Kicker simply disappeared from the face of Equestria. She didn't know what happened. She ran away before them, yet she showed up at their designed meeting time, and place. Unmistakeable signs of struggle was all over it, yet no living soul was present. From what meager tracking skills she possessed, she concluded that they were loaded on a cart, possibly against their will, that arrived later than they did. They were ponynapped.

She had nopony on her side. Nopony, but Bon Bon. Would Bon Bon shed a tear if she died? Improbable. She swore, however, that this will change. She had one lead; one lead, that probably Flitter left her. She was always the smart one. Still, the clue was a crudely drawn pillow on the ground; if she guessed correctly, the pegasus skimmed down their assailant's cutie mark before they were taken. She knew the ponies of Ponyville. Only three adult ponies had a pillow as cutie marks: Silent Song, Etched Art, and Snore Stop. Great. Now she only needs to figure out which one took them.

She quickly put out the light, and pulled up the mask. She wasted two weeks, because she had to hide from everypony; if they caught glance of her... Azure City, hay hoe! What meager reconnaissance she could perform, she could only confirm one thing: two of the three possible assailants had cellars. No chance of narrowing it down to one, then. She only prayed that her friends were still alive.

She quickly skidded to a back alley, without bothering to close the door behind herself. If they discover the robbery... well, they will know that the costume is stolen. End of the line.

The mare hurried her steps. The night was so short, and she had to do so many things...

__________________________________________________________________________________

Deep in the Everfree, under the ruins of the alicorns' old castle, an agreement was made. An agreement that made somepony especially unsatisfied.

"I am telling you to take me, too! You need me to—"

"No, Trixie, we don't." a bright purple stallion interrupted her. "You've already did your part: we look like a bunch of hippies from Woodstoke, which is perfect. Nopony will recognise us because of your disguising skills."

"Yeah, dudette." a red unicorn joined. "I mean, I'm pretty sure we'll only screw up 40% of what you predict we will screw up."

"Not to mention you're injured, too." a white pegasus with grey mane added. "Not going to take you just to put you in danger."

"Well, I—"

"Apparently, you are feeling well enough to wander out despite the fact that you somehow managed to open up one of your wounds. Not to mention you're not even disguised, so you'd have to maintain an illusion constantly to be unnoticed."

Trixie stared at Luna. Then, she sighed defeatedly.

"Fine, fine... I'm just worried. Try to be as fast as you can. It's bad enough that I can't help, not to mention Luna has to stay here to foalsit me because of my own stupidity."

"Even if you recovered completely, I could not have gone with you. If I cast a spell in Canterlot, my sister would notice it. Right now, we must remain hidden. Now go," she gestured towards the exit. "Go, and bring the Element of Generosity here."

Chapter one: The prince and the pauper

"Move, move move!" a pony in black uniform shouted. In retrospect, making their uniforms black was not the wisest thing when combating changelings. Two more ponies ducked behind the cover he was hiding at, while he provided cover in form of rapid bursts of magic.

"Damn, we're not getting paid enough for this." one of them wheezed. The other stared at him in surprise.

"You get paid?!"

"Focus, guys! We're sitting ducks here!"

True, they were stranded behind a large rock, risking getting flanked if they tried to retreat, but at least they could defend this posi—crap. Four changeling drones got behind them, lead by a larger, sturdier changeling.

"No prisoners." he hissed. The three ponies took a defensive formation—two of them didn't even have weapons, and readied themselves for the worst. Before the pouncing began, however, the changeling officer was hit by a large rock, sending him flying into a wall. The drones turned around in confusion, allowing an orange-black blur to leap between them. The pony rose to her front hooves, taking the classic bucking position, when a blade sprung from both of her hind hooves. Like a whirlwind of death, she spun and kicked, until the four drones were nothing more than glorified chunks of black and green.

The three soldiers watched in awe as the blades slowly retracted into a hilt strapped to her legs, becoming smaller and smaller, until they fit their matchbox-sized container. She snorted victoriously.

"Serves ya right, soulless bastards! 'Ey, Prince Charmin'! I win, four to one!"

A white unicorn stepped out from the dark, carrying an unconscious changeling with him. The strike team recognised Prince Redblood immediately.

"I was going for quality over quantity, myself." He looked at the foot soldiers. "Restrain this changeling, and retreat to our camp north. It will be questioned later."

One of them gathered his courage to actually pose him a question.

"Sir, will you two be all right?"

The prince looked at the tunnel in which Applejack already disappeared to.

"I believe we are more than adequate. Go and rendezvous with the others."

The soldier nodded, eager to leave after his comrades. Redblood galloped after Applejack, grumbling to himself.

"I swear that I will strangle her someday."

__________________________________________________________________________________

So beautiful. My prize. My prizes. You are with me now, forever and ever.

So pretty. So desireable. So... defenseless. Must contain myself. Yes, yes. Must have willpower.

And you, my love... will be here... with me. You will bear me a child.

I own you.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Ugh! I'm covered in changeling! Did you really have to chuck it's head at me?!"

"Ah found it amusin', tah be honest."

Two ponies trotted towards the perimeter camp of the CFF, set up only temporarily, until reinforcements arrive from the Royal Guard. Temporal or not, the ponies kept tight watch, alert for any dangers. The ones with guard duty let out a relieved sigh when they recognised their leaders, covered in green goo.

"Welcome back, Ma'am, Sir!"

"Idiot!" Redblood snapped. "Check if we're changelings!"

The guard gulped, and cast the protocol spell, designed to reveal hiding changelings. After the test, only a grumbling stallion, and a smirking mare remained, further assuring the guard they were indeed his bosses.

"Never assume it is us, until you check, private!" the prince barked. "Now, let us on our way."

The guard nodded, and was quick to get out of their sight. Applejack and Redblood trotted inside the large strategy tent, sporting a detailed map of the borders with the Badlands. Many years ago, it was considered a part of Equestria, but it's harsh climate and lack of water surplus made it undesireable for expansion. It served now as a neutral area... and also the home of the changeling race. All across the Badlands, several markers were placed where intelligence suggested hives. With this particular one down, no forward changeling base existed in Equestria.

"Yuck. I need a bath. Preferably acid. This smell is never going to go away!"

"Oh, juss' sleep it off, ya hussy!" the orange earth pony replied. The prince looked at her angrily.

"Stop making fun of me!"

"What ma'ight you speak'st of, o prince?"

"First, I know you don't have an accent like that. You're just doing it to get on my nerves."

"Eyyy, wut accen' yer Majessy? Ah'm juss' a' simplah' fa'm poneh'! Tarry mah jinglemangs!"

A muscle started twitching under the stallion's eye.

"Two can play that game."

"I say," he began, clearing his throat, "what is the meaning of this insignificant peasant putting herself in the limelight? I require she be bathed, and her mouth be washed of the filth she spews with it! Give her a bit, and send her back to the primitive tribe she came from! Quick, before her poorness infests this place!"

Applejack gave him an annoyed look.

"Not. Funny," she hissed.

"You reap what you sow, to use an appropriate metaphor. Now can we please concentrate on the important tasks?"

"...Fine."

Redblood stepped closer to the map.

"See here, just about a mile from this hive. This is a critical choke point; if we station enough soldiers from the army here, we'll make this pass impregnable from south."

"Couldn't they just, Ah don't know, fly over the whole damn thing?" Applejack pointed out. Redblood nodded.

"Normally, yes, but I requested flight disturbers from R&D. They told me that about five of them are sufficient for a fifty mile long defensive perimeter. What is better, they assured me it only works on changelings, and our own troops are undisturbed by it. With luck, the reinforcements arrive shortly, and we can leave this place."

"Y'know what? Ya have more brains Ah gave ya credit for."

"...Do you always insult ponies that bluntly, or are you just keeping it for me?"

"Honesty, remember? Besides, Ah don't know what tah think anymore."

Redblood cocked an eyebrow.

"Unsure? You seemed pretty determined while kicking bug flank."

Applejack waved angrily.

"Look, Ah'm not gonna share my problems with ya, Ah'll manage."

"Yes, I am sure that worked out in your past as well. Coughapplebuckseasoncough."

The mare looked bemusedly at him, stepping closer in a threatening manner.

"First, ya don't say 'cough', ya cough, ya moron! Second, where the hay did you hear 'bout that?!"

The stallion returned her icy glare, albeit with less antagonising.

"Simple. Before I applied for the vice-captain's position, Aunt Celestia gave me a brief summary about you, and your abilities. She mentioned that as an example of your thick-headedness." He paused. "Even so, your determination is something I... Well, to put it simply, respect. And besides—"

A small rustling noise came from the tent's entrance. Both ponies looked there, and saw a CFF trooper enter with two cups and a teapot balanced on her head. She carefully trotted to the map desk, and set it down near the edge of Canterlot.

"Sir, I've brought some tea. What are our orders for the night?"

"Keep a tight watch. I don't expect retaliation, but maybe they are desperate enough to try it. Guards should alert us at the least movement. If nothing is wrong, however, I'd like to remain undisturbed."

"As you wish."

The prince watched the mare leave, unaware that Applejack was in turn eyeing him. When he turned back, he came muzzle-to-muzzle with a staring earth pony. He recoiled a bit, shifting nervously.

"...Is there something on my face?" he joked, trying to ease the mood.

"How could Ah be sure if Ah can trust ya? Ya have a bad reputation, and Ah saw you were a jerk with Rarity."

"Sweet sunrise, we have been working together for a month now!"

"Yeah, an' the last time Ah trusted somepony Ah've known for years, an' she killed mah sister. It takes more than time, Prince Charming."

"...Please don't use my first name."

"Charming, Charming, Charming! How come Ah'm not charmed, eh?" she intoned sarcastically.

"Look, just... I want to help you."

"Ya? Helpin' me? Out of your heart's goodwill? What is this, a joke?" she growled, stomping the ground furiously. He also raised his voice.

"What is your problem? You just shoot me down, even though you know nothing about—"

"Nothing? Nothing?! Ah tell ya who doesn't know a thing: YA! Do ya have any idea what it's like to lose half of your family?! Do ya have any idea what is it like to be abandoned by your own family?! Not one of them, not a single one of them offered to help us out in these hard times! Mah brother's started drinking, and we got into a fight over it! In the end, Ah left our family's farm, to pursue vengeance! There! Happy?!"

She was trembling with suppressed emotions. The prince did the single most bravest thing in his life: he stepped closer, and awkwardly patted her shoulder. The gesture surprised the orange mare, having the intended soothing effect on her.

"Ah... Ah'm sorry."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Ah'm sorry. Ah've been really reckless an' mean, 'specially to ya all this time. Maybe ya do mean what ya said." She repressed a yawn. "Heck, Ah'm gettin' awful tired. Can we continue this tomorrow?"

The stallion nodded.

"Of course. Let's ask the ones making camp where our respective tents are."

They left the strategic tent, going straight to the lodging officer. He quickly pointed them to the commander's tent. Which was one tent. Not two. The two commanders stared at the two-pony sized sleeping bag inside. Finally, Redblood spoke up.

"Well, crud. I guess I'll just be over there, sleeping in the mud."

"Oh c'mon, ya wuss. Ya can bear the smell for a night, so juss' come 'n sleep."

The stallion stared at her blankly.

"I was thinking about your good reputation. What would our soldiers say if they saw you sleeping in the same tent as a stallion?"

"Prob'bly nothin'. Or somethin' along the lines of 'Woooo', Ah think."

"Point taken. I give you my word that I will not attempt to behave ungentlecoltly."

"Hah!" Applejack snorted. "Ah doubt ya could, even if ya tried."

"Believe me, I could, I just choose not to."

"Big words, comin' from a frail unicorn."

Redblood started to lose his temper.

"Are you implying that I should make advances on you?"

"Do the what now?"

"Arrrrrgh! Look, this side is mine, and that is yours, and we'll both keep to our sides! Agreed?"

Applejack spat in her hoof, and extended it towards the disgusted prince.

"Looks like ya got a deal, pardner!"

"Ugh! You..."

"It's not like ya aren't covered in changeling innards." Applejack reminded him. Redblood sighed, then accepted her hoof. This is going to be a long night.

_________________________________________________________________________________

In Canterlot, three ponies were worrying about the opposite. The night's so short for a breakout, especially if the target is guarded by Royal Guards. Thankfully, at least Shining knew them well.

"All right, now you know what to look for. Got everything?"

"Nearly," Vinyl answered. "What I don't understand is why do I have to go to inspect the situation?"

"Because they don't know you. I am widely known in the ranks of the Night Guard and the Royal Guard, not to mention several government organisations. And Rainbow... well... she's not exactly one for subtlety."

"Fine, fine. I'll reconnaissance the crap out of them! I believe the correct term is 'Watch in awe.'"

_______________________________________________________________________________

The guards stationed before the Fancypants mansion were bored. Such a fine night, with calm moonlight shining down upon them, and they have to guard a drunken noble, who at least had the decency of providing them with warm coats. There were two of them near the front door; both of them considering the whole assignment pointless. Sure, blue ponies were gathered everywhere, but Fancypants was taken into custody long before the law was passed, right? So, either let him go, or haul him off to Azure City with the others. This pretentious respect of nobility only served as a waste of four perfectly good soldiers. That's right, their commanding officer, a corporal, only assigned four ponies to guard this whole damn mansion. While it at least reduced the waste of ponypower, if the owner of this estate really wanted to escape, he could do so with little effort; a building this big cannot be realistically be isolated with four ponies. Superiors...

Suddenly, they sprung to alarm. Some weird nose could be heard from the adjoining street. The guards looked at each other, and readied their spears. As the sound became louder, they could also hear some mumbling going along with it.

"I was sure I turned right there... Where is it? Arrrrrrgh!"

The guards raised their eyebrows. Not the sounds a cold-blooded assasin would make. Still, they stood alert, until a red unicorn witch cropped neon green mane came out, holding a map in her magical grip. She looked increasingly distressed, often glancing around, searching for something. Noticing the two guards, she ran up to them with a wide smile.

"Oh, thank Celestia! Guard dudes, you do not know how relieved I am to see you!"

The guards shared a confused look. What exactly was this mare doing here in the middle of the night?

"What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Miss?" one of them asked.

"Oh, don't even get me started on that!" she groaned furiously. "So there's this bar, the Bearded Mare, serving some pretty good stuff, and being a great place to hang out. 'Xcept, y'know, I'm a tourist from Vanhoover, and I have absolutely no idea how to get around here! I've been wandering this district for at least half an hour now! But now, I found you, and maybe you can explain this damn map for me!"

"Sure thing, Miss," the guard said, stepping forward. "Where would you like to go?"

The unicorn gave him a cheeky glance.

"Assertiveness! I like that!" She turned to a more serious tone. "Now, the place I have a room at is 'The Lion's Mane' inn."

"Oh, that's about a ten minute walk from here. I can—" he turned back to his partner. "Say, Torch, do you mind if I'm gone for half an hour?"

The other stallion only grumbled upon hearing that. The first stallion clapped his hooves together.

"Perfect! If you'd like, Miss, I can lead you to it straight away!"

"Oh, thank you! I never expected to get a handsome guide all the way over there!"

Except, I really didn't expect them to follow me. What do I do, what do I do?

She followed the stallion through several streets, listening to his idle chatter. She decided that she's going to use the chance to get some information out of him.

"That house you were standing in front of, was it the guard headquarters? If so, you've landed quite a nice place, too."

The stallion laughed.

"Oh, no, that's the Fancypants estate. He's under house arrest."

"Arrest? He is a criminal?! Oh, dear, now I am afraid! What if he escapes?"

"Don't worry, Miss, the four of us guarding him are quite capable." He suddenly stopped, remembering what he just said. He gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry, Miss, just forget that part."

"Oh, don't worry. The moment you leave my presence, I promise I won't tell it to anypony."

The guard sighed.

"That's a relief. Anyway—"

Unknown to him, the unicorn used the time he wasn't looking to throw a small can into a back alley. The following sound grabbed his attention, going from leisurely flirting to standing at attention. Vinyl took the chance and clung to him tightly.

"W-what was that? I-it isn't that criminal, is it?" She was honestly amazed that she could pull it off. The guard gently brushed off her hoof.

"Stay behind me, Miss. I'm going to check it out."

The guard bravely stepped into the dark alley, prepared to confront whatever lurks—

BANG!

The guard collapsed, leaving a smirking unicorn behind with a dented trash bin cover.

"A'ight, now to get back to the others."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Where is she?" Rainbow asked impatiently. She was considering just charging in, and freeing everypony in sight. Except the guards, of course. Shining peered out from the alleyway they were hiding in.

"Look, if she was found out, there would have been a signal in the sky. I know Night Shade's methods, and I also happen to know that the City Guard does not have any telepaths. If she's late, it means she had to come back on a different route, or... got lost, I suppose."

"Or maybe she knocked out one of the guards and had to drag him all the way here, hmmm?" a third voice joined. Shining and Rainbow jumped a little, but relaxed when they saw a smirking unicorn, with an unconscious pony spread on her back. She quickly dashed behind some trash, and slipped the stallion on top of them.

"So, here's the deal: there are four guards in total, this dude included. They won't expect him to come back in... say, ten or so minutes. If we move in now, we won't have much opposition from them... I think."

Shining stepped to the pony lying in the trash, and lit up his horn. A moment later, he stepped back to peer out again from the alley. Nopony in sight. He sighed.

"All right, it seems nopony noticed you. Problem is, the guard standing in front of the door will not be cooperative. We need to distract him long enough to knock him out. How can we do that?"

"You're asking the wrong question, dude. The correct one is 'What Would Trixie Do'?"

"I fail to see what she would—" the stallion stopped, a new idea forming in his mind. "Actually, that made me think of something."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Starburst was getting impatient. His assigned guard partner was gone for fourty minutes now. By Luna, he needs to keep his libido in check. Still, if he doesn't come back in five minutes—

The sight of a familiar red mare stopped his train of thought. Wasn't this the one he went with? He snapped at attention. The mare noticed him, and steered towards him.

"Help me!" she shouted. "He's coming!"

Managing to dodge behind the confused guard, she poked a hoof in the direction where she came from. An especially enraged purple unicorn stallion galloped straight for them. Starburst decided it was time to act.

"GUYS! 12-34!" he shouted to his companions inside, facing the stallion running towards him. In a moment, everything went dark for him as Vinyl unceremoniously ripped the main door from it's hinges with her magic, and dropped it upon his head. She jumped beside Shining, who already came to a full stop. Two other guards rushed out, readying their weapons, keeping their eyes on the assailants. Shining smiled.

"Let me offer you three words of warning: Tactical Air Strike."

The guards looked at ech other confused, but then a whirling sound caught their ears. Barely even having time to look up, they were tackled by a whirling ball of white fury; slamming them into a wall, knocking them out instantly. Shining shot the three unconscious Night Guards a pitying look.

"If I think about what they're going to get from Night Shade after this..."

"Less talkey, more rescue-y!" Vinyl urged him. They entered the mansion, heading straight for the stairs, suspecting that Fancypants is up in his study. The more they were surprised, however, when a poker hit each of them on the rump, more like a warning then actual pain.

"If you leave now, I promise I won't tell the guards your identities." Fancypants warned them. He had a really worn-out look; mane tangled as it can be, his breath reeking from alcohol, and not wearing his trademark monocle. He also held a bottle of whiskey in his telekinetic grip, in addition to the poker.

"Fancypants, we came for you!" Shining urged. "Come on, we're breaking you out!"

The other stallion shot him a disgusted glare.

"I do not know about you, unfamiliar sir, but I never go back on my word. I chose house arrest, so I could prove that I had nothing to hide. Not that it matters anyway." he added sarcastically. It was quite a shock for Shining to see the most jovial of ponies so... heartbroken, but he also knew they were short on time. He yanked the bottle of alcohol from the surprised noble, and splashed it over his face and mane.

"You know chap, if you needed a drink that badly, I could have—wait..." Fancypants' eyes lit up with realisation. "Captain Shining Armor?! How? Why?"

"As I told you, we're taking you with us. There is a matter concerning the safety of Equestria, and we need your help."

"My...help? What good would my help do?" he asked with a sorrowful voice. "Nopony would even consider the assistance of their blue compatriot nowadays."

"Fancypants, this is serious. Can you trust me? Can you believe me if I say the future of Equestria may be forever lost if you don't come with us?"

The two stallions stared at each other for several moments. Finally, Fancypants hung his head.

"I... I believe you. If you truly think my services are needed... then I shall follow you."

"Neat!"

Everypony was startled by Vinyl, who was descending down the stairs. Shining was about to ask her why, but she cut him short with a hurrying gesture.

"Let's hurry, dudes and dudette! Seeing as we have two blue stallions here, I doubt we can just waltz right out of Canterlot the way we came. That leaves the longer route."

Rainbow groaned.

"Oh, man, not the sewers again!"

____________________________________________________________________________________

Soarin was flying relentlessly. A little more, and he would reach Canterlot. He heard the news—well, news from a month ago—while he was abroad. He knew that he had to do something... He wasn't really clear on what he should actually do, but he damn well knew that if the opportunity presented itself, he'd recognise it.

And recognise he did.

He saw a very fast blur moving in the night. Something about it was eerily familiar.

He altered his course, and followed the mysterious flyer.

Spitfire can wait a little more.

"Trixie, I am quite sure they will not arrive sooner just because you are out here waiting for them."

"I am willing to take that risk." Trixie replied. Luna shook her head disapprovingly. Only a mere month has passed since she saved the ex-showmare's life, and accepted her as a student, but she already found out that Trixie cannot be controlled. At least as long as her personal life was concerned. Thankfully, she accepted the moon princess' tutelage, and has improved her spellcasting a bit. Still, she was awfully interested in neighromancy. She threw herself into the princess' magic books with uncharacteristical eagerness, too. She also planned something for herself and Rainbow, which she refused to share. Luna sighed.

"I think I will lay down for a moment inside."

"You do that," Trixie answered.

"I was hoping you'd join me, and slept instead of going, as they say, steep from worry."

"That's... not quite how the expression goes. Still, I can't sleep."

"Very well then. See you in some time, then."

Trixie watched as she trotted down the stairs, with the hidden entrance once again blocked by the throne. She was unused to her own disposition towards being alone; a few months ago, she would have been delighted to revel in the admiration of great crowds. A month ago, she wanted nopony near her. And now... she felt alone if her four newfound friends weren't around her. She was genuinely worried; something she thought she had left behind a long time ago. The thought of them falling into the clutches of Strong Walls again made her stomach churn. Anything but that.

A few minutes later, she could've sworn she'd seen something over the Everfree. And it was getting larger by the moment, until it finally materialised in the form of Rainbow Dash. Trixie jumped up (carefully, her injuries were healing, after all; even after a month it stung to make very sudden movements) to greet her.

"Finally! I was worried you—" she noticed the lack of unicorns. "The others?" she asked in a worried tone.

"Relax, Trixie, they're on their way. They are taking the... scenic route." Rainbow could barely contain her laughter. "In fact, you could say... they went for some spelunking right there."

"What do you me—oh, the sewers." Trixie grinned. "I am beginning to see the upside of staying here."

"Yeah, well I think you'd have to go the same way. Anyway, the whole thing went smoothly, and—"

"Nopony move!" a harsh voice came from behind them. "You are under arrest, Rainbow Dash and some mare, for escaping from prison!"

They both focused on the stallion shouting at them, who somehow managed to tail Rainbow undetected, then stepped so he'd be in hoof reach of them. Rainbow couldn't believe her eyes.

"Soarin?! Ohmigosh what are you doing here?"

"Sorry, Rainbow, but it's the end of the line. You're a wanted criminal. Just surrender peacefully, and we'll go back to Canterlot."

"Wow." Trixie said, clearly bemused. "You want to go back to the city, just to get thrown in jail yourself?"

"I have to perform my duty."

Trixie sighed.

"Rainbow... tackle him."

In a moment, the white-painted daredevil was over the surprised stallion, successfully pinning him to the ground. From the back, Trixie created two magical restraints, holding back the stallion's hind legs.

"Just... hold him like that for a moment. I'll get our BFA!"

With that, she disappeared from Soarin's view. He refocused his efforts to squirm free from Rainbow's grip, to no avail. The only things he managed to do was getting and giving a feel of places he'd preferred to have remained private. The mare blushed, and changed her grip.

"Soarin, I like you and stuff, but if you continue down that road, then Luna help me I'm going to kick you in the nuts." she warned. Soarin stopped, only to rethink his strategy.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Because I'm innocent! This was all a set-up!"

The stallion looked at her with a desperate expression.

"I'd like to believe you, Rainbow, I'd really like to. Hay, we were best buddies back then... but there are a bajillion witnesses claiming you did it in cold blood."

"Then maybe those 'bajillion' witnesses were wrong, Vice Captain Soarin High." a new, regal voice joined.

"W-whuh? P-princess Luna?! B-but you were banished!"

"Indeed. That was the ruse I had to use, and I'm glad it fooled so many. But take my word, Soarin, Rainbow Dash did nothing wrong."

"And yet, now that you found us..." Trixie interjected. "You'll have to disappear."

The moonlight glinted on the metallic object Trixie held in her grip. A quick thrust, and Soarin screamed as the sharp tool bit into his flesh.

"Oh, shut up, it's just a needle."

Soarin blinked. What he envisioned as a three feet long Rapier of Bloodletting, was in fact a small syringe with a needle. Trixie finished draing a little blood from him, and gave it to the Princess.

"Will this be enough?"

"Definitely." Luna nodded. Soarin was utterly confused.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Beats me." Rainbow answered, changing her position that she was sitting on his chest. He noticed that the restraints holding back his legs were gone. With a quick leap, he reversed their position: now Rainbow was lying on her back, and Soarin held her down. She blushed furiously, trying not to look into his eyes. Soarin felt his own cheeks redden, and decided to let go.

"Will somepony please tell me what's going on?!"

"If I may." the princess said, taking the syringe from Trixie. "I will explain everything, just follow me, please."

Luna led the dumbfounded pegasus away, leaving only the two mares outside. Trixie shook her head.

"Well, this certainly changes things. I think we will have to move, soon."

"Move? Where?"

"I don't know, but Luna seemed to have some kind of plan. Hope it will work."

"And what's the deal with the needle?"

"I'll explain later. Now, how would you feel if we paid somepony a little visit?"

Chapter two: Flitter and Mare-Do-Well

Two days earlier

Mare-Do-Well was down to the last suspect. Typical. She could have chosen any order in which to investigate the possible culprits, and she took the wrong one. Hopefully, she'd arrive before it's too late.

Two weeks ago, in a clearing by the road

Flitter was struck with worry. Here they are, in the specified meeting spot, yet nopony is in sight. She glanced around the brown and crimson leaves; each of them crisp as a cracker. Winter was definitely coming, and if they hope to escape Equestria, they need to leave before most of the passes are covered in snow. Even though Bon Bon said she had a book about finding food in the wilderness, she had her doubts. Doubts that her sister and Cloud Kicker didn't seem to share.

Cloudchaser was absentmindedly drawing in the dirt. A house, a bird... then she would swipe it, and start over. Flitter sighed. She loved her sister, but sometimes she wondered if she got dropped on her head at childbirth. Every now and then, she would whimsically do whatever she pleased, often angering or shocking ponies. Last time, she flirted around with every stallion at a party they were invited to. Oh, how long ago it seems now...

"Hey, sis, how many heads does a chimaera have?" Cloudchaser asked.

"Concentrate, CC!" Flitter snapped. "We're escaping, not that you would notice it."

"Hey, I did notice it," her sister said defensively. "Doesn't mean I should get all uppity about it. Bon Bon said she will come, so she will come."

"Yeah, she's a trusty fella'," Cloud Kicker added. "Kinda' shame, that she lost her sister."

Flitter shivered.

"I don't even want to think about such a horrible thing."

"Relax, I'm here, you're here, we're all fine!" Cloudchaser interjected. "Not like we're gonna suddenly get assaulted or something."

"Please don't curse it." Flitter hissed. Maybe they should—

Hoofsteps. Careful, silent, but definite hoofsteps. She looked around, trying to identify the source of the noise. The setting sun presented an especially eerie feel to the few trees that were in her view. When she finally thought that her ears were playing with her, a pony stepped out from the bushes, startling the three of them. He had a grey coat, and a pillow as a cutie mark. Cloudchaser grinned, and started to make a depiction of the newcomer in the dirt.

"Good evening, ladies." the newly arrived stallion greeted them. "What might you do around here?"

Flitter was angry. Of all the ponies that could have found them, the annoying little twat that always made half-assed moves on her sister was the one. Indeed, as many times as they've met, Silent Song always tried to woo Cloudchaser, but was thwarted mostly by his own awkwardness at handling social situations. Flitter suspected that her sister was amused by such persistence, but she knew for a fact that she'd never consider him as a coltfriend.

"Uh, hey, we're kinda in the middle of something, so could you please kindly leave?" Cloud Kicker was starting to sweat, nervous of the possibly revealing presence. The stallion smiled.

"Why, are you going away? I can do better, really!" He glanced at Cloudchaser. "Hey, uh, CC, if you want, you can come and live with me, I swear I am really good at hiding stuff. C'mon, just you and me!"

Cloudchaser stopped drawing, and sprang on her hooves. She closed in on the stallion menacingly.

"Listen here, you... you brat! I turned down Spitfire's offer of protection, because she couldn't guarantee my sister's safety! What makes you think I'd follow a screwup of a unicorn like you, and to top it off, alone?!"

Silent Song's eyes twitched.

"Take that back."

"I'm sorry, take what back?" asked Cloudchaser, pretending to be oblivious of the answer. Her tone turned malicious. "Oh, that's right! Failure! Failure, failure, failure!"

Flitter was about to interrupt, but the stallion let out an inarticulate scream, and at the same time, he shot a burst of magic at them. Distracted by dodging it, they didn't notice him pulling a small bottle, which he smashed against Cloudchaser's head. She screamed, but in moments, she groggily fell to her haunches, staring in utter confusion. Cloud Kicker started to retreat backwards, but it proved to be her undoing, for she didn't notice another bottle coming in, until it was too late. Flitter ran to her sister's slide, who slowly collapsed into a heap on the ground.

"Y-you monster! What did you do to them?!"

The stallion gave him a smile, a smile she'd never forget as long as she lived. His eyes diluted ito prinpricks, and he cackled maniacally as he slowly closed the distance between them.

"What did I do to them? Oh, just some effective drugs I got my hooves on. Don't worry, they're alive, just knocked out until I can bring them home."

"Home?! You're insane!"

"Insane? No, I'm fed up. Fed up of you bucking whores acting like every stallion is unworthy of you!" His demeanor completely changed, and he started shouting. "Oh, how many times I dreamed of this! Rejection after rejection, but now... now she is MINE!"

He lunged at Flitter, trying to hit her with a third bottle. She nimbly dodged, and bucked backwards. She felt it connect, and the unicorn crashed into a tree. She immediately stood on top of him, raising a hoof. She had no choice. It was kill, or be killed.

"Any last words?" she spat. The stallion smiled evilly.

"Behind you."

Flitter felt a prick in her back; soon, she felt completely overwhelmed; the stallion easily bounced her off, and got back on his hooves. He levitated an empty syringe in front of her eyes.

"Had a backup plan, broad."

He suddenly kicked her in the stomach with full force, causing her to wince in pain.

"THAT'S FOR PAYBACK, BITCH!" he yelled. He quickly regained his composure, disappearing from her sight. She tried to command every muscle, every fiber of her being one by one; yet, she couldn't move. Somehow, she was not unconscious, unlike her two companions. After a minute of meaningless struggle, the stallion came back with a cart strapped to him. He carefully steered it into the clearing, then stepped over to Cloud Kicker. A vicious grin appeared over his face, and he lowered himself to the unconscious pegasus. He raised her head a bit, then, without any indication, he gave her a deep kiss.

Flitter wanted to throw up, but her whole body was rebelling against her. Meanwhile, the stallion hauled Cloud Kicker on the cart, and moved on to Cloudchaser. He grinned to himself, and pulled Flitter next to her sister with his telekinetic grip.

"I know I should wait for these things until I get home... but I simply can't resist it! Now, you're going to watch closely."

He got Cloudchaser into a sitting position, making flitter face her front. Then, with a devious grin, he pulled open her legs, revealing her genitals to her own sister.

"STOP THIS BUCKING INSTANT!"

The stallion's lack of reaction was simply because Flitter could not scream. She could only watch helplessly as the raving stallion felt up every nook and cranny of her sister's sex. Cloudchaser didn't even seem to notice it in her dreamlike, drug-induced knockout.

What seemed like years after, the stallion finally stopped harassing her sister, and put her on the cart, too. He leaned closer with an arrogant smile.

"So, how was that? Because I'm going to do that to her until the rest of her life. I will keep her safe, I will be gentle with her, and I'm going to have children with her. As for you..." He shot her a pitying look. "I don't really need you. But if you want, you can join in on the fun." he winked.

Something snapped in Flitter. The sudden rush of adrenaline gave her enough control to spit the stallion in the face. He recoiled, but then he bucked her in the head furiously,and pinned her down, face up. He frantically looked around, until he found what he was looking for: a sharp, long piece of broken glass, which he levitated in front of the terrified Flitter's right eye.

"So. You do realise that you wronged me, right?"

It took all of Flitter's energy to produce a simple nod. The stallion grinned.

"It's nice that we cleared that up."

With a sudden move, he jammed the glass right in Flitter's eye. The pegasus screamed silently as the whole world turned into a sea of blood-red pain.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Two days ago

Mare-Do-Well closed in on the house. She only found out recently that Silent Song had a basement, which only had an entrance inside his house. Pretty suspicious. Also, her last chance at finding her friends—if the pillow wasn't a clue to the ponynapper's identity, she's thoroughly bucked—and so are her friends.

She shook her head. Concentrate! To her own surprise, she was better at this sneaking thing than she had anticipated. Not a single soul found out that she checked out two ponies’ cellar, completely breaking a lock while breaking in. Or perhaps they were too ignorant to notice. Either way, it worked in her favour.

She carefully opened the house's back door. It was late in the night, yet she knew Silent Song wasn't home. Carefully tiptoeing her way through the house, she noticed the lack of personal feel to the house. No books. No trophies, medals, or anything of accomplishment. Sure, there was sufficient furniture, but it was dull, as if the house's only purpose was to keep the rain out and collect dust.

She carefully made her way towards a steel door, which she supposed led into the basement. She took out a small piece of metal, picking the lock with it. As the door opened, she quickly stuffed it in the mechanism, preventing the door to be locked. She peered at the darkness down.

Suddenly, the air became heavy with a strange stench. Steeling herself, she carefully crawled down the stairs, which had a thick steel grating to them, preventing falling down. As she reached halfway, the smell intensified, and she could finally identify the mix of scents. She wished she couldn't. The one she recognised first was the smell of feces and urine. The second was the smell of sex and semen. The third... a sickening, slightly sweet scent, which she only encountered once in her life. Decay.

She reached to her belt, and raised a small lantern in her hooves. Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, she found the missing escapees. What was left of them.

All three of them were chained to the wall. Cloud Kicker stared lifelessly at her, a large puddle of blood under her, that slowly dripped from her slashed neck. Flitter looked like the victim of a catastrophe; both of her eyes were stabbed out, and she had knife wounds all over her body. Cloudchaser hung by her hooves, her body full of bruises. To top it all, all three were covered in body fluids. Namely, a stallion's body fluids.

Mare-Do-Well nearly threw up. She managed to repress it, only a startled grunt escaping her masked lips. To her great surprise, there was a reaction.

Cloudchaser raised her head. Her eyes were slightly out of focus, because of the lantern.

"Mare... Do-Well?" she asked in a deep, raspy voice. Hope crawled back into Mare-Do-Well's mind.

"It's all right, CC, I'm here. I'll get you out in a—"

The pegasus bucked her in the chest, causing her to fall backwards.

"LOOK OUT!" she screamed. In a moment later, Mare-Do-Well shivered as a devilish contraption hit the place she was standing at. She sprang to her hooves, and faced the stallion. He was holding something straight from a nightmare in his magical grip: some sort of elliptic metal with a handle; and all through the ellipsis' curve, blades were sticking out of it, rotating rapidly. She never saw anything like that, but one glance at it confirmed that it would be able to tear through flesh and bone. He gave them a chilling smile.

"Hello, Miss Intruder. You know, I've spotted you along time ago; I figured you won't come in until I'm home... so I hid in an alleyway, and hey, what gives, you break into my house! Perfect timing, as I need a new toy to play with." He tapped the side of the strange machine. "You probably noticed that this doesn't make a single sound. That's right. I made it that way. In fact, the whole house is soundproof. Amazing what a few spells can do."

Mare-Do-Well lunged at him, interrupting his long boasting. He quickly stepped to the side, swinging his contraption. The tip of her cape got cut clean off. She hastily retreated to the steps, trying to bring the fight where it would attract attention. When she reached the door, though, it slammed before her muzzle.

"Oh, no, you don't!" the stallion shouted, running up the stairs. She rolled out of the way in the last moment, giving silent thanks that the stairs were designed to be two ponies wide. This helped her duck several swings, but ultimately, she was pushed to the grating, with the stallion readying the final blow. She closed her eyes as he raised his weapon—then shifted her position just so that the machine hit the grating behind her. The force with which he struck was so strong that the contraption recoiled from the hard steel—right into the stallions face. A silent crunch could be heard, then the unicorn dropped his weapon. Looking up in disbelief, she noticed a red line across Silent Song's head—which quickly began trickling blood. A moment later, half of his head fell down, and his lifeless body collapsed and tumbled all the way down the stairs, leaving bloodstains and chunks of brain in it's trail.

Mare-Do-Well reached her limit. She only had time to pull up the mask from her muzzle before she fiercely vomited an the ground. Gaining temporal relief, she stumbled down the stairs. Cloudchaser was breathing lightly, but she lost consciousness again. Mare-Do-Well searched around, deliberately avoiding looking at the three corpses, until she came across a plier. She quickly snapped the chains holding the pegasus—who promptly collapsed to the ground. She gingerly helped Cloudchaser on her back.

In a minute, they were standing out in the open, with Mare-Do-Well breathing in precious air after the stench of that hell-hole. She gulped. With the injured pegasus, it's unlikely that she can get away. The only one who can help her now is...

_________________________________________________________________________________

A storm raged across the Everfree. The town's resident zebra was not startled by it the least, however, for storms were fairly common in the forest.

As thunder crackled, she quietly sipped her tea, and contemplated on colorism. Ponies were prone to xenophobia, yet this... this was something she never anticipated. For ponies to be persecuted because of their colour... She shivered. Zebras were naturally black, grey and white, so if those colours came up instead of blue... let's just say she would be forced to choose between her people and this country. And it wouldn't end well for anypony... or zebra.

Her brooding thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang on the door. She sighed, and left the cup of scalding goodness behind.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, please cease your senseless knocking."

She opened the door, startled by the sight. A pony clad in purple with a stylish hat; an all-too-familiar sight, one she thought never to see again. Last time she showed up, there was a harsh lesson to be learned for a certain somepony.

"By the devils in the frozen ninth hell, what are you doing here, mighty Mare-Do-Well?!"

Mare-Do-Well burst into the room, and gently placed the pegasus on her back to Zecora's bed. She then threw off her hat, and ripped her mask down. She looked at the zebra pleadingly.

"Help her, please," Bon Bon asked, with tears in her eyes.

Chapter three: Making amends

"I don't get it. Why are we suddenly going to Ponyville?" Rainbow asked her companion. Trixie stopped for a moment, but then resumed her stroll through the Everfree.

"You know that I started learning magic under Luna, right?" she asked, hesitating. Rainbow nodded.

"Yeah, I saw you digging through books, and casting spells every now and then."

"I have uncovered a certain spell, that... might help alleviate one of your friends' grief."

Rainbow perked up.

"Really? Which one? Please tell me it's Applejack!"

Trixie shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but no. Vinyl said she's half a country away. You'll see who it is when we get there."

The pegasus wondered what exactly Vinyl heard. Using the make-up and body paint Trixie stole, the DJ was easily disguised in a way that nopony recognised her in Ponyville. During the last month, she often wandered around the town, picking up gossip, and tidbits of information. Somehow, cutting her mane short seemed to have a total self alteration effect; no one in their right mindset considered that she could be Vinyl Scratch.

"But why?" the pegasus asked. "I mean, why now? I'm pretty sure whatever you're planning on doing, you didn't learn just hours ago. So why?"

"Because... well, since we're already leaving, there is no need to hide you from them, because we'll be out before they could react. Also, I'm trying to clear two consciences here."

"Two?" Rainbow asked, cocking her head.

"Do you think anypony who had a friend or relative murdered, just shrugs it off? No. Even though they know they couldn't do anything about it, they'll keep blaming themselves... until it makes their lives bitter. Whom we're visiting is having a particularly bad case of self-loathing. Now come closer, so I can put up an invisibility spell around us. We're near Ponyville."

__________________________________________________________________________________

"Please put that down, Mac!" Braeburn pleaded. His bulky cousin paid him no mind, gripping his bottle of whiskey as it was his only friend in the world. "What would yer parents think?"

That seemed to get the red leviathan's attention. He slowly raised his groggy head, staring antagonistically from his bloodshot eyes.

"Wha'd dey say?" he asked mockingly. "Ah dunno, let's ask 'em! Oh wait, them's dead! Forget it, Ah still have the rest of mah family... oops, they're dead, too." He took a long swig from the bottle. "Even AJ left." he mumbled. "Why should Ah care about dis damned farm anymo'?"

"Mac, Ah'm here ta help ya!" Braeburn groaned. "Yer not making this any easier! Juss' put down the drink, and go to sleep!"

"Ya can't tell me what ta do!" his cousin roared. "Ya juss' wan' the farm, like everyponeh' else in the Apple family!"

Slap.

Big Mac raised a hoof where Braeburn hit him. Due to his size, he never was bullied. He inspired fear. Yet, now all the emotions he stirred up in his cousin were of anger and pain.

"If ya say that again, Ah'll leave, and never come back. Ah'm doing this out of mah heart, and ya accuse me that Ah want the farm?!" He spat angrily. "Ah don't know if it's the drink that's rottin' yer brain, but Ah'd think twice before spewin' nonsense." He looked out at the starry sky. "Ah'm gonna go check up on everything. Might be thieves around. Try tah stop drinkin' fer today, fer Ma's sake."

The vested stallion left Mac alone. He didn't even bother putting some lights on; though, come to think of it, Mac preferred it this way: sitting alone, in the dark, chugging down bottles of alcohol one after another. His earth pony physique allowed him to drink twice the amount a normal unicorn would get knocked out from—and still be sober enough that he could miss his family. Well, he was going to remedy that, fast. He took another swig from his whiskey.

Braeburn's hoofsteps slowly faded away, leaving the red stallion with only the clinking he caused... for about a minute. Other, careful hoofsteps echoed; yet when he raised his head to look around, he saw nothing.

"What in 'tarnation?" he mumbled to nopony in particular. To his great surprise, an answer came.

"Good evening, Big Mcintosh."

The stallion turned his head lazily, wondering who might be bold enough to break into his home. When he saw them, however, he felt that his brain just exploded. In front of him, two of the ponies he hated the most stood. The egotistical, stuck-up showmare who made everypony's life a living hell for two days, staring right at him. And beside her... the murderous mare who robbed him of his family, the one who pretended to be friends with his sister... Rainbow Dash.

He kicked his chair back, and lunged for the intruders. That is, if he was in any condition to move swiftly. The sudden change caused him to land face-first on the ground, barely a feet away from the table. He groaned defeatedly.

"Dammit'... Ya'll here, it'd be juss' a swing... an' ya'd be down, yet Ah can't even lift a hoof..."

Trixie ignored him, and stepped to the cupboard, where lines after lines of alcohol stood, some open, some still uncorked. She grabbed a bottle, and sniffed it, then put it back disgustedly.

Meanwhile, Rainbow stepped closer to him.

"Mac," she began, "I... I don't even know what to say. To just tell you that I am sorry would be a joke... That day is the single most day I regret in my whole life. If I could make my apology count, I would... but I can't. I can only say that I am sorry... sorry for losing control."

"Ya think that's gonna be it? Ya say one sorry, an' Ah'll juss' forget that ya murdered mah sis?!" he screamed.

"And that is where you're wrong," Trixie interjected coolly. Mac looked at her, with hate in his eyes.

"Oh, an' that makes everythin' better! A liar says this pegasus di'in' kill mah sis', so I should believe her! Buck you!"

The showmare offered a condescending smile.

"I never said you should believe me."

Still smiling, she lit up her horn. The inside of the room seemed to fill with mist; for a second, nothing could be seen, just swirls and twists of gray. The smoke-ish substance receded, gathering to a single point—and from that point, two figures appeared, their bodies transparent, nut unlike the mist that was there before them.

"Ye git up this instant, Big Mcintosh!" a familiar, rickety old voice ordered him. He slowly rose to a sitting position, trying hard to understand what was going on. The two mist creatures were none other than his sister, and his grandmother—both smiling at him. He felt anger rise deep within.

"Is this some kinda' sick joke?!" he asked, rage overtaking his features.

"Ye soiled yer bed 'till ye were five," Granny Smith softly spoke. "Ye couldn't sleep 'till ye got an old doll of yer Ma with ye in bed, after they died."

"... Granny?"

The elderly ghost nodded.

"Yes, Mac, it's me. This here feller' agreed ta' help us talk to ye one last time... before we move on."

"Mac, Ah know Ah haven't been the most ha'd-working pony," Applebloom began, "but Ah ya to know, that Ah always looked up to yah. Ah think that mah brotha's the kindest, strongest, most amazin' stallion that evah lived. Don' be like this. And..." she bit her ethereal lip hesitantly. "Ah know, it's much to ask, but don' be mad at Rainbow. Ah remember the moment Ah died, and... well, she was, kinda not awake, so it's not her fault, really."

"Not...awake?" the stallion asked, confusion in his voice. Trixie stepped forward.

"If I may... The fact that Rainbow was unconscious, means one thing: somepony knocked her out, and flung her into the crowd. She never wanted this."

"Ah...Ah don't know what to believe anymore..."

"Now listen here, sonny!" Granny Smith began. "Ye 've got a good head on yer neck, so use it to think! Juss' this once, Ah'll forgive ye for drinkin', but if ye try to destroy yerself with this wambamadang, Ah'll come back an' haunt ye! And don' even git me started on how ye hurt poor Braeburn! 'Tis true, sadly, that the rest of the Apple family left ye, but despite that, he came, and tried to help ye! Ah say this once, young stallion, don' be a useless drunkard like that good-fer-nuthin' cousin Hillbilly! Ye got the strength to make it count, so what if the family left ye? Yer Pa always did what he could fer others, an' there are plenty'a ponies out there that need help! So git to it, sonny!"

Big Mac rubbed his eyes, to clear away his tears. He looked at the showmare.

"Can... can ya make it so Ah can touch them? Juss' fer a second?"

Trixie nodded hesitantly, and her horn glowed even more intense. The two ghosts' spectral bodies darkened, and they weren't see-through anymore. Mac stepped closer... then he pulled both of them into a hug.

"Ah'll miss ya," he sniffed.

"We will, too," they replied in unison. "And don' forgit to make sum kids before ye join us, ye ladykillah'!" Granny Smith winked. For a moment, Mac could swear that their bodies glowed for a split second, before they faded into thin air. Trixie lost her balance when she stopped the flow of her magic; she had to lean on the pegasus to stay upright.

"Damn... Breaching the boundary between life and death takes a lot of juice out of you," she wheezed. Mac looked at them, unsure what to do. Rainbow noticed his stare.

"Look, Mac, I don't expect you to forgive me right away, just... just live your life, and stop all this brooding. I—"

The front door's creaking sprang the mares to attention, prompting Trixie to pull an invisible veil over them. A second later, Braeburn entered the neighbouring room; all while Mac stepped to the liquor cabinet, and also while two careful mares tiptoed around the vested stallion. He was busy wiping his hooves, so he only rose his head when the front door creaked again. To his utter confusion, nopony was to be seen around. He entered the kitchen.

"Hey, Mac, ya seen—"

CRASH!

He could barely dodge the incoming bottle, which crashed into the wall beside him.

"What the-- ?!"

He watched dumbfoundedly as Mac threw bottle after bottle, invoking the rage of the heavens against simple liquor; every single one of them shattered, their contents spilt.

"Braeburn."

"Y-yeah?"

"Don' let me buy crap like this again."

The Appleloosan shivered.

"This Ah'll gladly promise."

The red stallion nodded, making way towards the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Braeburn cried. Mac stopped, and looked back at him with determination.

"Ah'm gonna go and make things right. You comin'?"

__________________________________________________________________________________

"Right here!"

The two mares entered Ponyville Cemetery; a gruesome reminder of mortality for everypony; only visited by those whose close family or friends were buried there. The graves didn't even have a proper caretaker, the major had to make it mandatory for a rotating group of ponies to tend to it; was it not for that, it'd have fallen into complete disrepair. Rainbow scanned the rows of graves, until she found whose she was looking for.

"Hi, Rarity."

The only answer was silence.

"I don't know where you are right now, or even if you can hear me, but I still want to tell you this. I miss you. I didn't even realise until you were gone, but I loved hanging out with you; even if your interests... well didn't really fall in line with mine." She gave a soft, sad laugh. "Despite our differences, we always had fun together... not just because we were both friends of Twilight, so we'd have had to tolerate each other. Even when I needed a friend the most, you were there for me, believing in my innocence. I won't promise you vengeance; that never solves anything. I do promise something however: we're going to find out who did this, and make sure they can't hurt innocent ponies anymore. I guess... this is goodbye."

She felt tears well in her eyes. Turning away from Trixie, she quickly wiped her muzzle to hide her sorrow—but she couldn't. For every teardrop she smeared, two took it's place. She finally broke; sobbing loudly while also trying to hide it. The ex-showmare gently pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay," she cooed. "I won't think any less of you if you cry."

Minutes have passed until she finally felt the strength to keep her act together. She sniffed, and turned to her companion.

"I'm better now, Trixie. Let's go, before anypony sees us."

The showmare nodded, and a moment later they were shrouded with invisibility again; making their way back to the Everfree.

__________________________________________________________________________________

After Cup Cake was taken away by Equestrian authorities, hard times fell on Sugarcube Corner. Having to raise two foals on his own, Carrot Cake decided to serve drinks, too, as a way of scraping together just enough money to live by. Pinkie did her best to help him, but they were way behind profits compared to before. Even in the middle of the night, such as this time, he is forced to remain open. Would he consider closing, judgement would be upon him.

For those gathering and drinking in his estabilishment are not simple ponies. No, they are a branch of the CCF, specifically a branch which hunts down and captures fugitive blue ponies. Pinkie Pie was nearing their table with some drinks, when one of them slapped her butt. She nearly dropped everything she held, but through sheer willpower, she managed to set down all the drinks for their guests before turning to the offender.

"Please don't do that," she asked in a casual tone, as if the stallion couldn't interest her the least. Said stallion licked his lips.

"Oh c'mon, babe, you know you like it."

"No."

She trotted back to the counter, and disposed of her tray. She considered heading upstairs to have a bath, and end the day, but then she heard hoofsteps closing in from above. The Cake twins, who were no older than her when she got her cutie mark, came down, rubbing their eyes.

"Aunt Pinkie, we can't sleep." Pound cried. Pinkie hurried to his side, and gently hugged the two of them.

"Don't worry, I'm here. What if I sing you a song?" Without waiting for an answer, she began singing softly. "My name is Pinkie Pie, and I am here to say..."

One of the guests got up, and creeped closer. A drunken smile was playing on his lips, but he neither said, or did anything.

"It doesn't matter now, if you are sad or blue—"

Her song was rudely interrupted by the stallion tackling him. Because of his bulky phisyque, he knocked her to the wall seven feet away.

"What's this, then? Conspirational talk? Don't matter if they're blue? IT BLOODY MATTERS IF THEY ARE BLUE, YOU TART!" He cracked his head sadistically. "Seems like ol' Bruisy's gotta teach you a lesson."

Pinkie watched in horror as the stallion raised his hoof. A billion thoughts raced in her head. This isn't real. This isn't supposed to be like this. He is the bad guy. All the stories said that the hero arrives on time to save the damsel in distress... Where is the hero then? Was it just a lie? Her heart fell when she realised: there is no happy ending in real life.

The stallion brought his hoof down. A sickening crunch could be heard. Pinkie screamed. A moment later, she realised she wasn't the only one screaming. Looking up, she saw a red hoof hold the stallion's leg in a sickening angle.

Sometimes, the hero is on time.

"Ya step away from her, or ya'll get roughed up." Mac warned him. The other stallion reeled back, cradling his wounded hoof. He looked at the farmpony with hatred.

"You filthy, ignorant peasant! Do you have any idea who I am?!" he spat with rage. Big Mac seemed unfazed.

"Nnope."

Pinkie felt like she saw the light at the end of the tunnel...

"Then let me remind you." the other stallion snarled. "Guys, beat up his sorry arse!"

...which turned out to be the express train closing in. Big Mac simply positioned himself in front of her and the foals. Then, at the same time, five ponies jumped at him, male and female alike. Pinkie closed her eyes when she heard the screams... then she opened them again, because it wasn't Mac who was screaming. It was the other five. Mac grabbed one of them, and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the other four. With. The. Fifth. Pony. Pinkie felt the surreality of the situation, and for the first time in her life, she felt an odd sense of companionship with the red stallion.

"Well slap me silly, he's really going overboard this time." Braburn popped up, startling Pinkie. One of the thugs landed in frontof them, and when he tried to get up, the stallion unceremoniously whacked him over the head with a bottle. "An' stay down!" He noticed something from the corner of his eye. "Pardon me for a moment, Missy!"

He leaped at the cowardly leader of the ponyhunters, who attempted to flee the scene. A quick jab under his eye made him reconsider. Braburn slowly led him in front of Mac, not letting him escape. The leader's eyes darted around. His troop was utterly beaten, and Mac took his time to throw them out of Sugarcube Corner. Through the windows. He started sweating.

"W-wait until Commander Applejack hears about this! You filthy mud-digger will be in a world of pain when she hears you've been aiding blue-lovers."

Mac's face was unreadable.

"Well, at least we'll have somethin' to talk about over dinner."

The gears in the thug's head clicked into place.

"Y-you mean ....?!"

Mac nodded.

"Eeyup. Ah mean exactly that." His voice became menacing. "Ah'm thinking that mah sis would never order somethin' like this. Ah'm thinking that ya like your 'job' just a little more than it's healthy. An' Ah think ya'd better reconsider yer occupation before ya get... let's just say... unfit for duty. Are we clear?"

The oh-so-mighty attitude of the thug was gone. His voice trembled as he answered Mac.

"C-crystal clear."

Mac nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, good." He brought a hoof to his chin. "Oh wait, one last thing. Nopony hurts mah friends."

His blow sent the leader flying through the air, crashing into the door, and ripping it from it's hinges on the way out.

"The buck?!" a surprised voice came from the outside. Soon after, three pegasi emerged from the darkness of outside; Pinkie recognised Raindrops, and the mint-colored one was familiar, too. third, however, was completely unfamiliar to her, with her stripey pink mane, and white coat.

"Hmmm, should throw a welcome party—no! This is not exactly the time for that!" She filed that thought into her mental 'later' folder.

"All right. I need somepony to clarify to me what the buck has happened here?!" Raindrops asked. Carrot Cake finally gathered himself enough to answer, so he told the events that just happened minutes ago. The mint pegasus was listening with half an ear, her eyes scanning the destruction, and the two Apples. After Mr. Cake finished his story, Raindrops turned to her superior.

"So what will it be, Ma'am?"

"Let's round up these so-called 'ponyhunters', and put them in a nice, cold cell. As for you two," she said, pointing at Big Mac, "I'm going to have you come down to the precinct tomorrow, so we can take your testimonies."

"Uh, Ma'am, I think regulations say that we should bring them in, too, even it was self-defense." the white pegasus interjected meekly.

"Blossom, they just beat five ponies into next Tuesday. If you really want to pick a fight, be my guest. Now haul'em up."

The other pegasi nodded, and they quickly herded the unobjecting thugs together. A few minutes and hooficuffing later, only the mint pegasus remained.

"So, I hope there will be no more infringements today?" she snarked. Mr. Cake was quick to reassure her.

"No, no, of course not."

The pegasus nodded, and was about to leave, but Pinkie's voice stopped her.

"Wait! Who are you? How did you get here?"

The pegasus raised her head with pride.

"Name's Lightning Dust, and I'm vice captain of the Wonderbolts. As to why am I here... Actually, we were called here on official business, and our lodging happened to be near Mayor's office. When somepony told her about the... ahem... lively noises your friend made, she asked us to come investigate."

"Noises?" Pinkie asked confusedly, "He only got here a few minutes ago."

"Oh, you should have heard how he trampled through the streets. That's what caused somepony to report. I believe her actual words were 'with the rage of the High Heavens, and the loudness of a hurricane'. Must've been one heck of a sight."

Mac blushed slightly. Pinkie found this cute. She filed this thought under 'later', too.

"So, filly and gentlecolts, that's it for now. Please do come around the precinct, or we'll be forced to pursue you. While I don't want to face you off, I will if you play us fools."

"That won't be necessary." Braeburn said in a reassuring tone. Dust nodded.

"Good. Until tomorrow, then."

The pegasus left, carefully avoiding the swathe of destruction throughout the shop. As soon as she was out of sight, Pinkie jumped at Mac, hugging him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I was so scared! Even more scared when I faced King Sombra, 'cause my friends were there, so I was sure it'd work out all right, but now I was absolutely unsure! I—"

She was stopped by Mac, who gently placed his hoof on her mouth.

"There'll be time for that later. Now, Ah think we should move before anythin' else happens."

"Move?" Mr. Cake asked. "You don't mean...?"

The red stallion nodded.

"Eeyup. Ah'd like to invite all four of ya to mah house. Ah think it'd be a lot safer than staying here."

"Mac, I don't know how I can—" Carrot began.

"No need." Mac said. "Ah've been to busy screwin' around to notice that ya three got into such a bad position. Juss' go an' take whatever ya need, an' Braeburn will escort ya back home."

"Thank you." Carrot whispered, as he took his foals upstairs. Braeburn followed them shortly thereafter, but not until he shot Mac a 'ya owe me big time' look. Pinkie turned to the stallion.

"Um, Mac, I know it's rude to ask, but... can we bring one more pony?"

The stallion shrugged.

"Sure. Who'd it be?"

"Fluttershy. She's so afraid, she barely left her cottage in the past few weeks. I want to cheer her up, and make her feel safe. And you, Mac, is the safest pony in Ponyville right now! ... I think... Does that make any sense?"

"Enough sense fer me. Let's go."

Author's Note

New layout. Please tell me if it's better than the old (breaks 'n such), so I can keep it if it's good, and possibly redo the earlier chapters. If not, I'll only need to change this. :pinkiehappy:

Also, ship's just got real!

Chapter four: A day of horrors and surprises

"...Also, allow me to say this: I have never met somepony so arrogant, so self-serving in my life! You are a disgrace to nobility! I'll let you know that the only decent gentlecolt in this city is Fancypants! Now, excuse me!"

...Don't go... You'll die...

"Excuse me? Did you say something?"

...You'll die... Please don't go...

"Whatever might you be talking about, Blueblood?"

...They will kill you...

The pony talking suddenly turned. Her pristine white fur was splattered with her own blood, the life snuffed out of her sky-blue eyes.

"Kill me, Blueblood? I think you're mistaken. I'm dead. Not that you would care."

...I never wanted this...

The cadaver laughed cruelly.

"Oh, pardon me then! I will just come back to life, so you can have a clear conscience! Oh wait, that's impossible!"

...It wasn't me...

"Wasn't you? So what, Prince? You did absolutely nothing while ponies die around you. How commendable."

...Leave me be...

The corpse's face distorted with rage.

"Never, Blueblood. You know that you've been a lazy slob all your life, and it took a nationwide turmoil and several murders to get you to act. Still, what do you do? You go bug hunting. That will solve all your problems, sure!"

...You're not real... I'm dreaming...

"Sure, you're dreaming. But you will wake up, oh yes, and I will still be dead. Your stepniece will still be dead. And you will wake up next to a suicidal mare, who doesn't trust you. Isn't life just grand?"

...She's not suicidal... She's strong...

The spectre's voice distorted. She seemed like as she was trying to overcome something.

"sweet celeStia, you are one hardHeadEd aSs. Fine, yoU keep teLLing that tO yourselF, dArliNG. i'm surE all will be teRrific... up to the point wHen shE dies in the hooves of a changeLing or a Pony. sHe tEnds to pRovoke everyPony regardLEss of their stAtuSEs."

The bloodcurdling howl the dead pony let out resonated within Blueblood's mind.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"No..." he whispered.

"No wut?"

He opened his eyes. No vengeful cadavers, no creepy voices of doom, just an orange mare trying to tie her headband. He let out a sigh of relief.

"I just...had a bad dream." he explained, getting to his hooves. He cracked his neck, and looked at Applejack. She desperately tried to tie a knot on her headband, but she simply couldn't. Redblood took it in his magical grip, and fastened the cloth around the mare's head.

"There. All better."

The earth pony looked at him with a hostile expression.

"Great job! Whaddya want, a medal? So sorry that Ah'm not a big 'n great unicorn like ya!"

"Is your current goal alienating everypony from yourself?" he jabbed at her. "Because you are heading straight into that direction."

That seemed to hit a nerve.

"Ah... Ah don't... Shaddup!" she huffed, storming out of the tent.

Way to improve your relationship, you idiot. Don't be surprised if she hacks your head off one of these days.

He sighed again, and levitated a small pocket mirror from the desk in front of him. He was not satisfied with what he saw. His mane was unkempt, his face was dirty, and he could swear there were some kick marks on his rear end. What was most disturbing for him was the fact that he stopped caring. Yes, some time ago he would have been irritated by his current outlook, but now... now he only wished to have a bath and a good night's sleep.

Sleep... His thoughts wandered back to his nightmare. Or haunting? If that is the case, maybe she tried to tell him something? Logically thinking, she would have said something about the identity of her killer, which she hadn't, or... Since she was friends with Applejack, probably warning him about not hurting her and such. Not that she wouldn't kick his flank if he tried to do so.

For the first time in his life, the prince openly admitted to himself: yes, that mare could bludgeon him into submission, and he couldn't raise a hoof against her. It was a bit unnerving moment of clarity for him.

He shook his head. Maybe Applejack is being stubborn, but he himself must appear fearless and composed in front of the troops. Morale is a serious concern if you are fighting bug-like creatures that can shapeshift into any of your loved ones, and feast on your emotions. At least they are not superior to ponies in combat.

The cover of the tent opened, revealing a mildly exasperated lieutant, named... He couldn't really recall it, but names weren't important. Rank is everything in a military-based organisation.

"Sir! The Royal Battalion has arrived! There is somepony who wishes to speak with you!"

Redblood nodded.

"Let's go."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Earlier that morning...

"I consider this humiliating."

"Well, you used up all your juice, and I can't exactly leave you in the middle of the forest. Besides, didn't I carry you when you were bleeding to death?"

"That was... different. Now it's only because I magicked myself into submission. I feel stupid."

Rainbow paused, both verbally and literally for a moment.

"Hey Trixie."

"Hmmmm?"

"Thanks. For Mac and Applebloom and Rarity, and... thanks."

"Don't mention it. I owed you at least this much."

"No you didn't." Rainbow argued. The unicorn tapped her forehead absent-mindedly.

"Didn't I? Let's see... You stopped me from becoming a murderer, you talked me out of committing suicide, and you hauled me through the Everfree to get me patched up. I think this at least deserves a mention, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah." the pegasus laughed. "Element of Loyalty, remember? I never leave my friends hanging!"

Trixie smiled.

"No you don't." Her expression changed however, sadness overtaking her features. "It's a pity we can only be friends for a while."

"What? You trying to kill yourself again?"

Trixie shook her head.

"No, Rainbow. Think about it. If this will be finally over, if we can prove our innocence... Then you will no longer have a need for me. You can just reunite with your friends, and... well, I don't know, forget that I ever existed. I figure they are still mad at me, especially with us framed for murders."

"Hey, I don't choose between friends! I don't need to!"

Trixie eyed the back of her head skeptically.

"I have no idea what your face looks like right now, but I think you're not being completely honest here."

Rainbow hung her head.

"You're right... there was a time when I had to choose between an old friend and new friends."

"I'm all ears."

"You see, before I got my cutie mark, I was frequently mocked for my 'awful flying style'. Aaaand—you can probably guess this part—I got into a lot of fights because of that. That kinda made everypony reluctant to hang out with me. Except for Gilda. She was a griffon, so she didn't give a rat's tail about cutie marks; but she saw how fast I was. We became friends, but I didn't see her around after we graduated from Junior Speedsters... not for many years later."

"She came back to town a short while after we kicked Night Mare Moon's butt out of Princess Luna... I was happy to see her, and we went around pranking ponies, but... Well, she didn't mingle so well with others. The whole thing came to a catastrophic end; Pinkie threw her a party, and I set up several pranks in the room. Somehow, she set them all off. Then... then she flipped out something serious. She started shouting at Pinkie, and... I thought she was just jealous, but... I said a few things I shouldn't have. She flew off like a hurricane, and... I couldn't find her later. I think she left the country."

Rainbow sighed.

"It shouldn't have ended that way. We both worked up ourselves, and hurt each other with meaningless insults. And now, I will probably never see her again."

Silence loomed for a few minutes. The Everfree seemed less menacing in the sunlight, despite the chilly wind blowing through the woods. The crisp leaves under her hoof reminded her of the Running of the Leaves—which she took part in every year. It seemed so distant... something lost forever.

"I kind of know where you're coming from." Trixie softly mumbled. The pegasus snapped out of reminiscence.

"Huh?"

"I had a friend... Spectral Prism. Actually, I had four friends, up until a point. Only Shining knows part of what I'm going to tell you."

As Trixie's story unfolded, Rainbow found herself wondering about it.

"So you did a different kind of show when you were young? Sorry, but it's a little hard to imagine you doing circus tricks."

The unicorn smiled.

"I don't blame you. For years I used my 'boast and humiliate' routine... it became a kind of a second skin. Besides, I wasn't even that good at performing. Every troupé turned me down, for lack of talent. But that's not what I was getting to. As I said, Specs left because she thought she was the one to scare away my other friends. And if there is something I regret, it's not chasing her down right that instant."

"Well, you could bump into her any day!" Rainbow offered. The unicorn shook her head, but then she remembered that Rainbow couldn't see her from that position.

"No, Rainbow. She's a master of illusions, remember? If she doesn't want to be found, she just disappears without a trace. I'd need a whole government agency to track her down, and even then I'm not sure if I could talk her out of hiding. Maybe—WUUUUUOOORRGGH!"

The sudden splash of cold water made the tired unicorn nearly jump off Rainbow's back. Wet and morose, she glared daggers at the perpetrator.

"Vinyl."

"Hey, don't blame me! I' m just getting into the whole 'Element of Laughter' stuff." the white unicorn said defensively. Rainbow suppressed a giggle.

"You gotta admit, her timing is good. Maybe she will grow into a proper prankster someday."

"Ugh! I hope not. Why are you out here, anyway?"

"I'm keeping watch. Princess dudette explained everything to Fancy dude and the pegasus dude, and now they are trying to decide where to go from here. I got bored, so I came up."

"Let's go. The sooner we can decide where to go, the sooner I will be asleep."

________________________________________________________________________________

Redblood found Applejack with two pegasus ponies; white coat, red mane: the new colours of the Royal Guard. Of course, this was to be expected in a country discriminating against blues; changing the service dye to red was vital. He nodded to the guards.

"Report."

"Yes, Sir! We are forward scouts of the 46th battalion, headed par course here! We estimate they will arrive at eight p.m. , Trottingham Time. The Princess ordered us to offer you quick transportation back to Canterlot."

"Does she require our assistance?"

"Negative, Sir. She told me to assure you that it is simply a gesture of goodwill. Just a means to getting home earlier."

Applejack stepped forward.

"Well, since we're all finished here, Ah think we should go. No point in hangin' 'round a desolate place like this."

"I couldn't agree more. You will be the ones transporting us?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Let's get a move on. I want to get into a proper bed this evening."

"Poor widdle Princie." Applejack mocked him.

"Oh, stuff a sock in it!" Redblood snapped. The mare looked surprised, but at least shut up. They both got into the caboose. It wasn't like the ordinary chariots that the Princess used to travel around; for example, it had a roof. The prince brightened up.

"Hey, it's one of the spell-protected ones! Not a single sound goes out of them." His expression darkened. "Then again, I wonder what my dearest aunt wants us to do that shouldn't be heard outside."

They felt a slight pull as the carriage ascended into air.

"Maybe she wanted to offer you a chance to cry unstallionly tears." Applejack offered. The stallion looked indignant.

"Or maybe we could have a normal, ordinary conversation, in which you don't mock, abuse or threaten me. Don't want anypony catch you talking to Redblood, do we?" he snorted.

Applejack gave him a measuring look. Considering they sat about a feet apart, this wasn't as reserved as she intended it to be.

"Ah'm not mocking ya...all the time."

Redblood rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well thank you so much for that. Only every third one of your words humiliate me! Progress! It's as if you have a really bad day today. You were nearly likeable yesterday."

Applejack looked at her hooves.

"Yeah, Ah guess Ah have a... bad day."

The stallion blinked. Seriously?

"Ah just... had a dream 'bout mah family... an' Ah realised Ah chased Mac away... He needed me, and Ah come and chase changelings an' such... while Ah could've helped him put down the drink. Ah'm the worst sister ever."

Redblood fidgeted around nervously. This was certeanly not 'up his alley', as commoners would say. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, making it the second in a day's time. Sometimes he's amazed by his own courage.

"Look, I am sure he doesn't think of you as a bad sister. What I am trying to say is that family accepts you, and they forgive you. I couldn't count the occassions on which Aunt Celestia was angry with me, and yet she forgave me, because that is how things work. He's your brother, so he will probably forgive you, and... I'm not making much sense here, am I?"

The orange mare did something that she'd never done since she met Redblood: she smiled at him, with a true smile.

"Ya make just enough sense for me. Thank you."

This too, was something new for him. Nopony has ever thanked him for anything. To tell the truth, he rather liked this feeling.

"Well..." he began, carefully weighing his words, " I believe since we have free time on our hooves, you could take a day off or two, and head down to your home, while I handle the paperwork."

Applejack's eyes teared up.

"Ya.... ya'd do that for me?"

"Sure, I mean, there is little to none danger to it, and I could use a change of pace. Meanwhile, you could go and patch things up with your—"

Redblood was not at all prepared for one of the infamous Apple family hugs, which were regarded as "bulltackles" by many who received them. As the lifeforce was being squeezed out of him (in a good way), he briefly mused on the frequency of this mare's mood swings. Said mare released him, and instead lowered her head, for it to rest on his shoulder. Glancing down with a mixture of worry and curiousity, he noticed that Applejack was smiling. It was really weird seeing her in a good mood after all these days of brooding, but Redblood was not one to protest when things turned for the better. One might even say that she's cu—

No! No! Shoot yourself down, Redblood! She's a commoner, she hates you (probably), and she is most definitely not cu—damn, she's cute. While the stallion was trying to quell the sudden rush of his hormones, Applejack changed position, and now she was leaning to him with her back. She was still smiling, and by the looks of it, she fell asleep. Suddenly, the first two reasons he gave himself seemed moot.

"Now what the hay am I supposed to do?" he pondered.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"I am merely saying that no noble house would accept us. Not even temporarily. Counting in the fact that we are supposed to keep the fact that you are walking this earth a secret, Princess, I believe we shouldn't even get close to Canterlot. Everypony would be willing to sell out anypony right now for advancing among the ranks of nobility."

All eyes were on Fancypants, who was speaking. Since he had a few hours to sober up, he was back to his old—if somewhat less jolly—self.

"We certainly cannot go to Ponyville, either." Rainbow declared. "I looked around while we were there, and I got real bad vibes around the major's office."

"Also, there were some kind of guards in a black uniform." Trixie added. "Whatever their job is, I doubt they would leave out the chance of capturing us."

"We still need a new hiding place which either is remote enough, or one whose neighbourhood we know enough to prepare for any situation. Seeing as I spent most of my life in Canterlot, my knowledge is somewhat limited about landmarks, aside from Royal Guard outposts."

"We're at an impasse then." Fancypants concluded. "We cannot stay here, yet none of us can offer an alternative. What say you, Princess?"

The moon princess sat at the seat of honour, a map of Equestria unfolded before her. She slowly circled her hoof around a certain area with Canterlot in the middle.

"These two locations were already off limits. They are too close to the castle; if I used magic there, my sister would certainly notice us. We do not have any definitive proof of this conspiracy yet, however." She sighed, looking at her subjects with concern in her eyes. "I am afraid we need to get help... from an unlikely source."

"Like who exactly?" Trixie urged her.

"Chrysalis."

Despite the fact that the gathered ponies were fugitives, who solely depended on Luna to survive, there was an uproar. Shining and Rainbow were completely against the idea, and even Vinyl and the usually merry Fancypants voiced their concern. Only Soarin and Trixie didn't protest, because they weren't present during the changeling invasion.

"With all due respect, have you lost your mind, Princess?!" Shining fumed. "Asking help from a former enemy is one thing—one despicable thing, I might add—but we haven't yet ruled her out of the list of potential suspects!"

"Then it will be a good thing that we can interrogate her. If she is the culprit, we can go public. If not, she will have a reason to hide us."

"That reason being?" Rainbow asked.

"If she helps me now, I will consider helping her and her changelings. No doubt they are being persecuted, too."

Vinyl raised her hoof.

"Okay, Princess dudette, but what if she will not be reasonable? That wouldn't be the first time."

"Trust me, Vinyl Scratch, if she just so as makes a threat against us, I will make her regret it for a lifetime." She shot her a cheeky smile. "After all, I am responsible for you, and even if I don't look like it, I am powerful."

Shining sighed.

"I guess we don't have that much of a choice, do we?"

"Believe me, if I could think of any other solution, I would go with it. Sadly, I can't." She raised her head, pointing to a remote place on the map. "We will leave at nightfall. Our spies reported that she is hiding here, in an abandoned mine northwest of our location. She thinks that we don't know she's hiding there, but we were just watching her; we wanted to give her a second chance. So far, she hadn't done anything... but time will tell. I'd advise all of you to have a good sleep before the dusk."

"Princess, if I may." Fancypants interjected. "How did you escape from the moon? That question has been intrigueing me ever since I saw you here."

"There is not much to it, Fancypants. I have anticipated the possibility of the more influential nobles demanding my banishment. So, as a backup plan, I cast a spell on the moon, which lets me slip out—if I don't have an ounce of the Night Mare in me. As long as I walk the righteous path, the moon cannot contain me. Now, let us adjourne this meeting. We need to be rested for the journey ahead."

The ponies slowly left the table one by one, all making their way toward the dormitory. All but one.

"Trixie, this was not a suggestion. You should get some sleep as well."

"Are you feeling all right?"

The question caught Luna off-guard.

"Pardon?"

"It's just... you give off such an awful vibe... I could swear you're feeling lonely. Am I right?"

A moment of silence, broken by the princess.

"I do not know if you guessed or really noticed, but yes, I do indeed feel lonely. The only one who loved me unconditionally thinks she banished me, and is probably torn apart by guilt. And I can't even ease her pain, because if I visited her dream, she would know I'm not imprisoned. Then she'd certainly come to find me, and by doing that, she would undo everything we fought for. I have no greater wish but to go and see her once again... but I cannot."

Trixie carefully examined the alicorn. The fact that she was upset was clear as the day; even the most oblivious mare in the world could see it. The normally calm and composed princess looked tired and weak; her vulnerability stemming from her emotions. Trixie made her decision.

"Look, if you want to, I could sleep with you today."

Luna blinked, then a blush crept over her face.

"I... Your offer is very generous, but I cannot force you to keep me company."

The unicorn sighed.

"Look, if I found being close to you repulsive, then I wouldn't have offered it. Besides, you're a pretty cool princess, even if you don't realise it."

Luna smiled, but then she shook her head.

"No. I thank you for your offer, but then I would betray my sister; she would be all alone, while I..."

"Hey, she has a student, no? I'm sure if she feels too lonely, she'll spend some time with her. Now come on! I might fall asleep any second now!"

The alicorn chuckled.

"All right, you win. Follow me, please."

Trixie trotted after the moon princess, who walked through the corridor, into the farthest room. Stepping inside, the unicorn noticed the lack of decoration inside. No cupboards, no carpets, no paintings... Just a bed, and nothing more. It was, however at least thrice the size of Luna, and it was clad in the finest blue velvet. The alicorn looked nervous.

"Well, here we are... Maybe I will not be visited by haunting memories this night."

The gears in Trixie's mind whirred, pointing out the truth to her.

"Haunting... you mean you're having nightmares? No way!"

"But it is true." Luna confirmed. "I can ease other's horrid dreams... yet I am powerless against my own."

"Huh."

The ex-showmare slowly climbed on the extra-sized bed, still a bit rusty with her fine motor skills sometimes. She patted the sheet beside her.

"Come on, I haven't got all day!"

The alicorn carefully crept beside her, not wanting to touch her wound, and potentially hurt her. After minute of relentless positioning, the princess finally settled down. She gently nuzzled the unicorn, surprising her a little.

"Thank you for keeping me company, Trixie. It means so much to me. Many are afraid of me, and many shun me... There are very few who can accept me as I am."

"I think I of all ponies don't really have the moral higher ground to judge others. I'm..." Her speech was interrupted by a loud yawn, which she couldn't suppress. Shrugging, she put her head down, and let herself descend into the world of dreams.

_______________________________________________________________________________

"So, remind me, why are we doing this again?" Thunderlane demanded. Raindrops sighed.

"For the last time, Thunders, Equestria techically has no police force. So we, as the most mobile of half-military organisations, have to help out solving cases and capturing criminals. Get it now?"

"Y-yes, but this d-doesn't mean we should take a look at c-c-corpses!" Blossomforth protested.

"Yeah, well if you're a medium, and can catch a criminal with your precognition, feel free to do so. In the meantime, we'll go and check out the crime scene."

"Speaking of going, when will Lightning be here? I thought she finished paperwork already."

"Well, some of us have to use the restroom now and then, Thunderlane." a new voice stated. Turning around, they saw Lightning Dust emerge from their temporary dormitories. "Let's go. I imagine the ones in charge of the investigation are eager to push this stuff on us."

"So what happened to those CCF chums?" he asked her while they trotted down the main street. Sure, they could fly, but none of the four ponies really wanted to arrive at the crime scene. They dreaded it.

"I sent them over to Canterlot in a carriage." Dust replied. "I imagine they'll get punished by the leaders of the CCF. "

The stallion raised an eyebrow.

"Punishment handed out by Applejack and Blueblood? Ohhoho, this is not their finest week."

"So what exactly is that we're expected to do?" Raindrops asked. "I know we're supposed to look for clues, and the like, but can we be any help to ponies who had been doing this for years?"

Lightning shrugged.

"Dunno. I think it's half propaganda; 'the vice-captain comes to oversee the smallest cases!' or something like that. I'm pretty sure nopony expects us to solve this case on the spot. Speaking of which, I have no idea what we can expect; all I know is it was a murder case. No names, no details."

The jasmine pegasus groaned.

"Great. Start from absolutely nothing, and produce results. Terrific."

They fell into silence after the verbal exchange. Neither of them would say it, but they were all nervous about what they might encounter. Finally, they arrived at an ordinary, if somewhat worn house. A cream-coloured earth pony with a siren cutie mark stopped them.

"Halt! Are you the group of Wonderbolts that were supposed to arrive an hour ago?"

Raindrops rolled her eyes.

"No, we're the Royal Gardening Club! Of course we're the bloody Wonderbolts!" she scoffed, pointing at their uniform. "I thought it would be bloody obvious!"

"Relax, Drops." Dust salled out calmly. "Yes, officer, we are the contingent tasked to assist the police force. My name is Lightning Dust, and these ponies are my team; Thunderlane, Blossomforth, and the one with the power of sarcasm, Raindrops."

The stallion did not react to her attempt of a joke, but nodded, and gestured them to follow him inside. As soon as they were in, a horrid stench reached their noses. Blossomforth paled, but managed to squeak out a small 'Sorry!' before running outside making hurling noises. Their guide shook his head.

"Why did she join the force if she can't take the heat? Anyway, we are at one of the victims' house. His name was Silent Song, a unicorn. We do not know much about him."

"Wait... I think I know him. Most of the time he was hitting on Cloudchaser, I think. Got rejected every single time, though."

"The outher two victims are pegasi," the officer continued, ignoring Raindrops, "by the name of Flitter and Cloud Kicker."

The following silence was heavier than a mountain. Both Raindrops and Thunderlane stared in disbelief; their stunned expression spoke lengths to even Lightning Dust. The officer cleared his throat.

"I am sure it's a simple case. The pegasi probably acted like whores, then tried to back up from a hot situation. It's all I would expect from the likes of them. One flirt too many, with fatal consequences. Goddamn blues."

Raindrops snapped. The normally calm and collected pegasus saw the world through a blood-red haze; she wished to destroy this foal!

"You ignorant, bloody retard! They were my friends! IF YOU—"

"Raindrops. Out. Now."

The jasmine pegasus blinked. Dust's calm voice snapped her out from her rage. She grudgingly left the scene, heading where Blossomforth was last seen. Lightning Dust turned to the officer.

"First, let me apologise for the unsightly behaviour of my teammate."

Thunderlane snorted. Sucking up to this slimeball? Great job, vice captain.

"Second, if you try to provoke my teammates again, I will break your face. Are we clear?"

Then again, maybe she is not hopeless. The stance she took seemed to intimidate the officer, who could only nod in shock. Dust stomped her hoof.

"Now go the buck away, or I'll have your badge!"

The earth pony looked like as if he tried to become a shooting star as he left the scene. The mint-colored pegasus huffed.

"Seriously, the nerve!" She noticed Thunderlane's smug expression. "And what are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing." he stated innocently. "Only somepony on her way to become a decent leader."

The mare brightened up.

"Really? I mean, ahem! Go and get Raindrops to cool down, I'll need her brains for this one. And make sure Blossomforth's all right! In the meantime, I'll se what I can get from the forensics guys."

The stallion saluted.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

He trotted out of the building, only to find his two teammates next to a garbage can; the white pegasus' head deep inside while constantly throwing up, the jasmine mare gently tapping her back. When she noticed the stallion, she rolled her eyes.

"I told her not to lean in so much, but now the trash's smell is making her vomit. What's the situation?"

"Officer gone. With tail between legs, you could say."

Raindrops eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you serious?"

The stallion nodded.

"Yep. You should've seen Dust; she practically sent that dumb idiot packing with a glare. Anyway, he's gone, and she wants you to help her. I'll watch over Blossom."

Raindrops snorted.

"'Over'... right, if over means her flank..." She shrugged. "Well, off I go!"

She returned to the crime scene, but by the time she arrived, Dust was nowhere to be found. Deciding to take initiative, she made her way towards the basement. It's always the basement. Her assumptions proved to be true, when she found her vice captain talking with a pale unicorn in front of the door leading downstairs. He seemed extremely tired, his brown bangs nearly covering his outdated glasses. He had a magnifying glass as a cutie mark on his pristine white coat. They noticed her arrival, nodding at her.

"Hey, Raindrops, this is Cold Clue. He is the one in charge of the crime scene."

"Nice to meet you. Wish it could've been under better circumstances."

"Nice to meet you too, I suppose. At least you are a lot nicer than that officer that greeted us."

The stallion raised an eyebrow, albeit barely visible under his shaggy mane.

"Officer? I was alone until now."

This came as a surprise to both mares.

"B-but there was this cream earth pony, who started mocking the victims, and..."

"Look, Miss," the stallion interrupted her, "it has been a long day already, and I'm not in the mood for jokes. Nopony is here, except me. Nopony else is supposed to be here, except for me, and you. Can we concentrate on the very real murder case before starting to chase ghosts?"

"All right, all right, bite my head down." Raindrops groaned. The stallion gave her a wan expression.

"Sorry... I'm not used to these kind of... atrocities. A year ago the worst I saw were accidents... but this... this is freaking horrid. Follow me." he beckoned. "Whatever happened in this house happened down there."

The mares followed the scruffy stallion, arriving to the scene of the carnage. The corpses were neatly laid down next to the wall, and hidden under sheets. The unicorn cleared his throat.

"Three victims. Two pegasi, both of them found chained on the wall. It was pretty obvious, but I ran a test. It seems that they were raped several times before their deaths, probably by the third victim. Cause of death was probably blood loss for the one with the bluish-white mane, and suffocation for the blond-maned pegasus. Their identities are currently unknown."

"Wait a sec." Dust paused him, "The nonexistent officer who we didn't meet had not mentioned that the victims were Flitter and Cloud Kicker. Are you sure you didn't see him?"

The stallion gave an exasperated sigh.

"Look Ma'am, I'm just doing my job. I don't know if some freak scouted the house before I came here, but I can tell you this: nopony came down those stairs since I've been here. And as I've said, they are currently unidentified, and I don't know them personally."

"Show them to me." Raindrops said with sudden determination. "I was their friend; I can identify them."

The stallion gave her a concerned look.

"Are you sure, Miss? They are in a terrible shape."

"Things won't get any better if I ignore the facts. Show them to me." the jasmine pegasus insisted. The stallion shrugged, and pulled two of the sheets down. Raindrops immediately wished he didn't. The stench became even more suffocating, and their visage... he wasn't joking. Both of Flitter's eyes were poked out, traces of blood around her eyesockets. And...something else?

"T-this is Flitter." she confirmed, her voice trembling. "B-but what's that around h-her....h-her..."

"Her eye?" the stallion finished. "Semen. It seems like their captor used her as a personal toy... even her eyesockets."

Raindrops began to hurl. Dust was no better off, but at least she didn't know the victims. A minute later, Raindrops' breathing calmed down.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." she wheezed. "How come you're not feeling ill even a little bit?" she asked the stallion.

"I have already vomited five times." he responded with a straight face. "There is literally nothing left in me. Now, if you feel ready for it, please take a look at the other mare."

The pegasus obliged, dreading what she might see. Cloud Kicker was no better off than her late friend. Even though the stallion claimed she's been strangled, her throat was slit, and blood tarnished her coat all across her chest. Her expression frozen at her last moment; pure terror, and pain. Raindrops' stomach churned again.

"This is Cloud Kicker."

The stallion nodded. He replaced the sheets, much to the pegasi's relief. He motioned towards the wall.

"As you can see, there are three sets of chains there. If you think it's worth it, I can give you my explanation of what happened here."

"Go on." Dust beckoned.

"I think the owner of this house captured the three mares somewhere, and brought them here. Judging by the look of the room, he was probably planning it for a long time. By the state of the wounds on... Flitter, was it? I concluded that one of her eyes were stabbed out before she even got here. She probably died after he pierced her second eyeball, by slowly bleeding to death. I assume the stallion proceeded to have sex with her corpse a few times after that."

"About ... 'Cloud Kicker'... She was strangled to death, probably during intercourse. Her killer, seeing that she didn't breathe, snapped into a rage, and slit her throat, but she was already dead by that time. Some of the cuts on her body, however, originate before that. Meaning he probably tortured her for his own satisfaction."

"I think you can feel the smell, too, but they were forced to relieve themselves into those buckets. Judging by the state of the room, I think they were held here for more than a week."

"Now, about the third captive, and the death of the stallion..."

He walked back to the corpses, and lifted the third cover. His face looked even worse for the wear, if possible. Even so, Raindrops felt dark satisfaction upon seeing his corpse.

"This is Silent Song. He often hit on Flitter's sister, Cloudchaser. Come to think of it, Cloudchaser refused to stay at the Wonderbolt Training Grounds, so that she could be together with her sister. I think we can safely assume that the third one was Cloudchaser, because of their relation, and this stallion's crush. Logically speaking, the one who would last the longest in the hooves of such a psychopath, would be her."

The stallion nodded.

"That seems reasonable. Now, the cause of death for... Silent Song is this cut to his head. Technically, it cut his brain into two different sized parts, killing him instantly. The murder weapon's special form, and the blood on the steps, combined with the strange dent on the rails lead me to believe that he was the reason of his own demise. I believe the weapon richocheted back, causing the injury."

"What is this weapon you speak of?" Dust asked. The stallion levitated a strange contraption in front of them; blades protruding from it in a circular pattern. Clue placed it in front of the mint pegasus.

"This is the murder weapon. I did not dare try it out, but I think it works with unicorn magic. The blood on the blades matches with the third victim's. Now, if you would—WHAT THE...?!"

The stallion's angry yell was directed at Dust, for she stomped on the weapon with all her might. It cracked, and fell to tiny pieces; some of them rolling to the farthest corner.

"What are you doing?! That was evidence!" Clue shouted.

"It was destroyed during their struggle." Dust stated calmly.

"No, it wasn't." he argued.

"Either I crushed that thing, or some idiotic military researcher would have mass produced it. I think I don't want to face this... anything. So?"

"...It was destroyed during their struggle." the stallion answered begrudgingly. The vice captain nodded.

"Carry on."

"Judging by the hoofprints, he was chasing somepony around. On the other hoof, they left so many prints that it is impossible to determine if he chased Cloudchaser or some other pony. What we know is this: he chased somepony around, and then his weapon collided with the railing of the stairs, and bounced back, killing him. What we don't know is the following: one, who was the third captive? Two, who was the pony that he chased around? Three, where is she now?"

"I see. Is there something else?"

"No, I don't think so. That about wraps up my report. Let's move out, and I'll notify the ones in charge of cleaning up."

Dust nodded.

"Sounds good."

They trotted back to the house, glad to leave the gruesome scene behind. Clue locked the basement, and motioned them to move outside. As soon as they complied, he cast some spell unknown to them, then he locked the front door, too.

"Thank you for your time." he said turning to them. "I hope we can crack this case. Until next time."

"Yeah, see you around, I guess." Dust replied.

Just as they were about to leave, a purple-coloured earth pony with deep magenta mane came running towards them; her expression was as if she saw a ghost.

"Help! Help!" she screamed. Thunderlane jumped to her side, shaking her a little.

"Get a hold of yourself, Berry! What's wrong?"

"The Everfree! Monster! Dead! Pony!"

"What?" Dust asked in confusion.

"Dead! Pony! Near! Everfree!" the mare hiccuped each word. All ponies' expression darkened.

"Lead the way, Berry." Raindrops urged her.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow sat on a cliff overlooking a vast plain. She didn't know it's name, nor did she care. She rested her gaze upon the city in the distance—some third-rate griffon settlement. A windy chill blowing atop the cliff caused her to shiver, pulling her ragged brown cloak tighter.

"You're going to catch a cold like this." Trixie remarked.

"Don't care." the pegasus replied. "A cold doesn't amount to anything. I could keep going with ten colds."

The unicorn rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right. Tell me, o mighty Rainbow Dash, what do you expect to find in that city?"

"Refuge. Gilda. I don't know."

"Refuge? Griffons hate us. Why would they accept you?"

"Equestria hates me, too. Enemy of my enemy, right?"

"You don't sound too loyal." Trixie observed. Rainbow raised her voice.

"Don't sound too loyal? Let's see... All of my friends are dead, or have abandoned me. The rulers of our country are dead. The love of my life is dead. What is there to be loyal for?"

"I didn't abandon you." Trixie argued.

"Yes, but you're dead. A specter. A ghost."

The ex-pony hung her head. The setting sun shone through her incorporeal body.

"You're right. There is nothing left. We failed." She sighed. "Why did we think that Soarin was Kindness? It was way too convenient."

Rainbow snorted.

"Easy to be smart afterwards. Now come on. I've got a long way to walk towards that settlement."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow jolted awake. Looking around she saw the sleeping faces of her companions, calming her a little. She took a deep breath, thinking about her recent nightmare.

"Well, crud." she concluded.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Canterlot is beautiful, if you look at it at the right angle. A flying carriage well above it seemed to be the right angle for Redblood; he thought he entered a different city at first. The intricate pattern of the streets, the small ponies running around about their own business... the whole sight seemed much more calming compared to the sight from below. Redblood sighed. He'd rather this flight didn't end.

Alas, it did. The pegasi pulling the carriage stopped, and once again he stood on solid ground. Applejack seemed a bit out of it; she looked rather absent-minded compared to her previous huffing and puffing attitude. Maybe she thought about her family. Who knows?

"Sir?"

Redblood looked at the newcomer. He didn't seem like a fighter, but a gardener. Regardless, he was clad in Royal Guard armour, and dyed the uniform colours.

"Report."

"Yes, Sir! There is an emergency meeting in the foyer of the Night Guard barracks. The Princess requested your attendance."

Applejack looked at him questioningly. He shrugged. Whatever it was, he had no prior knowledge of it. Regardless of that, the Princess' wishes best not be left unfulfilled. They followed the stallion into a rather inconspicous building. During the years of Luna's absence, the Guard fulfilled all their duties faithfully, yet they preferred to reside in the dark, the unknown. Given the past few days' hectic events, the prince could see where they were coming from.

"Here, Sir and Ma'am. This will be the meeting room. I am afraid there is only Miss Sparkle present yet, but the others are due to arrive soon."

The two ponies nodded.

"All right. Go back to your duties, soldier."

The stallion saluted.

"Yes, Sir."

Redblood turned to his companion.

"Go on in. I will wait here so you can talk with your friend."

Applejack snorted.

"Ya'll come, too. Nothin' shameful with bein' in the same room as ya."

The stallion raised an eyebrow.

"I thought your opinion was the opposite?"

"Ah changed it. Now c'mon!"

The two entered the meeting hall. It seemed like a sort of conference room, with a round table in the middle. The room itself was barely larger than the table itself; you could fit a pony between it and the wall, but no more. Clearly, this place was designed for small meetings.

"I wonder who'll be here?" Applejack mused. "The guard mentioned Twilight, the Princess, and I suppose the leader of the Night Guard? Otherwise, why would we be meeting here?"

She noticed a familiar lavender figure sitting at the table, reading a piece of paper from a much larger stack. The farmpony gulped. When her family died... she had an argument with her friends. Well, more like shouting and telling them to go buck themselves. She was not proud of it, but the pain turned her demeanor upside-down.

"Advisor Sparkle." Blueblood nodded. Or was it Redblood now? Applejack couldn't really understand the reason behind the namechange. Blueblood is Blueblood. 'Nuff said.

"Vice Captain Redblood. Captain Applejack." her friend replied coolly. The orange mare has felt a lump in her throat. Twilight was still angry. No wonder. The shame coursed through Applejack's veins. She told one of her best friends that her father should go kick the bucket, too, with all the blue ponies in the world. Pain talked through her, but still; it was an inexcusable thing to say. Talking trash about your family... feels the worst of all insults.

"Um... Twilight?" she began sheepishly. The unicorn gave her a stern look.

"Yes, Captain Applejack?"

She gulped. Hoo boy, a grudge.

"Look, Ah didn't mean what Ah said back there... Ah mean, Ah meant it at the time but Ah figured out it was stupid... Ah mean, mah opinion, not yer family... Ah mean... Bah! Ah'm sorry, Twilight. Can you forgive me?"

Twilight eyed her measuringly.

"The last time we talked, you were hell-bent on exterminating the population of blue ponies." It was not a question.

"Ah know, and Ah was wrong. Ah was pushin' mah problems on everypony else. Ah shouldn't have lashed out on all of ya, but... Ah felt so sad, and angry, and Ah couldn't control mahself. Now, Ah just want to keep Equestria safe. No more murderous bull—"

"Applejack!" Redblood interrupted, horrified. The mare rolled her eyes.

"No more bull, then. Twilight, please..."

The silence loomed on long, and it was beginning to get uncomfortable, when Twilight spoke.

"You've betrayed my trust and expectations, Applejack. A simple 'sorry' will not cut it."

"Isn't friendship about forgiveness?" the prince interjected quietly. The lavender mare seemed surprised.

"Since when do you know about friendship, Prince?" She nearly spat the last word.

"I admit, I know little of friendship. But do you really want to lose her because she made one mistake that she regrets?"

The unicorn mare stared at him surprised, but not without hostility. Unable to come up with anything, she stormed out of the room. Redblood looked displeased.

"She is the one expert on friendship? We're doomed."

"Cut 'er some slack, Charmin'." she interjected. "She has a lot goin' on for her right now, an' Ah most certainly didn't make things easier by hurtin' her."

The stallion shivered at the sound of his first name, but nodded. He sat down at a random chair, and lowered his head against the table. From this angle, he almost seemed handso—no. No handsome stallions around here, nope. Just him. Darn it!

"Redblood?" a voice cracked from behind them. "Figures, they want to spread the news our failure to everypony. Grand."

They turned, facing an elderly pony in dark guard armour. The stallion was not familiar to Applejack, but the prince recognised him.

"Lieutant Night Shade. No, we don't know anything about failure, we were just called here by the Princess."

"Hm. We'll see."

"See what?" Applejack was about to ask, but she didn't have the chance. The door swung open, and quite a few ponies entered. They quickly took seats, as if they had some sort of pre-arranged sitting order. Applejack trotted over to a dark green unicorn, who sat down beside the prince.

"Ya. Shoo. Now."

The stallion looked like as he was about to explode.

"You insolent peasant! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

Applejack leaned closer.

"Target practice?" she offered with a menacing tone. The stallion stared at her for a moment, but then he stood up, and left with his nose held high. The orange mare hopped into his empty seat.

"You just made enemies with Open Book, the most fickle noble of Canterlot." Redblood observed. Applejack shrugged.

"Couldn't care less. He's just another stupid noble."

The stallion raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Then what am I?"

"Pillow?" she offered playfully. The stallion blushed, but their conversation was interrupted by the Princess' arrival. She trotted in gracefully, her faithful student taking place beside her.

"Order, please." Twilight said, raising her voice. The chatter of the various ponies immediately stopped.

"My dear subjects, it is because of an important matter that we called you here today. Lieutant Shade will explain."

The elderly stallion stood up.

"Yesterday evening the Fancypants mansion was besieged, and it's occupant freed. Whomever it was, they completely bypassed our security, smuggling themselves in, and then the prisoner out. It seems our guard of the city was not good enough."

The stallion paused, taking a deep breath.

"Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to step down as leader of the Night Guard."

The murmur in the room made it clear for Applejack that this was unexpected for them. Except for two. The pony she intimidated, and an earth pony with a yellow coat and orange mane, who was smiling smugly. She didn't like it. Reminded her too much of Trixie.

"I am afraid I cannot accept that."

Everypony looked at the Princess, except Applejack. She eyed the two aforementioned nobles. They looked like as if somepony took their sweetroll. Somehow, it filled her with satisfaction.

"The troops indeed make a mistake, but your experience is invaluable to us, Night Shade. The error has been noted, but now we need you. Do not abandon the country in it's hour of need."

The stallion bowed.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty," the yellow stallion began, "I cannot help but feel that we are too hasty in this matter. Our very city's security has been breached, yet the one in charge is let free without repercussion? Preposterous!"

"What do you suggest then, Golden Coin?" the princess asked bemused.

"New leadership for the Night Guard. Preferably well-known and experienced. Somepony with... connections and proper relations."

"Somepony like Shining Armor, you mean?" the princess offered sarcastically.

"Uh... No, Your Majesty, I was referring to—"

"If you can't show me a pony capable of defending this city at least as well as Night Shade here, I suggest you kindly stuff a sock in it."

The nobles were shocked at their ruler's words, and stormed out of the room in unison. Only Redblood, Applejack, Night Shade, Twilight, the princess, and another pony remained. Her eyes met with Applejack's. She rose a little, revealing her purplish armour. She was a pegasus, with pristine white coat and deep red mane. Her cutie mark was a pink diamond.

"My apologies. I believe we haven't been introduced yet. My name is Diamond Rose. I am currently appointed as acting Captain for the Royal Guard."

"Much obliged. Don't ya have some relative in Ponyville, though?"

The pegasus nodded.

"Yes, actually. Her name is Roseluck."

"Know her. Nice fella."

Rose smiled.

"Thank you."

The alicorn cleared her throat.

"Rose here will take over the duties of Shining Armor. That encompasses the defense of the city, but not control of the army. I expect your full cooperation."

"If I may interject..."

Celestia beckoned.

"Go on, nephew."

"What made you appoint her as the new captain? I do not mean to question you, but I am curious."

"Diamond Rose was stationed near the griffon border. During a raid by a rogue griffon group, she showed excellent combat skills and leadership. I chose her to ensure Canterlot is guarded by somepony who is actually capable of doing so."

Applejack left her mind wander. Was that last sentence a jab to Night Shade? No, it couldn't be...

"What is the situation near the Badlands border?" the princess asked. Redblood explained the current situation in detail, which didn't really interest Applejack. Show her a face to buck in, and she will, but planning is not her strong side. The prince finally finished his explanation.

"I see." Celestia nodded. "Twilight, what is your take on things?"

Twilight pulled out a paper from the stack.

"About the Badlands situation, I have nothing to add at the moment. Regarding the other case, I have a report here that claims that around the time of the breakout, a unicorn mare was seen in the vicinity of the crime scene. We can safely conclude that it was an outside work, if we take the guards' testimonies into account. If you are interested in my opinion, that mare was Lulamoon."

"Who?" Applejack asked confused.

"Trixie."

Celestia shook her head.

"Unlikely. She might have escaped, but she had serious wounds."

"Princess?" Twilight gave her an unsure look.

"I have read the diary of Strong Walls, the previous director of Canterlot Prison. Trixie was shot in the leg by a military-grade crossbow, with an arrowhead nearly as large as a hoof. Reports state that it shot her clear in her front right hoof. I doubt any pony could heal that wound... but the culprit yesterday was not limping, was she?"

"...No, Princess."

" I am willing to consider options, but she had no opportunity to break that stallion out. She might not even be alive. Now, if there are no further issues, this meeting is adjourned."

The four ponies watched as Celestia and her student walked out of the room. Diamond turned to Night Shade.

"Do you have any idea why would somepony break out Fancypants?"

"Ah thought it was juss' symphatisers." Applejack interjected. The elderly unicorn shook his head.

"No, lass. Nopony would take such a risk to break out somepony from a guarded position out of their heart's kindness. I can only give you my opinion as a soldier; he was recruited for some cause, presumably because of his connections, or maybe because his fencing skills are second best in the country."

"Who's first?" Applejack asked with curiousity. Night Shade looked surprised.

"You don't know? It is none other than Prince Redblood here."

It was Applejack's turn to be surprised. She eyed the stallion with suspicion.

"Izzat true?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say something about it?"

The stallion shrugged.

"You didn't act like as if you were interested in me or my skills."

The pegasus chuckled.

"It is good to see you in high spirits."

Applejack silently contemplated the possibility of idiocy being infectous amongst pegasi. No, seriously. Show her a pegasus without a mental defect, and she'll dance in the Castle's main hall while singing.

"Captain Rose, a word if I may." Redblood said, clearing his throat.

"Sure."

"I would like to warn you; Golden Coin is an ambitious pony. You better watch your back."

Rose blinked.

"I'm sorry? What did I ever do to Golden Coin?"

"It's an open secret, but he worked hard so that his son would be appointed as new Captain. With you fulfilling that duty, he considers you an obstacle to power. He has years of political experience; it would be wise to be cautious around him."

The pegasus nodded.

"Thank you for your advice."

"My pleasure. Watch your back, Captain."

They left the guard barracks, making their way towards... well, Applejack didn't really know where they were going. She was in Canterlot for a few times before, but she never explored around, except for the castle, the train station, and the marketplace. Other than those, she was a lost lamb.

Still, that Golden Coin fellow seemed suspicious. Better ask Redblood.

"How do ya know that Coin fella?" she asked.

"I always paid attention at council meetings. He is a bold speaker, but he is less subtle than he thinks. I believe everypony in Canterlot knows that he is a ruthless powermonger... yet my aunt lets him scheme around, because he is more often thwarted by the other nobles instead of her. This helps her to avoid situations where one could accuse her of limiting freedom of others. As for him... his greed is his undoing. If he would go one step at a time, he might acquire the power he seeks... but no, he has to accomplish all his goals at once. You already know of his ambition to have his son as guard captain... but you are unaware that he tried several times to arrange a marriage between his daughter and me."

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

"He did? Didn't figure you were all hot and wanted around here."

"Well, yes. My standing as aunt Celestia's nephew interests him only. He believes he could control her through me... which is stupid. I don't think anypony told her what to do in a thousand years... save for maybe Luna."

The farmpony chuckled knowingly.

"Takes more than that to influence an independent mare."

"Yes, well..." Redblood paused. "I am sorry, are you having an... accent dysfunction?"

"Hm? Oh, right. Sorry, sometimes when Ah'm reminded of mah foalhood, Ah sometimes use mah Manehattan accent."

"It's rather refreshing to hear, actually. Regardless, I'm intrigued; did your foalhood differ from your current life?"

The orange mare gazed into the distance.

"Yeah... When Ah was young, Ah left our farm... Ah figured the city life's for me. So Ah went to mah aunt and uncle Orange, and learned a few things about... 'high society'. But... After a while, Ah realised how much I missed mah family, so Ah went back... Funny thing is, Rainbow had a hoof in it."

Applejack felt her mood slowly degrade. Not because of revealing personal details to Redblood; she was quite comfortable with that, Element of Honesty and all. No, her problem was with a certain cyan catastrophe. She was arrogant, she was inconsiderate, she was lazy, she killed Applebloom... yet she always stood beside her. She always came through, no matter the danger or the opposition. Why? Is there something crueler than realising your best friend is a criminal? Does Applebloom's blood scream for vengeance? Did Rainbow really, really cause it? Did Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, decide to murder a bunch of foals in cold blood?

She didn't know. When she punched Rainbow in the hospital, she felt nothing. No satisfaction. The pain stayed. A month later, her life is falling apart. She scared away her friends, maybe insulted Twilight forever, she left her own brother hanging... Nopony is on her side. Nopony, except for this stallion, who is supposed to be an arrogant, uptight foal with a chicken's intelligence... Yet he's somewhat smart, able to handle himself in combat, and tolerates her venomous jabs. This was not how she remembered him.

"Hey, Redblood."

"Hm?"

"Ah don't mean to pry, but... ya changed. Ya weren't like this at all when we first met. What happened to turn ya around like this?"

Redblood took a heavy breath.

"It's... It was Luna."

Applejack was surprised. What connection would he have with the moon princess?

"We weren't particularly close..." the stallion continued, "yet we kept a casual, if formal relationship. It was really weird to see her... open up, in a way, and get accepted by the very ponies who shunned her. I respected her willpower. She started with zero friends, yet she worked hard to be accepted by her subjects... and she mostly succeeded. What did I do, in the meanwhile? Lead a life of luxury? Sure, sounds impressive, but it becomes boring after a while. The only ponies willing to have longer conversations with me were my aunt, and Fancypants... Neither of whom approved of my lifestyle. So I finally think it through; maybe I should mingle with some commoners? Then... it happened."

"I walk into the council room, and bam! they start talking about banishing Luna. That was the first time I heard the 'blue theory'. Frankly, I was dumbfounded. Not only was this treason, but logically, the next one to be banished would be none other than aunt Celestia! I don't know what to think about this whole conspiracy theory, but I know one thing. Those nobles? They couldn't give a rat's ass about it—they only want to use it for their own petty means. I snapped. I kept shouting, and shouting, until my voice became hoarse... That was when I had an epiphany. I didn't want to be that kind of a noble."

"Still, I didn't really have options. The council didn't listen—they all saw the oppurtunity to seize power with Luna's absence, so they all agreed to her banishment. I wanted to warn her, but I couldn't... The nobles headed straight to my aunt, and demanded their ridiculous little claims. The look on my aunt's face... I never saw her in so much pain before. I thought she was going to snap, and burn the whole council down. I am not entirely convinced that it's any better that she didn't."

"After that... well, I got a few letters. Some from the nobles, warning me that getting in their way would be... undesireable for me. Some from others, with empty pleasantries... And finally, I've gotten quite a few letters accusing me of being a 'blue-sympathiser'. They were little less than open death threats. I decided to change my name, so it would divert their attention from me, but it was barely enough. I applied for this position to get away from politics, and generally, the city itself."

While Redblood was talking, they arrived to a building Applejack knew well: the headquarters of the CFF, estabilished not long ago. The building used to be some kind of warehouse before; sometimes, they found empty crates in unused rooms still. Applejack groaned.

"Let's juss hurry up, an' finish here. Ah really want to set things right with mah brother."

"Duly noted. I also wish to leave this week behind me."

As soon as they entered, the receptionist jumped up and saluted.

"Captain! There is an urgent matter requiring your attention!"

"Yeah?"

"There has been a group in Ponyville, who severely breached our code. The culprits have been expelled, and they await further punishment."

"What exactly did they do?" she asked.

"They attacked Ponyvillean citizens, including the Cake family, Pinkamena Diane Pie, and Big Macintosh Apple."

"THEY DID WHAT?!" Applejack yelled. Terrorising citizens? Attacking her helpless brother?! She will end them!

"Lead me to them. Now." she hissed.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"This... this can't be."

The five ponies stood near the edge of the Everfree. Not at the actual entrance, but at a remote location. An hour ago, Raindrops thought she saw the worst today. Oh how wrong she was.

The scene they stood at was a little less gruesome than the murders, but this time, it was made worse by the fact that this wasn't supposed to happen.

When they arrived here, they never expected to find a dead manticore. The beast looked like it was bucked to death, bruises all over it's body. To the opposite of it, a pony who died from blood loss. A pegasus, whose wing was probably clipped in the struggle.

A pegasus by the name of Soarin.

"Looks like it is." Cold Clue observed. He already took samples from literally everything in the scene, looking engrossed in his work. He had a small case in front of him, filled with bottles and syringes.

"I had time to analyse the blood sample with a spell, and it's definitely Soarin's." he continued. "Looks like he happened upon a manticore when he passed through here."

"Why in Tartarus would he come here?" Blossomforth asked hysterically. The others were a little closer than her. She had learned from her previous experience, and kept her distance. The smell wasn't that bad, but the sight wasn't pretty.

"Maybe he heard about Azure City, and tried to take a different route to the Academy?" Thunderlane suggested, kicking rocks around. All of them were devastated. Soarin was nothing short of their childhood hero, one whom they could always look up to. Now—he was no more.

"I can't believe this. First Flitter, now him... Why? Why did they have to die? Just to satisfy some cruel fantasy? I—I can't..."

Blossomforth broke out in tears. Thunderlane gently rubbed her shoulders, turning her away from the corpses. Raindrops let out a deep sigh. This was not going well at all. How would Spitfire react to this?

"Oh, bugger." she called out loud when she imagined the captain's reaction. Personal pain aside, they lost two valuable members of the Wonderbolts today; one dead, one missing. Every aspect of this day just screamed 'catastrophe'.

"We must inform Spitfire."

Raindrops looked at Dust, who looked like as if she wasn't even there. The pegasus was standing a few feet away, just outside Clue's hearing.

"Yes, we have to. It doesn't mean it should be you, however. Anypony amongst us could—"

"No." the mint pegasus interjected. "It is my duty to inform her."

"Dust, you don't have to do this!" Raindrops said in a calming tone. "I know you're trying to act like a proper vice captain, but hay, you've already done enough! In the past month, you actually worked together with us, as opposed to your old behaviour; you even stopped me from tearing that jerk's head off! You don't have anything to prove anymore!"

Lightning slowly turned to face her. The jasmine pegasus noticed that she was crying.

"Drops, he's dead. He was the true vice captain, not me. I was only appointed 'cause he was not available. It—it was my childhood dream to become a Wonderbolt, and to become vice captain, I'd have sold my soul. But this... this doesn't feel right. I didn't become a vice captain because I was better than him... I was not chosen because I was the best, Spitfire just had some grand scheme with me. So the least I can do is act like a true damn vice captain, and weather the storm of her hate."

Raindrops was speechless. Despite all her wit, she couldn't say anything to Dust; nothing seemd right. She did the only thing she had left; she obeyed.

"Understood, Ma'am." she said, saluting. "What are our orders until you are away?"

"Give Cold Clue every assistance he needs. After that, make sure everything's fine around here. I don't want any more crimes to be committed today. That's all."

"Yes Ma'am."

Raindrops watched Lightning Dust take flight, then she turned to the other two.

"Come on, blokes, let's wrap this up."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"....And make sure they're kept inside!" Applejack shouted. The pony in front of her saluted.

"Yes, Ma'am! Of course!"

The orange mare turned to... to... some paper-pusher, that she knew.

"Anythin' else?"

"No, nothing, I mean, yes, there is this letter, addressed to you, Ma'am!"

The pony produced a plain envelope, and gave it to the farmpony. One glance at it, and she paled a little.

It was from Mac.

"W-where did ya get this?" she asked, barely containing the trembling in her voice.

"It arrived with the mail this noon, Ma'am." the stallion replied.

"Okay! G'job! Bye!" she uttered before galloping to her appointed office (which she barely used as of then). Confused, Redlood followed her.

As soon as she arrived inside, she tore open the envelope, and began reading her brother's bumbling hoofwriting.

Applejack,

I am sorry. After Granny died, I tried to ignore everything, to drown myself in alcohol. I didn't listen to reason. You went away to become an enforcer, and I just chugged drink after drink.

I realised how wrong I was. If Granny was still alive, she'd kick my flank for doing this. Family's gotta stick together, right? Pity that everypony abandoned us, except for Braeburn. You're the only family I've left. I wish that you'd forgive me. I want to see you again soon; after I've set things right in Ponyville. Things were stirred up by the troops that terrorised the Cakes, but I think I see a way out of this.

Many ponies are frightened here. Even your friends, Pinkie and Fluttershy. I offered them home until they feel safe to live on their own. I remembered how much I love this town, and it's residents—no more denying and horsing around. This town needs me Applejack, and I'm not going to let it down.

Sorry if I'm rambling. What I wanted to say is this: I've put the bottle down, and started to help ponies. I only ask you to stop destroying yourself, too. Capture Rainbow if you need to, but don't hurt her. Hear her out. That's what Granny and Applebloom would have wanted.

Hope to see you soon. Love you, sis.

Mac

Applejack dropped the letter. Her lower lip was trembling.

"Forgive...him? That oaf, I should be the one apologising! I'm the one who—who..."

She couldn't continue. The surge of emotion simply overtook her, and she bawled like a foal. She didn't notice when, but she was in the grip of somepony.

"Shhh. It's all right."

"Redblood?" she asked, not seeing clearly through her tears.

"Yes. I'm here, don't worry. Don't hold anything back."

She felt another surge of tears, and she buried her muzzle into the whiteness before her. The stallion patiently waited until her sobs became less frequent, then he carefully raised her head with his hoof.

"Tell you what, you can come to my estate, have some food, get cleaned up and rest; then tomorrow you can take the first express train to Ponyville. How does that sound?"

She smiled at him through her tears.

"Ah... I'd love to."

She snuggled closer to the surprised prince.

"Could you hold me a little longer, please?"

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay. Been writing my other story, called P.H.D. :pinkiecrazy:
Anyway, have this short chapter! More updates for my stories are on the way.
Have an awesome Luna as an apology, that my friend custom-made for me: Luna!

Chapter five: Nightmares of Equestria

The gentle breeze ruffled her mane as they stood atop the clouds of Cloudsdale. Her sister was jumping up and down with excitement as they watched the Young Fliers' Competition.

"Careful Lyra! There is only one layer of cloud under us, and I don't know if you've noticed yet, but you're not exactly helping your case by making it thinner."

"C'mon, Bon, don't be such a worrywart! Cloudwalking, remember? As far as clouds are concerned, we are lightweight! Enjoy yourself!"

As if to a cue, a pegasus bolted away right next to them. His performance included a lot of circling and sudden dives, but she was not impressed. Flashy, but boring.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Lyra, on the other hoof, was much more enthusiastic. She waved for each and every contestant that passed them. Some of them even noticed it, and one poor colt was so confused by a unicorn sitting on top of a cloud that he crashed into the stadium. At least he wasn't disqualified.

"Go! Go!" Lyra shouted. She waved some red flag around, and looked generally happy. Bon Bon suddenly got an uneasy feeling. Her memories started to fade away, and the clouds became dark. Soon, they were standing on a grassy field, where several chairs were set up. The worst was yet to come. The field was littered by bodies whom she recognised as Lyra's musician friends. She got a foreboding feeling.

An eerie sound began to fill her mind. Desperately seeking its source, she glanced around in every direction, but to no avail. Her gaze finally rested on her sister. She was smiling with an otherwordly expression on her face; slowly, blood began to trickle from her ears. Soon after, she collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

__________________________________________________________________________________

Bon Bon jolted awake. It was not her who screamed, but Cloudchaser. She slowly rose to her hooves—still groggy from waking up suddenly—and trotted up to the pegasus in bed. Cloudchaser was trembling despite the warm blankets she was wrapped in. She looked at Bon Bon with suspicion.

"W-where am I?"

"Relax, Clouds, you're safe." Bon Bon replied, as she watched Cloudchaser stretch as she got off the couch she was laying on. Well, to be precise, it was rather a bench of sorts; zebrafolk didn't care much about comfort. She rubbed her temples to clear away the remnants of her dream.

"Where. Am. I?" the pegasus insisted with withheld anger. The cream-coloured mare gave her a comforting look.

"We're at Zecora's. I told you, relax. Nothing will happen here."

"Yeah, since the worst already happened." Cloudchaser intoned sarcastically. "At least my dignity's intact. Oh wait, no, I seem to have lost it in a basement with my virginity. What could possibly happen that would worsen the situation?!" she shouted. She sat back on the couch with such force it gave off an audible crack.

Bon Bon trotted up to her bed, and sat on it's edge on her haunches; not unlike the way her sister usually posed. She tried to pat the pegasus' shoulder, but she shied away.

"I'm sorry."

The purplish grey mare was thrown off by the random apology.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry." Bon Bon continued. "If only I had been checking that bastard out first, I could have saved all of you. Instead of doing that, I wasted a whole week until I finally found you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Cloudchaser avoided her gaze.

"It's not your fault." she muttered. "Hay, if you were with us, you'd probably have gotten captured, too. I owe you my life."

"At what cost?" came the bitter question. "Friend, family, and purity." she continued. "I was stupid. Donning a costume does not make me a hero."

"You're right." the pegasus agreed. "The costume didn't make you a hero. Your actions made you a hero."

"I could only save you, and nearly got killed myself." Bon Bon argued.

"Yes, but if you didn't come... I'd be dead, or worse. A hero tries, Bon Bon. A hero makes mistakes. At the end of the day, the results are important, but effort is needed, too. I'm still glad for all you've done for me."

The earth pony gave her a wry grin.

"You're pretty philosophical for somepony who was sleeping for a week."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Cloudchaser sat up so fast Bon Bon felt her own spine creak.

"Oops. Guess I should have mentioned that first. You were out of it for quite a long time. Eight days have passed since I brought you here."

Cloudchaser stared in front of herself silently.

"Eight days?" she asked finally. "You took care of me then, I presume?"

Bon Bon nodded.

"Yes. We took turns with Zecora to feed you. Also, to change the sheets."

The pegasus looked away in embarassment.

"Great. Just like a foal soiling herself. Could it get any lower?"

"You could've gotten pregnant." the earth pony suggested in a serious tone. Cloudchaser gave her a stern look.

"That was a really bad joke." To her surprise, Bon Bon's face only darkened.

"It wasn't a joke. The whole situation could have worsened with you bearing his foal."

The pegasus shivered.

"Don't you ever think of positive things?"

"Did ages ago. Big fat lot of good it did me. But enough about me. How do you feel?"

"Nauseous, weak, and hateful." came the reply. Bon Bon nodded.

"That is to be expected. You were undernourished, and possibly caught some disease when you were down there. Hate is also normal in your case."

"I hate all stallions."

"Okay, that might be a little over-the-top, but you did suffer through a lot."

"Stop comforting me. It won't bring my sister back." the pegasus grunted.

"You seem to have forgotten that I lost Lyra, too." the cream coloured mare said with sudden coldness. The pegasus recoiled a bit.

"...Sorry. But seriously, let's stop talking about this... this shit. Tell me about something else."

"Hm. Apparently, Fancypants was broken out from his mansion, and disappeared from Canterlot. I think I heard rumours about Soarin' dying, and Big Mac seems to have gone industrial."

"Wh-what?! I'm out of it for a week, and a crapstorm breaks loose? Explain. Now!"

"I'd better start at the beginning. You see, on the day I was supposed to meet you..."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Day after day I gaze upon the stars, only to find that I am still alone. What I did to make this country a better place now amounts to nothing. My greatest fears have come to pass, and yet, it is still not over. The shadows of the past haunt me to no end.

I am afraid.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Steps echoed in the ruins of the once mighty castle. Talon screeched upon stone, leaving no doubt of the infiltrator's identity. A lone griffon strode, eyeing her surroundings carefully. In the distance, a faint sound could be heard. It was like torture to her; a sign of impending doom. She chose sides—and she lost.

Dashing headway to the collapsed throne room, she frantically searched for some kind of cover. None were. Getting desperate, she stopped glancing back—only to feel a sharp pain in her wing. Crying, she fell to the ground, cradling her arrow-pierced wing. A tall figure entered her restricted view, followed by two armed griffon soldiers. Decorated with the highest of Gridax's medallions, the High General of the Griffon Kingdom stood before her. Powerful, cunning, and merciless—his prowess was well known and feared far and wide.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A coward? No, you have guts, I have to admit. A deserter? No, a deserter seeks their own benefit. A traitor? Yes, it fits you quite well. What reason did you have for betraying our glorious nation?"

The griffon spat.

"Go to hell, featherbrain. I don't answer to you."

The general smiled.

"I was simply curious. If you do not wish to talk, so be it. Well now, it is my duty to mete out punishment to you. I accuse you of revealing the entry point of our army into Equestria. I accuse you of giving information to the white abomination who controlled this wretched country about the exact time of our entry. I accuse you of causing many of our soldiers to die. I hereby sentence you to death, Gilda Stoutfeather. Any last words?"

Gilda raised her head, and looked at the general with shame.

"Fuck you."

"I am afraid not."

Without hesitation, the general lunged at her throat, tearing it apart with a single swipe. He watched as the life slowly drained from her eyes, then wiped his claw on a ragged remains of a carpet.

"Lieutant, gather our forces. We will begin the annexiation of Equestria right now."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Aw, cripes, not again." Rainbow muttered as her consciousness slowly returned to her. She was getting used to the strange dreams she was having, but that didn't make them any less straining—or creepy, for that matter.

She shook her head. This was another clue to the future—she just needs to discuss it with the others, as soon as they woke up. Speaking of the others, they showed no intent on doing anything, but sleep at this hour. Indeed, the moon was up high, and even its princess resting. Rainbow smiled inwardly. They never agreed to anything, yet when they made campfire, there had been an unnoticed pattern taking form. Whereever she sat, Trixie would follow, taking the place beside her. Luna would position herself near Trixie, and Soarin would also linger around Rainbow. Not that she had a problem with that.

Shining and Vinyl, on the other hoof, just picked whatever place seemed fine to them. Rainbow couldn't help, but feel that they were trying to distance themselves. To what end, she didn't comprehend. Fancypants... well, any place seemed fine by him.

The cold autumn air made her shiver. They did make a campfire, but not a single ember was glowing in it's cold ashes. Rainbow fetched her blanket that somehow ended up a good meter away, and draped it around herself. Waiting or not, she was starting to get bored. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk about this in the morning.

_________________________________________________________________________________

She stood in the middle of Ponyville. The streets were empty; the usually bustling main street was nothing more than a fading memory. Every single building was abandoned, and gnawed by the iron tooth of time. Loneliness struck her like never before.

Her hoofsteps echoed through the ghost village. Clop, clop, clop. She wanted to run, to scream, but even the sound of her own steps scared her. They were like the echoes of something else; something reeking of death and misery.

She steeled herself as she continued down the street. Somehow, she felt that she would meet her friends if she pressed further. Every step was like a torment, every echo like a bell tolling for the dead. At long last, she arrived to the town square.

Where once stands were erected, only splinters remained; nothing of value, but dust. Even the cobblestones were cracked, the rubble strewn out erratic; as if somepony bumped into them several times.

Suddenly, the dark sky flashed. For a moment, she saw nothing, but a great white light; but when it cleared up, the five ponies most important to her stood in the square.

"Girls!" she cried with happiness. After her lonely trek, their sight was like balsam to her soul.

"Howdy, partner!" Applejack greeted her, nodding slightly.

"Darling!" Rarity shouted, posing as elegant as ever.

"This is fun!" Pinkie remarked, sporting a huge grin.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy whispered softly.

"Awesome!" Rainbow added, flapping her wings a little.

"You wouldn't believe how happy I am to see you!" Twilight said with the weight disappearing from her shoulders, "I thought I was all alone!"

"Darling!" Rarity shouted. The lavender unicorn looked at her with confusion.

"Yes, Rarity?"

"Darling!" she repeated. Twilight was starting to get a little nervous.

"Okay, this isn't funny."

"Howdy, partner!"

"Applejack? What's going on?"

"Awesome!"

Twilight's gaze jumped around her friends. They somehow gotten closer, but stood in the same posture as previously. The unicorn started to feel herself threatened.

"P-please stop this!"

"This is fun!" Pinkie exclaimed, her grin becoming less cheerful and more beast-like.

"No! No! I-I don't want this!"

"Howdy, partner?" Applejack said, nodding a little. A white, faceless unicorn appeared behind her. The shade was carrying a dagger in it's magical grip. Twilight tried to scream, but no words came from her mouth. She tried to jump, to use her magic, but her body didn't obey. She could only watch as the dagger struck once, twice, thrice... then Applejack collapsed.

"How...dy...par....." was all she could utter before the light disappeared from her eyes.

"NO!" she cried, her voice returning to her. She ran to her friend, but she no longer moved. All that was left was a lifeless husk of a pony. Twilight collapsed on the ground, crying, but an unknown force turned her head to Fluttershy.

A strange, blue wall of light closed in on the butter-yellow pony. Once again, the unicorn could not move or shout, but watch helplessly. The wall touchet the edge of Fluttershy's pink tail. At that instant, she began to burn, her body evaporated by the strange wall.

"Oh my..."

The light just kept advancing. It reached Fluttershy's torso, igniting fur and skin, then vaporising flesh, bone, and innards.

"Oh my..."

The lack of reaction was worse if she screamed. Seeing her being unmade by that mysterious energy was downright disturbing. The light sped up. In a moment, where Fluttershy once stood, only a charred spot remained.

"O...h....m........"

"Make it stop!" the unicorn yelled. She desperately tried to run away, but she couldn't. Pinkie stepped forward. Her grin was so huge that it nearly filled her features.

"This is fun!"

She raised her hoof... and suddenly, she bit into it. She spat out the bloody chunk... only to tear another piece of flesh from herself.

"This is fun!" she exclaimed again. Twilight watched in horror as the pink party pony systematically tore herself apart with her own teeth, until nothing but her insanely grinning head and bloody chunks remained.

"This...is...f........"

"No...Nohohohooo..."

Twilight was openly crying now. She lowered her gaze to the ground, wishing to avoid the disturbing imagery. She felt something pull her chin upwards, and she was suddenly facing Rarity. The pristine white unicorn was looking in her eyes.

"Darling!"

In a second, the whiteness disappeared. All of her fur fell off, leaving behind only the bare skin.

"Darling!"

Her flesh seemed to have begun to melt; it traced away from her bones in little pink streams, greedily drank by the cold earth below.

"Darling!"

Only a skeleton stood before Twilight, a skeleton of a once beautiful pony. Opening it's jaws, it let out a blood-curdling holler.

"Dar—ling!"

Small cracks began to appear all over her bones, growing larger, and larger, until nothing but very fine dust remained.

"Dar...li..." the wind whispered.

Twilight was devastated. The gruesome deaths of whom she held dear could have turned a lesser pony insane. Only one remained; the ever-loyal Rainbow Dash.

"Awesome!" she remarked. The unicorn stared at her with a feeling of uselessness. She knew what would come.

Dark shades emerged from the ground, twisting into shapes of ponies. Suddenly, the pegasus was surrounded by them, each grabbing her; their faceless visage betraying no emotions.

"Awesome!" Rainbow remarked. The shadows began to pull. With a sickening sound, Rainbow's flesh tore, the mob quickly claiming her front legs.

'Awesome!"

One by one, the merciless spectres ripped her limbs off. Not a scream of pain, nor any acknowledgement. Her last friend gave off such indifference as the others did. The shadows disappeared, taking away their bloody prize. Only Rainbow's head remained, slowly rolling in front of Twilight. Her expression has changed. Instead of joy, she radiated anger, and hostility, her eyes finally finding the unicorn's.

"Traitor." the head whispered. Twilight couldn't take it anymore.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Twilight awoke, panting and heavy with sweat. It took her several minutes to fully comprehend her surroundings; her mind was still stirred from her recent nightmare. Shivering, she threw off her blanket, and wobbled onto her hooves. Her rational side dismissed this as a simple nightmare, but she still couldn't find peace.

Friends... did she have friends anymore? Two she hadn't spoken with, one drifting away, one lost to the darkness, and one betrayed. She had no excuse. She should've been the force to keep her friends together... yet instead of doing that, she outright betrayed her.

Shaking her head, she rose to her hooves. Against a nightmare, a cup of milk is the best, as her mother used to say. She stumbled through the unfamiliar apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights. After she was called by the Princess, she moved in here; not too far from the castle, yet not fancy enough to attract the wrong type of attention. She considered visiting her mother, but she would only be devastated if she saw her daughter now; her husband taken away, her son a fugitive. Twilight was never good with social situations; she didn't know what she could tell Velvet to make her feel better.

Because, blue ponies are evil, right? The book said so. The book...

When she first read that... that abomination, she couldn't sleep for days. The very thought of it's message churned her stomach, and she refused to eat until she could finally overcome the feeling. She dismissed it as superstition, at first.

But she wouldn't be Twilight Sparkle if she didn't look at both sides of an argument. Sure, it seemed stupid, it seemed illogical... yet there isn't a single pony outside Azure City who would doubt the truth of the book. What's the truth? All of her life, she believed in the written word. The theory would be solid, if only for one weak point.

Princess Celestia.

If every single pony with blue fur or mane is evil, then the Princess herself would be surely evil, right? At least that is what the book seemed to suggest... to those who didn't read it carefully enough. In truth, the book never explicitly stated that the white alicorn would be evil, only for blue ponies. One could argue: 'But she has blue in her mane!'. One would be wrong.

Twilight knew something about the Princess that not many knew; her mane was once pure pink. By her explanation, it only turned colourful when she achieved princesshood. She wasn't too generous with details, but Twilight knew one thing: this means that she is not evil, not even by the book's standards.

Right?

Doubts. Doubts everywhere. If only she could have a peace of mind, if only she could be sure she is doing the right thing...

If only...

A loud knock interrupted her thoughts. Completely thrown off track, she opened her door without hesitation. Outside, a stallion stood, clad in the armour of the Night Guard. An earth pony, to boot. over his shoulder, several more guards, and a very self-satisfied green puff known as Open Book could be seen. She unconsciously took a step back.

"What is the meaning of this? It's the middle of the night, for pony's sake!"

"I am terribly sorry, Ma'am." the stallion said in an apologetic tone. "I am afraid I must take you into custody."

What? Has her research been compromised? She glanced to the back of her room. After her brother escaped, she began working on a new spell; a spell that would surely stop the true enemy. There was only one problem with it; the Princess might have found it too... dangerous? Unethical? Desperate times call for desperate measures, or so they say. And now, the desperate measures will see daylight.

"On what grounds, if I might ask?" she questioned them with the remains of her wit.

"Grand larceny."

Her body immediately felt calmer. Her plan was not exposed. For the sake of Equestria, it would be better if it remained that way, if only temporarily. Still, larceny? Now she understood the grin that Book sported. This is just some roundabout way of him gaining power, right?

Well, she won't let him have his way.

"Lead the way, guard. I'm sure we can clear this misunderstanding up quick."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Pinkie Pie trotted down a dark corridor. Featureless, narrow, and oppressing, the end of it disappearing into the distance. She was unsure why she was heading forward, but still continued on.

After a good ten minutes, the wall on her left became transparent. She stopped, glancing curiously at the unfolding scene. Two ponies stood in a circle of faceless shadows, probably ponies, but without any distinguishing features. The larger pony laughed at the other, pushing him into the mud, and mocking him with meaningless words. Not a single one of the crowd came to the help of the bullied.

Pinkie turned away, continuing down the corridor. Soon, another part of the wall became transparent, and she stopped again to observe. A weak pony was hanging from a cliff, close to falling down. Nopony else in sight, his frightened cries unheard. With a terrible scream, he fell down, and the wall went dark again.

The pink party pony simply returned to her meaningless trek. After what felt like an eternity, she arrived at the end of the long corridor. A single, wooden door was all that was between her and her dream destination. She opened it without hesitation, only to find herself in Sugarcube Corner.

"Look at the wench! So pathetic!" a voice mockingly stated. Pinkie recognised him as the one threatening her on that fateful night... but something was amiss. The five goons were unhurt, and she saw her own body on the ground, battered, bruised, and bloody—

Pinkie laughed. The scene suddenly froze, colours flowing out from their places, creating a blur instead.

"Nice try, brain, but I know that's not how it's supposed to go. Heroes still exist."

The colours intensified, reducing the whole world to a blinding flash.

And Pinkie Pie woke up.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Despite immediately knowing that she dreamt, her body needed a few seconds to stop shaking. Curiously, it was not from anything psychological, but a chilly wind blowing from an open window. She slowly rose, making sure not to wake the pony sleeping beside her.

Since she was already up, she glanced out the window. Moving here was a bliss. Instead of gloomy ponies, the calmness of the orchards welcomed her tired gaze. Sure, her talent was throwing parties, and making ponies smile, but a talk with Mac convinced her she found what she should do for the time being.

The party pony smiled. His gesture was heartwarming, and as for Mr. Cake, a huge load was off his shoulders. He helped out in the farm, and with sales, and in return, the Apples provided him with safe housing. The twins were safe here, and missed their mother less with all the commotion around. Because there was a commotion everyday nowadays.

Ponyville has changed somewhat quickly in the last week. Among the most drastic changes was Mac returning to farming—since the death of his sister, he'd only been known as the town drunkard. Now he returns with a goal, and completely sober—Ponyville was taken aback. In just a week, he and Braeburn had organised the town's farmers into a sort of union. Each and every pony helped out with the others' orchards, giving the whole town a steady supply of reasonably-priced vegetables and fruits. It sounded a very unbelieveable feat, but Pinkie kept in mind that most farms suffered from a sudden lack of ponypower, and already had most of their crops ripe for the picking. Mac and Braeburn merely provided a calm point in a sea of distrust and panic, prompting everypony to start listening to them. And since both were smarter than they took them for, they quickly became the de facto leaders of all these ponies.

Not that it was a bad thing. They organised a farm patrol, which kept watch during the night on everypony's fields, and hired somepony to take care of their combined finances. Pinkie heard them call the gathering of the farmers a 'trust', which was good, because it meant they trusted Mac. Or so she thought.

She yawned. Between looking after the twins, and helping around the house, even her endless supply of energy ran low. She moved back to the bed, under the covers, and cuddled up to Mac.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, it was getting old real fast. Rainbow was bored out of her mind, something she couldn't really say about herself since... that day. An hour must have passed, and nopony woke up. She was considering tickling them, or something, but then she dropped the idea. It was bad enough that she couldn't sleep, she shouldn't disturb the others because of that. Sure, Shining was military, so he would be used to erratic awake periods, Trixie performed her shows usually at night, and Luna was essentially night-lifestyle personalised... but still, she refused to wake them. The stallion was still in mourning, it wouldn't be nice to give him more time to blame himself for his loss. Trixie is still injured, and despite her claims to the contrary, if it wasn't for Luna, she'd need treatment in a hospital. Without blinking too hard, not to mention brisk trotting. Luna... well, she has adapted to a 'normal' cycle, awake in the day, sleeping during the night... and Rainbow was smart enough not to make the single most powerful entity on her side tired.

That left her with the others, whom she hadn't confided yet with her visions. Sure, Vinyl heard them, but she didn't really pay attention to anything she said. That leaves her alone with her doubts.

She started pacing up and down unconsciously. Sure, the princess said she would take them to safety... but they had been in this large forest for what felt like eight months. She knew with her brain that it wasn't the case... but still, doing nothing was getting on her nerves. Plan or not, she was displeased with Luna's passive suggestion about becoming the new Elements... without her giving any advice, or pushing them together. Sure, the original Elements banded together without any outside pressure (apart from Twilight being forcefully sent to Ponyville), but they didn't have as much time as... okay, they didn't really have that much time back then, but at least they didn't have to deal with life-threatening situati—wait, that's not right... Maybe the reason is—?

Suddenly, a voice from behind startled her.

"Geez, Rainbow, do you ever sleep?"

She turned around, realising she had gone a few paces afar from the others. Soarin was standing behind her, rubbing his eyes slightly. She had to admit that he looked kinda handsome with a messy mane.

The cyan mare blushed furiously. To her squadmates in the Wonderbolts, it was more or less an open secret that she liked Soarin. Thankfully, they never told this to either him, or Spitfire, who had a long, unsuccesful relationship with him. The last thing Rainbow needed was her crush alienating her from the top brass. To her luck (or not, considering they spent less time together), Soarin was practically away on missions the whole time, giving her little time to screw something up with a slip of the tongue. But here they stood now, partners in a crime they committed by being different; with nopony to berate her for acting unprofessional, nopony to stop her from getting to know him better. The thought was both exciting and terrifying.

"Uh, hello? You kinda spaced out there."

She jumped a little, stopped in the middle of reminiscence.

"Sorry, I just..." she said, sighing. "I guess I'm overthinking things, since I can't sleep. Hence the spacing out."

The stallion drew closer.

"Hey, if you've got something troubling you, you can tell me!"

Rainbow blushed again, but she didn't back away from him. She briefly weighed the pros and cons of telling him about her newest dream, but then decided that it couldn't hurt.

"Well, you probably don't know" she started in a confidential tone, "but lately I've been seeing some very weird dreams..."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"All hail the Princess of the Night, Protector of Equestria!" the crowd cheered. Luna was smiling. The moon was shining bright, lighting the large number of ponies gathered from every race. She was standing upon a balcony of the palace, alone, but happy. Everything was simple and practical... a memory of different times.

"I thought narcissism wasn't your style." a calm voice echoed. Luna spun around, ready to fight, but she relaxed once she saw a familiar figure. To her, it was something like a slim, bipedal man with elongated ears and purplish blue skin, but Celestia once told her that she saw him as a dragon-snake hybrid, lithe green as the lush forests overseas. Who he was? Eternus, a figure shrouded in mystery.

Not even Luna knew who he was exactly. Two things were true about him, however. One, he was the one who bestowed power upon those whom later came to be known as the alicorns; two, he had passed away, and ruled Tartarus, and the afterlife. The six of them vowed to him to keep peace throughout Equestria... and he did showed up in their dreams with advice, from time to time. But if Celestia was right, he never appeared to any of them since her descent to madness. Why, of all times did he appear now?

"Eternus? Is that really you, or is this some joke?"

The figure snapped his fingers, and the palace disappeared. The green fields of eastern Equestria appeared instead, a small hamlet in sight, everything all too familiar for Luna. She noticed her horn and wings disappearing; her coat changed into simple deep blue, and her mane became silvery white. Her cutie mark did not change, however.

"What do you think, Starchild?" he asked with curiousity, rather than anger. Luna smiled, and in a brief flash, she was back to being an alicorn.

"Well, you most certainly act the part. Why did you appear to me?"

"I couldn't help but notice the sudden intake of souls recently. Perhaps there is something you wish to tell me?"

Luna sighed. She thoroughly explained the situation, starting from Trixie's framing to her own banishment. Eternus listened attentively to her story, not interrupting once. When she finished, he regarded her with a concerned gaze.

"How are you holding together, child?" he asked in a worried tone. Luna waved away his (and her own) concerns.

"If you mayhap refer to my last... madness, I can assure you, I am in control of my mind. This time it is not general contempt I face, but a vile manipulator, who tries to turn the masses against me. I have the moral high ground—that at least gives me some strength."

"What about the murders?"

"I had no idea a pony so depraved existed, so twisted and ruthless. I will do anything in my power to stop them... but their identity eludes me."

"Still, you somehow came to the conclusion that the culprit is a pony." Eternus pointed out. Luna shrugged.

"My assertion is that if a foreign power was in work, they'd already have invaded, or tried to take over our government. Besides, the killings have stopped, is that not so?"

Eternus shook his head.

"The murders may have stopped, but other problems have arisen. Based on morphic resonance, I believe many starved to death. That is over, too, but they definitely died after your banishment."

"Morphic resonance?"

"When a pony dies, they retain the state in which they died in before until they realise bodily form is nonexistent in the afterlife. Judging by certain signs, I concluded that many died of starvation."

Luna considered this. To her, the afterlife was an unknown, but logical connections she could make.

"Let us think about that for a moment. My sister had gathered all of our blue coloured subjects in Azure City. Conversely, many of them were farmers, weather workers, and transportation specialists. It is not too far-fetched to imagine locking away a good portion of our population would elicit hunger, and consecutively, starvation. Either the nation adapted, or my sister intervened with emergency supplies. Either way, I must trust her to keep the nation together until we find the killer."

"We?" Eternus frowned. "I can not help you with matters of the mortal realm."

"That is most unfortunate. However, I meant my companions, who escaped injustice, and may shape up to be the next Element wielders."

Eternus raised his hand, pointing one of his fingers at the moon princess.

"You do realise that betting on them being true bearers is a very high-stake gamble, don't you? "

Luna turned away, her voice slighly shaking.

"I know. If they don't turn out to be capable of being bearers, my whole plan crumbles apart. But you and I both know that Equestria's greatest defenses are the Elements themselves, and the virtues they represent. Divided we fall, united we stand."

Eternus smiled, unbeknownst to the alicorn, and placed one ghostly hand upon her back.

"I am glad to see you have learned from your mistakes. " His smile faded. "I must warn you, however, that Equestria is in serious danger. Given the course of events today, the worst may come to pass. It might be a decade, or more, but if nothing is resolved, the wendigoes will return."

"No..." Luna whispered. She felt the weight of the hand disappear from her back. When she turned, the only thing she saw was darkness.

She turned her gaze to the sky of her dream, where the stars slowly crawled back to their just places. Waiting until she calmed down, she stared at the dream-moon.

"Sister... I can only hope you can keep your sanity as well as the lives of our subjects. I cannot visit you in your dream, I can only hope my wishes reach you somehow. Be safe."

With a sudden intake of breath, she spread her wings, as the ground disappeared under her. She dove into the dream-moon, causing ripples in the fake reality, shattering the emptiness left behind.

"Nothing? Not even something you'd consider unimportant?"

"Sorry, Ma'am. Last thing I remember is a sharp pain in my body while I've kept the assailants under watch."

Trixie sighed.

"I see. Sorry for disturbing you."

The ghost saluted.

"No, Ma'am. I'm the one being sorry for not being able to help."

The ghost dissolved, leaving one grumbling unicorn.

"I take it you have complications, then?" a voice came from behind her. She didn't bother to turn around, only waved her hoof briefly towards the newcomer.

"Complications doesn't even begin to describe it. Just like that previous guy, most of the victims didn't even know what hit them. And none of them could remember anything out of the ordinary. And if that wasn't enough, you forgot to mention that some are really hard to reach, not to mention summon."

"Forgive me," the princess of the night responded calmly, "but I found it more proper to teach you the technique to communicate with and summon the dead, and have you figure out it's limitations. Otherwise, you might have disregarded it in favour of other spells you might've considered more practical. This is the only spell capable of revealing the truth, however."

Trixie waved again, with slightly more force.

"Yeah, yeah, significant life lesson learned. Because we need that right now."

Luna sighed.

"Trixie, I am trying not to concentrate only on the present. Withholding this information held you back for no more than a few days until you figured it out, but it might have helped you learn patience. Patience that later will be crucial."

Trixie snorted.

"Crucial in what? Patiently waiting for my own demise when I'm inevitably captured? There's an individual out there that will stop at nothing to erase us, because we're the only obstacles to his or her finely crafted plan! What point is there wasting out time—"

"It is not a waste!" Luna shouted. "I have already told you, you need to become the new Elements if we want to have any chance at this!" She stopped Trixie, who was about to talk. "No, you are not at all ready! Rainbow Dash is hurt from her friends' cold demeanor, Vinyl Scratch is trying to forget the incident that changed her life rather than face it, Fancypants is still shaken from his sudden divorce, Shining Armor watched his family fall apart, and to top it off, you, who is supposed to be the Element of Magic, bearer of friendship, can not bring herself to be honest with us, the very ones that want the best for you!"

"N-not true!" Trixie protested weakly. "If I hadn't interrogated these ponies the last week I'd have never—"

"YOU WHAT?!"

The princess of the night was enraged. She fumed black smoke, her mane started to glow purple, and her voice deepened.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT YOU NEEDED REST TO HEAL COMPLETELY! BUT NO, YOU HAVE TO KNOW BETTER, AND DRAIN YOUR OWN ENERGY PLAYING DETECTIVE EVERY NIGHT! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?"

Trixie looked up at her defiantly, her voice slightly quivering.

"I did it because I can not do anything else to repay all the kindness I've received from these ponies, but to stir up the past; their past, so they won't have to. I did it because otherwise I would just be dead weight that drags this group down! I've spent years being useless, now that I have a chance to change things, I will not hesitate to do so! I don't want them to suffer anymore... I..." She broke out in tears, her voice faltering. Luna returned to her usual self, imposing, but unthreatening.

"Trixie... Have you not thought about their stance on this? Do you think they only care about you because chance forced you together? No. They care about you, the real you, with all your mistakes. And if one thing is sure, it's that we don't want to see you destroying yourself like this."

Luna stepped closer, lightly nuzzling the disheartened unicorn. Slowly, tears began to trickle from her eyes, too.

"There hadn't been a single day that I wouldn't have missed my sister, or the time we've spent together. I am sure the others miss their own someponies, too."

She sat down besides the ex-showmare, and lit up her horn. A small meadow came to life around them, overlooked by the starry night sky.

"I know it might seem we do not care," she continued, "but the others believe in me, Trixie, and I believe in my sister. If we didn't do that, we might as well lose all hope, because... we cannot do it alone. We might find this killer, but if my sister and her advisors can't keep this country together, it is all for naught anyway. If I followed my heart, I would've joined my sister to figure out... something." Luna sighed. "But I listened to my mind, and my mind told me that by doing that, I'd only weaken my sister's authority, and might trigger a revolt, or potentially, a coup. So I took this gamble and hid... and now I believe we must find the culprit while my sister rules the country, and protects it from harm. Yet I do not believe hastiness would bring us much good. You see, I have spoken with Eternus."

"Whom?"

"Eternus. He was... a being most powerful, an individual that could've been considered a god. But one day, he bestowed his grace upon six of us... six ponies, who were granted incredible power, to watch over Equestria, and help it's people. My sister and I were the de facto rulers, while the others wandered around the world, helping whereever they could. Eternus had passed away, becoming the ruler of the afterlife, and the first one to seize control of Tartarus. Unspeakable evils are held at bay by him there... the price of their submission was his life. Nevertheless, he appeared to me tonight, and claimed that the murders seemed to have stopped. That is why I urge you to get better, so that we can face this conundrum together, at our finest. Please."

Trixie pawed at the ground.

"I... I trust you. I'll stop doing this for a while. But I think we both realise that we can't hide forever in the woods."

"Worry not, Trixie. We shall soon arrive to our destination: the hive in which the changeling queen resides. I can only hope she cooperates."

""How did you know where she was, anyway?" asked the showmare, desperate to change topic. Luna smiled.

"Equestria's spy service might be poorly trained, and few in members, but in no ways is it nonexistent. After her... invasion, I've assigned assigned all of our available spies to find out where she was, and if she was alive. Since then, I've had agents keep a constant watch on her; therefore, I know her current position."

"Wait, wasn't there something in the newspapers about a 'Changeling Containment Force?' If they knew where they were, wouldn't they spend all effort to eradicate them?"

"I do not know. The only explanation I can give you is that my sister withheld the information. Perhaps she seeks to curb the threat; to eliminate only those who would actively threaten our people. Trying to offer a chance for the changeling people to retreat, and call for a truce."

"That seems uncharacteristically naive."

"I do not believe a bloody crusade would increase either the disposition, or the common wealth of the country. We..." She paused, listening inwardly. "I think I can hear our companions talking. Maybe we should wake up, just in case." She smiled at the unicorn. "Remember what we talked about. Loneliness is not the answer."

The moon princess' dream form dissipated, leaving Trixie alone once more. She looked up to the fading sky bitterly.

"So is that it? I'm isolating myself? Seems like my past won't let me go; that's why I can't trust anypony, that's why I was reluctant to offer my idea to our next destination, and more importantly, I'm still too haughty, by the looks of it. Who am I kidding? I'm no detective or genius; while I admit that I played the fool earlier, my intellect is not enough. This killer outclasses everything I ever faced before, and I feel afraid. Afraid of being chased, afraid of being mocked, afraid of being left alone. Why am I so pathetic? Why can't I accept your help? Why can't I show that I actually care? And why, oh why couldn't I tell this to you? Why am I too cowardly to face my own feelings, even inside my own mind?"

She hung her head, and took a deep breath.

"Even so, I will endure. I will help you set things right. Even if my parents were wrong about the reason, I'll stay with you, until the end."

She smiled sadly.

"This'd probably have more effect, if I actually told it to you." She shook her head. "Now let's see what this fuss is all about."

____________________________________________________________________________________

She raised her hoof, and knocked on Spitfire's door.

"Come in!"

She entered, if somewhat sheepishly, and gulped. Spitfire was staring at her like she was an annoyance she wished to be rid of.

"We've been down in Ponyville, and there was—"

Spitfire waved dismissively.

"Yes, yes, I know. There was this rude fellow, a cream-coloured earth pony, blah, blah. Let me tell you something; I hired him to harass you. I was curious of your reaction. Now, I don't know what you did, but you can rest assured that I'll—"

"That's not the problem!" Dust burst out. "We... We found something terrible."

"Details."

"We were just finished with investigating the crime scene, when we got a report that there was another corpse. We headed there to check it out, and... well..."

Her voice trailed off, causing Spitfire to raise hers angrily.

"Well? What did you find?"

Dust had to force the words out of her mouth.

"We... we found...S-Soarin."

The captain's glare became the iciest Dust'd ever seen.

"Are you joking? This isn't the time to—"

"I'm not!" Dust cried, cutting her superior off again. "He's dead! We found his corpse, and the coroner identified him! I'm not joking!"

Spitfire seemed to have lost her strength.

"How...?" was all she could ask.

"A... A manticore."

For a moment, neither moved, nor spoke. Then, Spitfire slammed her desk.

"Out! OUT!"

Dust, happy to leave the room, practically flew outside, and slammed the door shut. Once outside, she leaned against it, and took a deep breath.

Then, she heard sobbing from inside.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Lightning Dust opened her eyes. She sat up groggily, cursing under her breath.

" 'Twas enough to go through that once..."

She stayed like that for a few minutes. Hearing the sound of her squadmates' breathing calmed her down. She rose to her hooves, and looked out the window. The moon lit up the Wonderbolt Academy, painting it in a beautiful silvery tone. It took Dust quite some time to notice that there was light coming from a window. Spitfire's window, to be exact.

What is she doing at this time of the night? she wondered inwardly. She felt somepony approach her.

"Dust? Why are you awake?" Raindrops asked, suppressing a yawn. The teal pegasus turned and smiled on her.

"Don't worry, I just can't sleep. You should, however."

She passed the jasmine mare, heading for the door.

"I'm getting some fresh air." she whispered.

Once outside, she glanced up to Spitfire's office again. Something was off. The captain never stayed up late; not even on night shifts. The teal pegasus hurried to the building. Somehow, the lack of security started to bother her. She didn't know why she felt so worried suddenly, but she doubled her pace nonetheless. The office building was unlit and silent, but she knew the layout well enough to swiftly progress through the corridors. She finally arrived to a half-open door, with light seeping through the gap. She went in, not even bothering to knock. To her surprise, Spitfire was staring at her, unmoving. Her pupils were like pinpricks, and something about her just seemed off. Dust carefully edged closer, with the captain's eyes following her thhe whole time.

Once she saw her table from a different angle, she nearly gasped in surprise. Pills of every size and shape literally flooded the desk, with a few needles thrown in for good measure.

"What...?" was all she could manage. The flame-maned pegasus' mouth contorted into a grin that was painful to look at.

" 'Sup, Lightning? Came to party?"

"What...what the heck is all this stuff?"

Spitfire glaced at the desk.

"Oh this? Just some stuff I'm trying out to keep me warm and happy."

Dust stared at the various pills. Some she recognised as performance-enhancing drugs; she'd met and beaten quite a few athletes using them. There were some remedies for common sicknesses: cold, headaches, and the like. There was even a bottle of medication for erectile disfunction. She nearly missed a small pile of white powder. Looking at it, she found it suspiciously similar to the contraband drug stored in the safehouses of the academy. This stuff was supposed to be destroyed last week!

"Spitfire..." she asked with a trembling voice, "what exactly did you take?"

The yellow pegasus waved dismissively.

"Everything. What does it matter? You scum only want my place anyway! Don't feign interest!"

She spat at her dumbfounded vice-captain. Not fire, but still, Dust felt her cheeks burn.

"I never wanted to be a leader like this!" Dust retorted with rising anger. "Hell, I didn't even want to become vice-captain at the cost of Soarin's d—uuuurgh!"

She was completely taken by surprise when Spitfire suddenly punched her in the gut. Smashing her aside, Spitfire started shouting.

"I'll show you! I'LL SHOW YOU MY GREATNESS!"

She darted off outside, leaving a heavily breathing mint pegasus inside. They never had a competition, so Dust didn't know about her physical abilities. Now she learned that the captain punches like a jackhammer. Bigger problem is that she seemed to went insane, and Dust was feeling a bit mowed down. She somehow got on her hooves, and staggered down the stairs. Once outside, she immediately knew where Spitfire was. The Advanced Orientation Training Device (or the Dizzy-Tron) was lit up like a hearth's warming tree, already spinning. Spitfire was in the middle, spinning around like a madmare. Dust caught sight of the strap; it was the only thing holding Spitfire on course, but she barely hung on to it with one hoof.

Before Lightning Dust could reach the machinery, Spitfire threw something at the release lever. To the young pegasus' horror, the captain crashed headfirst into the ground, tearing up the ground for a good ten meters, or so. A part of her brain noted that sompony was running towards them. Her body, on the other hoof, moved towards the unmoving Spitfire.

The captain looked horrible. She was bleeding from places Dust didn't even know to have blood in them. Dust's brain threatened to shut down as she cradled the downed victim.

A loud clang signified that the incoming pony dropped something in surprise. Two more seconds, and she entered Dust's sight. It was Raindrops.

"What in the blazes...?" she began, but Dust stopped her.

"No time to talk! Get the medic! NOW!"

______________________________________________________________________________________

Luna opened her eyes. Everypony else was awake, save for Trixie and Fancypants, engaged in conversation. Shortly thereafter, the ex-showmare woke with a jaw-breaking yawn.

"So, remind me again, why aren't you all sleeping so we can proceed during the day?"

"Eh, it was kinda me." Rainbow volunteered. "I woke up, then Soarin woke up, and I started explaining my dreams to him, then Vinyl woke up, and fell on Shining, so he got up too."

Meanwhile, Luna stepped beside Fancypants, and shook him gingerly. The stallion looked up, first in a daze, then alert. The moon princess made a calming gesture.

"Be at ease, my little pony. We are not in danger, but I suspect there is a story to be told." She looked at Rainbow Dash meaningfully. The pegasus nodded.

"Yeah, I saw a dream again."

Rainbow shared her experience with the others; everypony was listening intently, for an invasion was something they could barely fathom. Equestria was peaceful in their lifetimes, except for the changeling invasion; that let them horrified upon the thought of an invading army. The princess of the night was calm, however.

"I think we can conclude two things from your summary: the griffons lose a lot of their forces, and their next leader only strikes if the opportunity is right."

"Why would they suffer great casualties? I don't see anything to indicate that in this story." Shining voiced his objection. Luna simply shook her head.

"That is because you are not familiar with griffon customs, Shining Armor. If a high-ranking griffon acts outside of a battle, he usually has about twenty or so soldiers accompanying him, as protocol dictates. The griffons upheld these traditions even when their forces were decimated in the Giraffean wars three thousand years ago. Pride wouldn't let them bring only two guards... only if they had no troops to spare." She shook her head again. "From your dream I can deduce that my sister will be informed—and that is enough for me. She kept peace for a thousand years... she would not back off from a fight."

"Then what?" asked Trixie. The others had unsure looks on their faces.

"Our goal has not changed. I suggest we continue onward to the hidden hive. Once there, we will seek shelter, and make certain that Chrysalis had nothing to do with this... atrocity. If she had... may Eternus have mercy on her."

___________________________________________________________________________________

A few hours later, Princess Celestia was adhering to her royal duties. A thousand years' worth of experience made the process very fast—faster than Luna would do it, actually. For Celestia, the moon was only another reminder of her failure, so she was eager to get rid of it every day. The sun princess strode to her throne and sat down.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let herself be lost in her memories. Because of that, she was startled when a group of ponies burst into the throne room, led by none other than Open Book. Celestia started to think that she should make use of the nobility, send them to the army. After all, there is always a high demand for live-fire targets.

"Your Majesty, I bring dire news!" the stallion cried, unaware of the princess' silent loathing. "It seems there have been an incident."

"This is not the first time you bring dire news, Open Book. It's the third, in fact. I'm starting to think you enjoy seeing me disappointed."

The stallion looked at her with confusion; Golden Coin took the opportunity, and swoop in with his agenda.

"Mylady, we have found the captain of the Wonderbolts unable to perform her duty. Therefore I propose that my son—"

"What exactly happened?" the princess asked, cutting him off. The nobles stepped aside, revealing the vice-captain... Lightning Dust was her name, if Celestia could recall.

"Your Highness, I've found Spitfire in her office, seriously overdosed on drugs from the secure deposit, and possibly alcohol. I tried to stop her, but she knocked me down, and started up the... a flight simulating machine. She... crashed into the ground—"

"A likely story!" Coin huffed. "About my son..."

"Excuse me, Golden Coin, but I would like to hear what the new Captain of the Wonderbolts has to say." Celestia's expression was unreadable. The earth pony councilor's spoke lengths.

"Your Highness, you cannot possibly hear out this—"

"—Law-abiding mint-green pegasus?" The alicorn's voice could've frozen a volcano. "I think you need to get your eyes examined; you might've gone colourblind."

Coin's eye began to twitch. Book's reaction was no better, he clearly expected things to work out differently. He tried a last-minute attempt to steer the conversation's flow.

"Your Highness, all circumstances aside, this pegasus could've tried to eliminate Captain Spitfire. After all, the captain's position is a very good motive for attempted murder."

Celestia shook her head.

"Your conjunctions are really pleasant to listen to, Book, "she snorted, bemused, "but there is one tiny little detail you forget to take account of: I personally made sure to keep only one key in the possession of the Captain when I allowed the construction of that depot. Unless, of course, if you suggest that she forced the captain to open the depot, then drugged her, and slammed her to the ground by herself...?"

"I...If I may..." Dust interjected. "I only woke up a few minutes prior to the incident, and a pegasus saw me walk out the door of my lodgings."

"There. I consider this case closed, gentlecolts. Now, was there something else?"

The nobles bowed to the weight of their ruler's gaze; one by one they left the throne room, until only Dust remained. Celestia trotted back to her throne, and sat down with a sigh.

"How is Captain Spitfire holding up?" she asked the nervous pegasus.

"She suffered quite a few injuries, Your Majesty. Our medic said that if he wasn't so close, she could've died." The mint pegasus frowned. "Not that she's much better off. Currently, she is in a coma."

"Do you have any idea why she took those illegal substances?"

Dust hesitated.

"I...I have no direct proof, but I think she was upset over Soarin's death... And... I guess this was the end of her endurance."

Celestia tapped her chin.

"Strange. I remember them parting ways a few years ago, with the mutual agreement that they'll never enter a relationship again."

"How the hay do you know that?!" Dust blurted out before she could think. Seeing the alicorn's brow furrow, she immediately corrected herself. "... Your Majesty."

Instead of answering, the princess seemed to measure her with a piercing stare. When she finally spoke, the question was met with a question.

"What do you think the Wonderbolts is, Captain Lightning Dust?"

Taken off guard, the pegasus cocked her head in confusion.

"Uh... the gathering of the best air performers?"

Celestia slowly shook her head.

"No, Lightning Dust. The Wonderbolts is Equestria's air force. That is why I keep the current leader under surveillance; the group needs to be ready for any mission I assign them to. Make no mistake; although it is not strictly part of the military, the Wonderbolts are one of Equestria's assets in any war. With that in mind, I expect you to uphold order, and train the pegasi under your command properly. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear, Ma'am. Who shall be the new temporary Vice-Captain?"

"Choosing him or her is your responsibility, Lighning Dust. I have no preferences; if you believe Golden Coin's son would be the best choice, appoint him. If somepony else fits better, appoint them. I require results, not complete control over the whole process."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

Celestia nodded.

"Good. Now head back to your stations. I believe the situation is quite chaotic back at the Academy; the sooner you restore order, the better."

Dust saluted, then left the throne room in a hurry. Celestia was left alone with her thoughts. For the millionth time in the last month, she wished there was somepony to confide in. Somepony to keep the loneliness away. There wasn't. She bitterly contemplated the fact that since she appointed Twilight Sparkle as Assistant Chancellor; since then, they didn't have a conversation outside political matters. True, her student eased a lot of her burdens; but Celestia couldn't help but feel like she's alienating the mare she looked at as a daughter. Court matters leave the most optimistic of ponies bitter and jaded; what would they leave Twilight, then? Probably disappointed. Coming face-to-face with the bureaucratic nobles, who stay in power thanks to their own little machinations takes a lot out of a pony. On her worse days, she considered dissolving the nobility.

But then she would become a tyrant.

No noble intentions, no greater good could justify that. Tyranny would bring rebellions, and civil war. She'd seen this country suffer enough.

Suddenly, the doors were nearly ripped from their hinges as a very disgruntled Twilight Sparkle entered the throne room. Celestia was still a bit lost in thought to comment on it. The fuming unicorn headed straight towards her, levitating a piece of paper in her grip.

"Princess, you should see this!" she barked angrily, with barely any self-restraint. The alicorn took the note with confusion. There were times she saw her student angry, but never so intensely focused on hating somepony. Her brow shot upwards when she saw the word written on the paper.

Sparkle

"What exactly is this?"

"This particular piece of paper was found today in the estate of a certain Jet Set, Princess. Seems like somepony robbed them yesterday, and left this calling card behind." The unicorn's eye was twitching. "I'm trying to help Equestria, and some stupid noble pulls me into his power play!"

"Are you quite sure this is a set-up?" the princess asked, snapping Twilight out of her fit. "Were there really objects stolen from Jet Set? Is there really a link between a noble and this thief?"

"Well, according to the butler, a few valuable gold statues had been stolen, all unique, with no real chance to sell them, not even on foreign black markets. As for the other question... I do not know. This Open Book fellow was a bit too eager to come and arrest me. I mean, how could he have known if he didn't hae a hoof in it?"

Celestia sighed.

"I believe you've seen his cutie mark. I have a strong suspicion that it enables him to peer into our secret documents, and somehow monitor our communications."

Twilight blinked.

"What?! That's extremely dangerous! What if he chose to use that information?"

"He is not as smart as he thinks himself to be. He always uses these scraps of informations wrongly... and I've grown to keep most of my spymaster's reports in here." She motioned to her temple. "That, and he makes very generous donations to both the military fund, and orphanages. He's technically untouchable—the public would view him as a martyr if I forced him to step down. This way, I can at least contain him somehow."

The alicorn saw that her student wasn't entirely convinced, but her attention was taken by the platoon of soldiers entering. Several bat ponies and pegasi were in a circular formation around a lone griffon.

"Gilda?" Twilight whispered in disbelief.

Night Shade stepped forward, his sightless eyes on the floor.

"Your Majesty, this griffon claimed to have crucial information about the safety of Equestria. She also claimed that she had to tell it to you in person."

"Are you mad?" Twilight blurted out. "You bring a griffon here, when their nation stopped all communication with us since summer?! What if this is an assasin?!"

Gilda snorted. Night Shade turned to the lavender mare's general direction, his voice growing colder.

"Believe it or not, lass, I've been captain of the night guard for twenty years. I wouldn't bring her here if it wasn't important."

"Let us hear it, then." Celestia said, cutting of Twilight's forming response. "Why have you sought me out, Gilda of the Griffon Empire?"

"Don't misunderstand this. I'm only repaying a debt here. Otherwise, I couldn't be bothered with lame ponies."

"To the point!" Twilight groaned impatiently. Gilda grinned, then she said a sentence that nearly caused Celestia a heart attack.

"The griffon army has entered Equestria near Harrow Hills."

Author's Note

Hey look, an update! No, seriously, an update!
Sorry guys, I've been busy since... well, a long time. I'll try to speed things up a bit in the future. No promises, tho.

Chapter six: War

To say Canterlot was in a state of chaos would be an understatement. Ponies of every race and gender marched in formations on the streets, rapidly reassigned to new positions to calm down the panicking population. Twilight had no idea how the news had gotten out to the public, but she suspected a noble's hoof in it. After all, there are very few who could use an invasion as a means to gain political power... but the current council was composed of some ponies who wouldn't be too hard to imagine doing just so.

As for her own situation, she stood in the recently christened "War Room," with several other ponies. She recognised Diamond Rose, Applejack, and Blueblood (...Redblood?); and on a less fascinating note, Lightning Dust. She seemed to have an aide with her; a jasmine-coated mare whom Twilight had seen a few times, but never actually spoke with her. The scruffy-looking silvery-eyed unicorn was less familiar, but she saw him around once or twice; the menacing white pegasus clad in iron armor however was a complete stranger to her. Fortunately, Princess Celestia showed up, and decided to introduce everypony to each other before starting the meeting. Twilight took the chance, and while she spoke words of etiquette, the unicorn quickly looked around the room. It was nondescript enough that she didn't recognise what function it held previously; yet it had a certain feeling of completeness despite the lack of features. A simple round room, with a table in the middle; markers set up on the painted map of Equestria, representing the various forces that the country possessed. The lighting was fickle; the table and a good step was lit brightly; yet the rest of the room was engulfed in utter darkness. After surveying her surroundings, Twilight concentrated on her mentor again.

"Greetings, fillies and gentlecolts, who protect this country in it's hour of need. Before we begin, I'd like you each to get to know the others present. I'm sure many of you met my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, whom helps me out with administrative duties lately."

An agreeing murmur could be heard, and the faintest of smiles crossed Applejack's lips. Celestia gestured towards the armored pegasus.

"This is General Straight Purpose, leader of the Equestrian Army."

The general grumbled, which could be interpreted as a greeting.

"Captain Night Shade of the Night Guard."

The old unicorn bowed silently.

"Captain Diamond Rose of the Royal Guard."

"Nice too meet you." the pegasus said while saluting.

"Captain Lightning Dust and Vice-Captain Raindrops of the Wonderbolts."

Dust saluted, while Raindrops simply nodded.

"And finally, Applejack and Prince Redblood from the Changeling Containment Force."

Most of the ponies nodded, but General Purpose scoffed instead.

"What are they doing here? They aren't military. Tactics don't include civilian forces."

"That's where you're wrong, General." Shade softly spoke up, " They are anything but irrelevant. Not only they are specialised for fighting against changelings, they essentially replaced the very incompetent police force in many towns, keeping up law and order. It wouldn't be wise to dismiss them so easily."

The general eyed them measuringly.

"I see. Forgive me for my rash judgement."

Redblood looked indifferent.

"No offense taken."

Celestia cleared her throat.

"Now, I believe we should start with the information your reconnaissance yielded, Captain Dust."

The mint pegasus stepped forward.

"After receiving the warning, I dispatched two of my stealthiest flyers north. They flew by Canter-berry, and noticed the lack of movement. Quick scouting of the village confirmed that it was empty. Following the trail leading from the village, they encountered a large squadron of griffon soldiers. Their estimates put their numbers between five and seven thousand."

The room suddenly grew cold. The general slammed at the table in disbelief.

"What? That is the majority of the griffon army! All of them concentrated into one invading force? Our own military cannot even hope to take them head on!"

"What about logistics? We can cut off their supply lines, and starve them, while avoiding any real conflict." Dust suggested.

Hearing this suggestion, Applejack turned to Redblood.

"Pard'n me mah' lord, d'ya reckon they could forage s'pplies from our fair neigh-shan?"

The stallion kept a straight face.

"Nay, meat is in very short supply here, I..." He winced. "Reckon."

"In short," Shade said, taking over, "everypony they kill will probably be eaten, too. Griffons are predators. I don't think they'd hesitate much to rain upon the populace if we don't contain them. What puzzles me though, is the way they went around half the world to ambush us from the north."

Purpose waved a hoof dismissively.

"I'm more worried about our own logistics. Wasn't there a starving city somewhere south?"

"I presume you are speaking of Brideaux." Everypony turned to Twilight. "While that is true, the situation has been solved by a local enterpreneur; the population is back on it's hooves."

"Still, that's one city. What about country-wide supplies? Food reserves?"

Twilight smiled smugly at him.

"I anticipated this question, so I quickly asked a report on the best performing farming communities, and food brands." She pulled out a list from the pile she put on the floor beforehand. "Let's see... the greatest food producer is... Apple Trust?"

Twilight stared at her paper with disbelief. Redblood glanced at Applejack questioningly, but she simply shrugged. They sure didn't talk about any trust when she reconciled with her brother.

Seeing as Twilight was preoccupied with mumbling to herself, the general took steering the conversation again upon himself.

"Could somepony please tell me what kind of company is this?"

"A Ponyville-based coalition of farmers and such, they control the market around these parts, and have many more joining them each week. They protect each other, sell produce, and cater to many cities."

All eyes were on Raindrops. The general raised an eyebrow.

"How, pray tell, do you know this? If I recall correctly, you were only appointed today."

"That is not an excuse for poor management." she stated matter-of-factly. The jasmine pegasus calmly waited until Purpose's head started to redden, then, with a hint of a smile, she continued. "At this very moment, they supply us with foodstuff at the Academy, too. I ran through all papers on Spitfire's desk, in case there was something urgent to take care of." she finished, preventing the question being asked.

"Still, can they supply us with the needed food? A marching army without it is worthless."

"If we reach the point where we must march, General, then we've already lost." Celestia said firmly. "I've heard enough. You already plan the details of a grand scale war; yet we have not tried our nation's strongest weapon: diplomacy. I shall meet with this army, and parlay with its leaders."

The room grew silent. Night Shade was the one to speak up.

"Mylady, if you go out there, the griffons will gut you. Just by doing that, we'd lose our last Princess, and the citizens would panic. Please, don't—"

"I thank you for your concern, Night Shade, but this is something that has to be done. We must attempt to solve this without bloodshed."

Purpose snorted.

"Then what? Are we just to sit around, and wave at them cheerfully?!"

"Of course not. I fully expect you to prepare every single troop under your command in case I cannot diffuse the situation by myself. I also need the Royal Guard to be ready to defend Canterlot. It's both a strategic and symbolic place to capture; if the griffons choose to attack, they'd surely make this place their first target."

"Excuse me, Princess," Twilight asked with suspicion in her voice, "but did you just say 'yourself?' Do you intend to parlay with them completely alone?!"

Celestia nodded.

"That is right."

"Please reconsider, Your Majesty!" Dust added desperately. "We could take a platoon of fast pe—"

The alicorn raised a hoof, instantly silencing her.

"No. No hidden troops, no concealed artillery, no army waiting around the corner. I will do this, and I will do this alone. If I catch anypony in the vicinity, they'll be court-martialled. Am I making myself clear?"

Various responses came, with the core meaning of 'yes, Ma'am.' Celestia nodded to herself, and left the room so fast her pupil barely had time to keep up with her. The general slowly shook his head with disapproval.

"This will not end well. This will not bloody end well."

With only a hint of courtesy, every one of them went their separate ways, leaving only Applejack, Redblood, and Diamond Rose in the room.

"Well slap me silly, that went real well, didn't it?" the orange mare moaned. The other two sighed nearly simultaneously.

"Royal Guard... my flank!" Rose murmured. "Why the hay do we have two damn guards for this one city when there is no functioning police force out there? Waste of ponypower, just like the CCF, no offense."

"In a way, you are right." Redblood agreed. "While we certainly have our job cut out for us, it'd probably be better to have the authority... concentrated in a single organisation. We're only giving way to a situation where more independent armies act upon their own volition than it is healthy."

"So what? All that bug huntin' we did was juss' a waste of time?" Applejack demanded. The prince shook his head.

"No, but that situation is solved for the moment. There are no hostile hives left in the country, and scouts reported a mass migration near the northeastern border. There is technically no changeling left for the Force to capture."

Rose smiled wryly.

"That reminds me, Commander Applejack, how many changelings did you actually capture?"

"Seventy-eight, or so. Why?"

"And how many have you slain?"

"Counting all our ponysonnel? Around five hundred."

"All of whom were resisting arrest, I presume." The pegasus' voice was unmistakenably cynical. All of a sudden, Applejack closed the distance with a single leap, grabbing the startled Captain of the Guard by her uniform.

"Now lissen' 'ere, you fuzzbag! I've put down mah share of changelings, and yes, most of 'em were messy. But know this: those who surrendered peacefully came to no harm under me. Do ya hear me?!"

To her surprise, the pegasus smiled.

"Yes, I do. You have a certain sort of... gift to not do what ponies expect from you. I've heard all the nobles go on about how you'll scourge the face of Equestria from the insectoid scum, but that's not the case at all, is it?"

Applejack loosened her grip, and spat.

"Ah'll catch those who hurt ponies, an' that's all. What others do don't interest me none."

Rose smiled, and dusted herself off theatrically. The prince stepped closer.

"Why are you doing this? This... taunting attitude, I mean. You don't seem like you're to worried about this whole ordeal. You came from nowhere, and now half the military looks at you funnily."

The pegasus' smile faltered.

"Attitude? I think not, Vice-Commander." The way she pressed those two words sounded as a warning to Redblood. "Why do you think I was appointed by the Princess, Vice-Commander? Not because of my connections, or my family. She chose me because she believed I was up for the task. And I will do my damn best to keep peace, even through these times."

"You didn't say a word durin' the council." Applejack noted. The pristine pegasus nodded.

"Of course not. I am not a strategist, per se. I am not even a military thinker. I'm a police thinker. I took command of the Guard to reform it into a working police force."

"Police force?!" Applejack snapped. "There is a freaking invading army on our doorstep, and you speak of policing?!"

"You have heard it; the Princess is on the case." the pegasus replied calmly. "I imagine she will be back very soon, after she'd negotiated the terms of surrender."

"What? They attack us, and we instantly surrender?!"

Rose offered a faint smile.

"Who said the surrender would be ours? Look, the Princess has been around for who knows how long. I think she has an idea how to handle this. Too few ponies trust her nowadays... sometimes I feel like I'm the only one."

"There's Twili't." Applejack added with a hint of uncertainity. The pegasus shook her head.

"She's not. She looks like somepony whose view of the world shattered. Trust me, I've seen enough of those types. She also seems to hate herself for something."

Applejack stared at the ground.

"She an' me too. We were both there... an' we did nothing. We couldn't do anything. Then Rarity..." Her voice trailed off.

"I think you should speak to her." Rose said gently. "She's under a lot of pressure now, and could snap under it. She will be angry. People in power are always angry. I know I am, especially after witnessing some crimes. She will shout at you. She will hurt you, emotionally. But, and this is an important but, she won't mean it. She will see spies and treason everywhere, thanks to our shining nobility. She needs a friend. She probably needs somepony to relieve... other tensions, too, but I don't think you can help her with that."

Redblood suddenly became more similar to his name.

"Why are you telling us all this?" he asked, trying to steer the conversation away.

"Because... I need you. I told you, I intend to create a police force. I believe we should merge the Royal Guard, the Night Guard, and the CCF into a single, organised entity that is capable of maintaining peace throughout Equestria, not just Canterlot. Maybe the Wonderbolts, too, but that's pushing it."

She stepped toward the table, pushing a pegasus regiment marker above Cloudsdale.

"I think the Princess will be here again tomorrow, and the griffon threat will be taken care of. No, don't get me wrong," she said, while raising a hoof, "I'm not an idealist. But I know she will take care of it. She looked like she was already thinking about the next problem. And that is order in the country."

"What order there is if a part of the populace is rounded up like animals?"

The three ponies were startled by the raspy voice. From a shadow, Night Shade emerged, looking none too pleased.

"Law? Equality? I think we have both on short supply, Miss. Tell me, when did you become a dreamer?"

"Captain, if you please, Lieutant. Do you not believe in our fair ruler to handle the situation?"

The eldelry unicorn snorted.

"Situation? What situation? A daft fool taking the bulk of the griffon army on a joyride? Please, they are obviously led by an amateur. This isn't even a war, it's a joke."

A dangerous glint appeared in Applejack's eyes.

"Whaddya mean, joke? Five thousand griffons are a joke?!"

"Yes, if used like this." Shade stated calmly. "First of all, if I'd want to start a war with Equestria, I'd assassinate the Princess. Second, I'd probably poison the water supplies in major cities, and third, I wouldn't leave High General Sharptalon in the back country."

"Who the hay is that?" demanded Applejack. Redblood mentally kicked himself for not telling her the basics about the Griffon Empire before attending this meeting. "Besides, how'dya know he's not?"

Other ponies probably would have given Applejack a stern look, but Shade opted for the best equivalent he could produce; a humourless face, and a disapproving expression.

"High General Sharptalon is the commander of the Griffon Army. He's ruthless, cunning, and a damn good tactician. Not letting him interfere with the army's lead was the worst mistake ever made... for them. As to why did I know this... did you think we have no spies in the Griffon Kingdom? One of them specifically keeps tabs on him. It was a great surprise to us that they simply showed up on our neck—we never knew they were coming, because they didn't bring the elite. If you ask me, it's a sun-damn young warmonger, who thought bashing in a few pony skulls would earn him fame and respect. Pity he won't live to see his mistake."

"Yes, I think the Princess can take care of this." he continued. "After all, she probably has a plan for an invasion from any race, even bleeding dragons. So be at ease. Plan your little fool's parade of a police, and don't think about Azure City. After all, you can't bring peace everywhere, can you?"

He spat, and this time left them permanently. Diamond Rose offered a wan 'Think about it.', then she disappeared, too. Applejack strode to the table, mumbling, and with an angry kick, removed the griffon army from the map, so to speak.

"Useless!" she muttered. "What was the point, really? If the Princess ain't gonna ask for our help, why do this? Darn, I feel silly."

"I don't know." Redblood admitted. "There had to be some point to this... maybe just to inform us, I don't know. Unless... Let's go over the ponies present."

They started strolling down a corridor unconsciously, their hooves carrying them towards the promise of a bed. Since they were inspecting troops late into the night yesterday, they didn't sleep a wink because of the situation. Funnily enough, they'd never have thought that a simple routine inspection might be vital... if there will be actual fighting.

"A'ight. So there was the Princess..."

"Naturally."

"Twilight, too."

"Not surprising, since she is Her Majesty's most trusted pupil."

"Well, there was that pegasus, lookin' down on us..."

"Yes, the General. He's not as bad as he seems, though."

"Commanders of the—look, why are we countin' this again? What's the point?"

"Come on, just stay with me! What do these ponies have in common?"

"Uuuuh.... They ain't blue?"

"No, not physically."

Applejack huffed.

"Well then, Ah guess they... they..." She wrinkled her nose. "Well, apart from Twilight, they all lead ponies." Redblood nodded to this.

"Yes. And it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that she would become Lord Regent, or even crowned, should the Princess be... unavailable."

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks. By now, they were on the fortunately deserted streets, making their way towards Redblood's penthouse.

"Say what?"

"Think about it! If the negotiations don't go well, whom does it fall upon to keep order? Precisely the ones who were invited today! If, by any chance, my aunt gets captured, or worse, " he shivered, "then, since there are no other available Princesses, both the nobility, and the military has a chance to seize power! Since the nobility—"

"Which you're a part of..." Applejack interjected innocently.

"...Yes, as I was saying, the nobility, particularly the council—"

"Which, again, you're a member of..." the mare added smugly. Redblood stopped, glaring angrily at her.

"Whose side are you on?"

"I dunno," she replied, "who's on my side?"

The prince hesitated.

"I thought things went well with your brother."

"Yeah, it's just... I dunno how Ah feel about you!" Applejack burst out. "Ah mean, you're nothing like you were when you met Rarity! And that confuses me! Heck, you're nearly nice! An' Ah feel like a jerk, because Ah'm acting like one in front of you! An' Ah left mah only brother a drinkin' mess, an' when we meet again, he is the one apologising to me! It's all messed up... Ah don't even feel like myself anymore..."

"I think you were pretty honest there." Redblood pointed out. This earned him a small smile.

This interlude made both of them forget about their original conversation, and left them wondering about other things. The prince was the first to voice them.

"What if I... invited you to dinner tonight? There is a nice and quiet restaurant near my house, that is pretty popular in Canterlot."

Applejack blushed.

"Ah don't know, Ah'm not really cut out to be minglin' with the elite. Ah literally don't have clothes to put on. Which seems to be a standard 'round here." she added bitterly.

"If you want to, I could give you one of my mother's dresses, that we keep in her budoir. Or," he offered, surprising himself, "we could forget about all that, and go however you would like to."

As he was looking over the unusually shy mare, Redblood's thought process changed significantly. To hell with the war, with responsibility, and scheming aunts!

...Well, at least for today.

__________________________________________________________________

Twilight desperately tried to keep up with Princess Celestia, who strode through the castle with the speed and force (and colour) of an avalanche.

"Please reconsider, Princess! Submitting yourself to such dangers is very... dangerous! There's no telling what the griffon army would do with somepony who tried to parlay with them!"

Celestia suddenly stopped, causing her student to crash into her.

"Precisely!" she shouted, and resumed her canter. "That is exactly why I'm going! A ruler that risks the lives of their subjects in favour of hers is a bad ruler. Remember that, Twilight."

They've reached the balcony of the throne room, and the unicorn watched helplessly as her mentor spread her wings.

"You'll never make it in time!" she tried desperately. Celestia looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"Tell me, Twilight, who is the fastest in Equestria?"

Twilight was caught off-guard with the question.

"Uhm... Lightning Dust? Or... um... Rainbow? No, she broke her wing..."

"The fastest," said Celestia, interrupting her, "is the one that can teleport."

With a faint glow, and without a sound, the alicorn disappeared. The lavender mare stared in the distance, unmoving. After some time, a voice called out from behind.

"Archmage Sparkle?"

She turned, only to find herself muzzle-to-muzzle with Golden Coin. The word that immediately came to her mind was 'pathetic'. You only saw Coin when he wanted something from you.

"Yes...?" she beckoned.

"Ah, well, you see, I was under the impression you had not yet graced a stallion with your hoof in marriage? Might I be so bold to recommend my s—"

"Out. Now."

"But—"

"OUT."

The way he left the room left the impression in some as 'undignified'. Raindrops, who just entered as he left, would have described it as 'like a bloody pansy'. She noticed that Twilight was quite upset, so she approached her quietly, despite the fact that she was in a hurry.

"Your Eminence? A moment of your time, if I may."

This seemed to confuse the unicorn, who eyed her warily, but nodded nevertheless.

"I must urgently inquire if you have seen Captain Dust somewhere in the vicinity." she continued. Twilight furrowed her brow.

"I was under the impression she left with you."

"Oh, bugger." Raindrops thought. Outwards, though, she mumbled an apology as she left the throne room to continue her search. The lavender mare stared at her general direction for a few moments, then trotted to the balcony, and looked at the city.

It looked peaceful. She wondered what would happen if they announced that the griffons were about to invade. Would they panic? Would they have enough faith in their princess to remain calm? Twilight wasn't sure.

What she was sure of, however, was the fact that she had to take the reins should something happen to the princess. The alternative were the nobles, or... well, practically nopony. The aforementioned nobles would be the first to veto anypony foolish enough to try and take Equestria's mantle... with force, if necessary. Judging by Coin's foolish attempt to marry his son to her, the nobles are well aware of her significance. She knew if she accepted any offer, she would be treated as a trophy wife. And she wasn't going to play along with some foal's stupid ideas of governing a country.

No... If by any chance Celestia wouldn't return, she would be the one to take care... of everything.

________________________________________________________________

Far away from Canterlot, a lonely alicorn raised her head. Sunlight shimmered on her dark mane, and unmoving body. She felt it. Celestia'd used her power.

She shivered.

Someone is going to have the worst day of their lives.

________________________________________________________________

Celestia appraised her situation. On the up side, she arrived precisely where she wanted to. On the other hoof, the griffon army has advanced further into Equestria, so she was right on their wings, so to say. They have not found her out yet, but it would only be a matter of time.

She decided to reveal herself. This way she could retain some of the dignity and majesty that is expected from her.

As she approached the griffon camp, she was stopped by heavily armed, and, frankly, quite confused guards.

"I wish to speak to your leader. Would you be so kind to fetch him for me?"

Celestia was always amazed by the way griffon footsoldiers were conditioned to follow commands. With a firm voice, one could easily confuse them by giving them orders, even in the battlefield. This one has already been gone by the time the others raised their weapons. They did not attack, however. Unquestioned orders aside, self-preservation was at work here. Could they really strike down the most powerful pony in Equestria?

After a few moments, the guard came back. He nodded at the others, and a path opened for the alicorn, leading to the heart of the camp. Celestia smiled inwardly. Meeting the enemy on home ground. A sign of weakness.

Ruining her expectations, she wasn't led into a tent, or similar, but atop a small hill, where five high-ranking griffons awaited her. The army, in the most perfect formations that she ever saw, waited behind them. The few that were escorting her here already tokk off, and found their places.

A griffon sporting impressive sideburns stepped towards the princess. He was smiling smugly; with confidence that Celestia knew all too well. People like this griffon believe they have the upper hoof. They are very hard to negotiate with, in her experience.

"Ah, Princess Celestia! How marvellous to meet you here!" Slime was dripping from his every word. The alicorn rewarded him with a disgusted frown.

"Can the misdirection, Grand Marshall Feyclaw. What business have you in Equestrian territory?"

Still smiling, the marshal licked his beak slightly.

"Ah, yes. We are very worried about the well-being of our dear citizens who are unfortunate enough to be trapped in this country during these... turbulent times. The Griffon Empire is concerned that you could turn to harm them, given the current state of persecution against your own kin."

To hear these words from a snake like him made it even worse for Celestia. She wouldn't have done it if there were any other choice. Nevertheless, she swallowed her feelings, and glared coldly at him.

"I see. I am sure that we can—"

"You misunderstand me." said the griffon, cutting her off. "This is the official reason. As far as I'm concerned—you're dead." He gave her a cocky smile. "That reason? It's bollocks, we both know it. But it's a very good reason, if other nations look at it. The Griffon Empire frees it's citizens from the evil clutches of Equestria!"

He let out a cackle. Then, suddenly, he closed in on Celestia, and stared into her face.

"They all said it was a fool's errand! But history will prove me right. I will become the general that lead the army to conquer a nation that has been a thorn in our side for decades! And when I return from this campaign, I will be lauded as a hero! We will all be heroes!" he continued, turning to the army. "I promised you wealth and fame, and by the feather of Myclonu, you will get it! We will eradicate this pathetic race from the face of the earth, and claim these lands as our own!"

"I would advise you to stop this nonsense right now." Celestia interjected coldly. She did not raise her voice, but even the farthest of soldiers could hear it. "You cannot hurt my people unpunished."

Feywing tapped his beak theatrically.

"Ah yes, I believe there was somepony telling me something like that before. Kharzon!" he shouted to one of his aides, "Get the prisoners here! All of them!" he added with a sadistic smile.

Celestia couldn't believe her eyes. In five minutes, she was shown ten bloody, beaten corpses, which bore the signs of extreme abuse. Whomever was doing this to them, was enjoying it. An eleventh pony was brought; this one still alive. If you could call it alive. He was clearly a pegasus; but both of his wings were cut off just above his shoulders. One of his eyes were plucked out, and countless lacerations were strewn across his body. When his princess entered his sights, he smiled faintly.

"M'lady... I'm sorry... We could not protect Canter-berry... The citizens... dead..."

"What was your name, my little pony?" Celestia asked softly.

"Spring Cheer... M'lady... we failed..."

"No Spring Cheer. You held them off as long as you could. If there was anypony who failed, it was me." she told the corpse.

The grand marshal grinned as he saw the fearsome ruler of Equestria cradle a dead body like a baby. He turned to face his troops.

"See? That is the so-called wrath of the princess! Bawling over one dead pony! Look at her! Pathetic!"

He turned back to the princess, but instead of the sobbing mess he expected, he came beak-to face with a very furious-looking alicorn. Or, to be precise, his beak was on the same height as he chest. The mare had somehow grew above the marshal in the last few seconds.

"What—" he began, but he was cut off by the alien-sounding voice of the princess.

"You came to my country, murdered my subjects, and you think I would just sit by idly?!"

By this time fangs were visible in Celestia's mouth, and her face became even more elongated. Panic began to grip the ranks of the soldiers. Despite the hasty shouts of their superiors, their formations broke, and some were already taking off to the air.

They couldn't get far. For about a mile, there was an invisible barrier; a barrier which they couldn't penetrate. Their escape became more and more frantic, and soon the only ones still near Celestia were the foolish, or the ones paralysed by fear.

Feyclaw watched in horror as claws burst out from the alicorn's hooves. Her fur receded, giving way to pristine white scales everywhere on her body. Her mane disappeared, and spikes of the same colour appeared on her back. What faced the griffon army wasn't a pony anymore—but a grown dragon.

She slowly leered at the cowering griffons, before speaking.

"Remember this in the afterlife: no one picks a fight with Equestria!"

________________________________________________________________

An hour later Celestia stood on an empty, charred field. She felt weak, weaker than ever before. No sign of the griffon army was left on the battlefield.

She'd murdered them all.

This wasn't defense or justice anymore; it was vengeance. Not one of the griffons escaped; her barrier made sure of it. Those who tried to outrun her earned a death that crept up to them from behind.

She felt hollow. She shouldn't have done this. The last time she'd assumed the guise of Escalite, dragon of the Crystal Mountains, was over two thousand years ago. The need has never arisen. And now... she might've doomed herself.

There were drawbacks. There were always drawbacks. She used up too much power, and now, a fly could take her life away... if there were any left in the vicinity. Her only hope was the small chance that a beast wander near, and kill her before she starves to death. Normally, she could do a week awake without eating, but this technique caused immense hunger after use. If she didn't get her hooves on any sustenance until nightfall, then she would die.

Of course, nightfall won't happen with her dead and Luna banished. Maybe—

A shadow blocked out her view.

"Kill me, then." she whispered, her throat dry from exhaustion.

" 'Fraid I can't do that, Ma'am." a voice came. A voice so familiar...

"Captain... Dust?"

She urged herself to gather every last ounce of energy. She managed just enough to raise her head a little. Indeed, it was the captain of the Wonderbolts, Lightning Dust.

"I thought I ordered... you to stay in Canterlot..."

"I'm afraid I'm terribly bad at following orders, Ma'am. Might punish myself later. Can you stand?"

"Leave me, Captain. You cannot hope... to carry me to safety, and even so, you couldn't have ponies notice me in this state... or they would panic."

"So I should take you to safety, and secretly, to boot? How does Canterlot sound, Ma'am?"

"You can't... take me alone."

"Alone?" Dust smirked. "I never intended to do so. I always have help. When there's Lightning... there's Thunder."

A dark stallion entered the princess' field of vision, smiling shyly. Dust grabbed her absolute ruler under her shoulder.

"Now let's get you to safety, Your Majesty."

Chapter seven: Underground

Rainbow stirred in her sleep, feeling something weigh on her wings. She opened her eyes just in time to see Vinyl standing above her, with a cup of water. She tried to jump from her place, but found out quickly that the weight on her wings was actually Soarin, still asleep. Vinyl winked at her, then poured the cup on him.

Trixie, on the other hoof, awoke by the sound of Soarin screaming bloody murder. She yawned, and examined her hoof before getting up. It healed completely, for all intents and purposes. She was walking about as fast as she was before, even though she limped a little. It's appearance, however, was a little uncanny. The scar she had was barely visible by then, mostly covered by fur combed over it. It was still recognisable, and presented a very big problem if they had to move into a town. Attention was the last thing they needed.

Well, that problem would be dealt with later. She rolled over, and rose to her hooves. The others, bar Soarin and Vinyl, were near the spring; a little blessing in a forest full of dirt. They were very close to the hive anyway, she supposed that changelings had to drink something, too.

After she felt sober enough, she looked around for Luna. The moon princess stared at her reflection, apparently lost in thought. Trixie stepped closer.

"Is everything all right?" she asked. Luna quickly raised her head, and focused on her.

"Yes, yes, of course. There is no need to worry about me."

"You know, that is not really reassuring," Trixie said. Luna sighed, and turned to face the midday sun.

"I am sorry. My mind is somewhat preoccupied at the moment."

"Is it connected to that surge of magic last week? You've been out of it since then."

Luna blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

"You have been acting weird," Trixie translated. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, this isn't a very complicated phrase. Why do you have so much difficulty speaking modern Equestrian?"

"Imagine yourself learning a new language," Luna said, "that you only knew for three weeks. That is exactly the proportion of the time spent here after my redemption compared to the time before."

"Yes, but doing nothing about it didn't really help you win a lot of ponies over, did it?"

"This discussion is over," said Luna with a bit more venom than she intended, "we have something more important to talk about. Gather around, please."

The escapees formed a half-circle around the moon princess, giving her their full attention.

"As you know, we are near Chrysalis and her hiding hive. I do not know how many of her subjects are still with her, or their disposition towards us. I know one thing: we need to do this. If she is a threat to our country, I intend to get rid of her. If she is willing, however, I would prefer making peace with the changeling race."

She paused briefly, measuring their reactions. Rainbow and Shining looked like they weren't exactly pleased with the thought of meeting changelings, let alone live with them. Trixie and Soarin seemed indifferent, Fancypants was positive, and Vinyl... wasn't really paying attention.

"In case the worst comes to pass, I have formulated an exit strategy. You must stay behind me, no matter what happens. I have gained a little bit of freedom with my actions. You see, my sister is... severely weakened. I believe she cannot sense if I cast spells, even on a somewhat larger scale. I must admit, I made an error in my judgement, and... visited her dream yesterday. She did not notice me, fortunately. That is the sole reason that I am willing to risk using my power."

Vinyl raised a hoof.

"So, uh, Princess dudette, what if they attack on sight, without hearing us out?"

"I suppose we do not go inside to talk to Queen Chrysalis," said Luna. "Now, if you are all ready, we can continue on. I expect us to reach the hive by nightfall."

Night has indeed fallen by the time they reached the place Luna indicated. In fact, it was around midnight that they spotted the two changelings guarding a cave entrance.

The alicorn stepped forward, confident and majestic. The guards exchanged unsure glances, but made no other movement.

"Guardians of the hive! I wish to speak to your liege, post-haste!"

The changelings abandoned their posts, and huddled together. One of them took off into the cave entrance, and the other beckoned them to follow. They were led through a dark cave, lit only by the small orbs of light the unicorns conjured. The cave soon ended, and gave way to tunnels dug out by their insectoid hosts. Walking in that featureless corridor felt like an eternity to Rainbow, but they arrived at a larger room, filled with junk. Changelings didn't create, but they liked to possess.

They were showed some ancient sofas to sit on, and the guard hurried back to the tunnel. Rainbow looked around. Everything the changelings could get their hooves on – it was there. Furniture, pictures, common and rare household items, even special calipers used by pegasi for preening.

A changeling entered the room from the other way, and froze. It's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. After a while, it gathered its courage, and stepped closer. Rainbow could see a very faint pattern on its... skin? Chitin? Whatever it was, the markings were barely recognisable in the faint light. The creature seemed to be equal parts curious and frightened. Luna smiled on it gently, causing it to frown. It decided to settle down on one of the sofas, and kept staring at them.

"Sooo... Does this mean we won't be dinner?" Vinyl asked.

"That depends on how delicious you are."

She spun around, and saw the changeling smirking at her. The voice was definitely masculine.

"Stoopeed chang'ling can't speak!" he added. Trixie rubbed her temples in response.

"Great, a smartass. So what, you here to keep us company and report what we said?"

The changeling flashed one of his fangs. Somehow, after seeing them up close, his carefulness disappeared.

"As if our glorious Queen would listen to a simple commoner like me. I'm just interested in you suicidal ponies. I haven't met any of your kind yet."

"Whoa, dudebug, you mean you haven't been outside your hive?" Vinyl asked. The changeling nodded. "But wait, don't you need love to live, or something?"

"Changelings require the same sustenance we do, albeit on a smaller scale. Their magic can handle illusions, and bodily transformation, but to cast offensive spells, they need an outer power supply... like love. They are not as versed in magic as unicorns are, but their shapeshifting is an innate ability, free to use at any given time. They lack the speed and agility of pegasi, but possess the gift of flight. They lack the endurance of earth ponies, but their body is very durable. They do not thrive in the night like bat ponies, but they have no difficulty navigating a dark cave. They cannot spread love around like crystal ponies, but they have strong bonds in a hive. They are like and unlike the other races, but have emotions, ambitions, and needs just as we have."

A stunned silence followed Luna's speech. Then, wordlessly, the changeling got up, and bowed to her.

"I see that you do know my people, Princess," he said. "I'm sorry if I came through as insolent; I see now that you are unlike those who look at us as mindless beasts."

"Back in the day I knew many a respectable changeling. Times change, sadly, and I'm sorrowful to see that some of you had become corrupt. I believe that it is essential to talk to Chrysalis, and end this, while we have the chance."

Shining gave a bemused look.

"Whose hide are we supposed to save again?" he asked.

Then came the simple answer, "Everyone's."

The changeling sighed, and looked as he was about to leave, but two sturdy-looking soldiers entered the room, both brandishing razor-sharp spears.

"You are to come with us immediately, upon the order of Queen Chrysalis! Resistance is futile!"

From the other tunnel, several other similar-looking guards entered, and formed a circle around the prisoners. One even held back the curious changeling when he attempted to leave.

"Hey!" he protested, "I'm not—"

"Resistance is futile!" said the guard, without a hint of comprehension.

He was herded together with the ponies, and led through an even longer corridor than the one they came in through. Rainbow supposed that there was another entrance, because having only one, especially one like this seemed stupid, even to her. No branching corridors, no lighting, no circulation - Rainbow wondered where the air came from. Still, they were able to breathe, so it didn't really matter to her.

A few minutes later they reached something that could be classified as a 'dirt room.' The whole appearance of the place tried to mimic the Canterlot throne room; the changelings even made something resembling a throne from dirt. Atop it, of course, sat Chrysalis, smiling smugly.

"Well, well. The mighty princess of the night visits me in my humble abode! This calls for celebrations!"

She clapped, and a changeling came in the room, with an aluminium platter strapped to her back. It trotted up to the ponies, and stood beside them wordlessly. The male changeling's expression changed; he looked like as if he saw a ghost.

"Please have some refresments," the queen said, "we barely get any guests down here!"

Shining mumbled something unintelligible. Chrysalis flashed her fangs.

"I can assure you, lover colt, I feel the same," she said. Slowly extending her gossamer wings, it became apparent that there was a large hole in the left one. "Thank you for the souvenir, by the way."

"Oh yeah? Well, I—OW!"

"Sorry, my hoof slipped," Trixie said with a bemused expression. Luna chose this moment to take the reins of the conversation.

"Queen Chrysalis, we have matters of great importance to discuss."

She took a glass of whatever it was from the stoic changeling, and drank it. The texture was unfamiliar, but her experience told her it was nothing harmful. She nudged the others a bit, and Rainbow reluctantly took something cookie-shaped, but not entirely cookie-flavoured. Only after eating it did she realise that Chrysalis has been staring at her the whole time.

"I'd enjoy that if I were you," she said. "After all, who knows what the future will bring?"

"Peace, I hope," Luna said, "and prosperity to both our people. Please, hear me out. I know you have suffered at the hands of our ponies, but I believe we can stop the persecution of the changeling race. All we ask for is shelter from the hidden enemy."

Chrysalis flashed another toothy grin. She looked more bemused than happy, though.

"Peace? You have the nerve to talk about peace after all that's been done to us? Seven hives, all exterminated! Changelings declared outlaws, hunted by all who see them? Don't make me laugh!"

"I wonder what exactly happened in those hives," Shining snapped. "I can't imagine a tea party going on about, else our troops wouldn't have reacted so cruelly... if what you say is even true."

"Silence!" Chrysalis shouted, "I will not have you standing in my throne room insulting me!"

She let out an inarticulate howl, to which changelings started to close in from every distance. Rainbow's eyes darted from one to another. Each was heavily armored, and had builds much like Big Mac. Even their fangs seemed longer than the average changeling's.

"How do you like my elite guard?" Chrysalis asked. "I haven't been lazy all this time, I can assure you. I haven't forgotten, either. I won't give you shelter, no. In fact, I think I won't let this chance go by me. Outcasts or not, you are powerful ponies. I wonder what would happen if—"

"Answer me this, Chrysalis," said Luna, voice raised, "Do you have a hoof in either the discrimination of blue-coloured ponies, or the framing of my companions?"

The queen looked sour, but answered nonetheless.

"No. As much as I would've loved to see you tear yourselves apart, I still didn't partake in that tomfoolery. And if you try to interrupt me one more ti—"

"We are leaving," Luna said with an indifferent expression. To Rainbow's surprise, Chrysalis laughed.

"Leave? Have you gone mad? You are completely in my power, surrounded by my elite guard, and you think you can get away? Oh no, this is too rich to pass up. I shall have my revenge on you, Shining Armor, and get rid of a pesky Element in the process, too. Not to mention you, Luna. This day is getting better and better!"

"There are two of your people right beside us," Luna said. Indeed, the male changeling was frantically searching for a way out, but the other just stared at them, not moving a muscle. Chrysalis stomped with her hoof.

"I don't care!" she yelled, "They are worthless compared to me! I'll gladly sacrifice any of them to destroy you! You! You and your worthless wife!"

She started circling around Shining, keeping her distance.

"If only she didn't escape! I would have been a true queen, and you all would have been my slaves! Obeying me! Feeding me! Oh, how happy I was when I heard about that bitch's death!"

"Don't you dare talk about her lke that!" Shining roared. Chrysalis smiled... then fired a dark green bolt at him. He reeled back, but the bolt hit a barely visible blue sphere... emanating from Luna's horn.

"You have made a mistake," she said in a casual tone, making Chrysalis take a step back. "You thought that my sister was the protector of Equestria... While that was true during my absence, that is not how things are. The sun shall scorch all opposition, while the moon embraces the weak."

Her horn glowed even brighter, and she let out a bluish energy beam, that passed by Chrysalis, and made a hole in the ceiling. Moonlight shone through it, highlighting the group of ponies.

"And now," Luna said, "I bring judgement upon thee."

A blinding circle, with Luna as the center, expanded rapidly through the air. Rainbow was forced to close her eyes, and when she opened them, it took a few moments until she was able to see properly. She heard the screams, though. The short death screams of the changeling guards, and the cries of agony that Chrysalis produced. The latter did not stop.

The guards' bodies were nowhere to be found. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, was scorched, and she was bleeding dark blood. The two changelings with them were unharmed, however, and were blinking furiously to regain their sight. From all the tunnels around, changelings began to emerge, alerted by the screams of their queen. Luna let her gaze wander over them.

"Changelings! Though it pains me to do so, this shall be the fate of all who seek destruction and death. I might look like a tyrant to you, but I desire no animosity between our people. To prove it, I shall leave, and give you this warning: do not stay in Equestria. These times are hard for you; ponies are distrusting, and will react poorly to you." She stopped, taking a deep breath. "I will promise you this, however; if peace is restored in our country, I will work on mending the relations between our races that deteriorated so long ago. That requires time, and I can only give you one piece of advice: Survive! Live long enough to become old, and experience the peace unknown to you. I shall leave your queen with you; it is your choice whether you follow her path, or do as I've offered you. I cannot make your decision."

She turned to the two confused changelings.

"To you two, I offer the chance to get to know us better. I shall take you under my wing, and protect you, as any of my subjects. Again, the choice is yours."

The male hesitated, but the other nodded. Seeing it do so, he slowly nodded as well.

"Right. I will cut this short. Trixie, name the place we must go."

The ex-showmare avoided her gaze.

"Trottingham," she whispered.

Luna's nod was barely noticeable. She gathered her power, and in another flash, they were gone, leaving behind a hive in utter chaos.

Chapter eight: The mansion

Rainbow felt weird, as if she was turned inside-out. Then, with an audible 'pop,' she reappeared in reality. The spell seemed to extend to the two changelings – who were now staring at the unfamiliar landscape. Before anyone could get a word in, Soarin let out a groan.

"Okay, I'm not really known for my rebellion against authority, but what the flying fuck, Princess?! What the hell was that?! If you had that much power, why didn't you do something? Why stand aside and wait for things to get even worse?!"

He turned to oppose the alicorn, who said nothing. Rainbow put one of her hooves on his shoulders.

"Calm down, Soarin! I'm sure there is an explanation!"

"If so, I'd really like to hear it."

He was narrowing his eyes as he spoke. Rainbow was watching him intently, to catch any sight of him trying to jump the Princess, when she heard Trixie whisper, "Why this place?"

Luna sighed.

"It is indeed a conundrum I find myself in. While the spell is powerful, it has its limits. This is a very specialised type of magic, devised by the Keeper of Old, Eternus. It targets those who view the caster as an enemy. Now, let us suppose I cast this during the changeling invasion, ignoring the fact that I was still recharging my power from having the Nightmare ripped from me. What do you think would have happened?"

Everypony went silent. Shining was the one to break it.

"I... I think half of Canterlot would've died, too."

Luna nodded grimly.

"Precisely. My exile took something most precious to me: the trust of my subjects. How could I protect those who wish to see me gone?"

"Okay, that's that," said Soarin, his voice softening a bit, "but that doesn't explain why you didn't use any of your power to find the one that's been throwing the country into chaos!"

Luna stomped, causing him to reel back.

"Have you not listened to me? Casting the Perfect Memory spell on Rarity would have revealed everything... but the killer was ready. I suppose I could have taken matters into my own hooves. So could my sister, too. What would we have achieved with that? I let her 'banish' me for the same reason – if Celestia of all ponies lose their credibility, the country would fall into further chaos. You have seen chaos." She sighed, turning her gaze downwards. "I am not all-knowing, I am not all-powerful... But I try. And try. I will continue to keep on trying even if the whole world despises me. I owe it to my people. To my sister. To myself."

She took a step back, and rubbed her face.

"I... I think I need a short break. Ten or so minutes will suffice."

The ponies nodded, and Luna lied down under an oak tree. Their group soon broke up into smaller groups; Vinyl and the changelings, Rainbow, Fancypants and Soarin, and finally, Shining, who was slowly walking towards Trixie. She paid no attention to him; instead, she focused on a tree indistinguishable from any other tree. No... Upon closer inspection, Shining could see the little differences. Colour, shape... the tree was just a bit different than the others... and it had a hole.

"Important place?" he asked. Trixie nodded.

"Sort of. Another glorious reminder of a stupid decision."

Shining waited politely, but she didn't continue. She looked up to him instead, and asked, "Do you have keepsakes from your parents or grandparents?"

Shining tapped his chin.

"I... don't think so. Despite going to the Crystal Empire so many times, I always had time to check up on my parents. At least once a month. There wasn't really a need for keepsakes... Also, my grandparents died before I was born, so nothing could really make me remember them."

Trixie's eyes looked distant.

"I once had a pendant. My mother gave it to me for one of my birthdays. I can't remember for my life which one, though. I had it on me when I ran away. Somehow, I thought it would be a good idea to hide it here, in this very tree. I put it in the hole, made sure it wasn't visible from ground level, and left. Years later, when I heard about my parents' suicide, I returned... but it was gone. Along with my home, my family, and my past."

Shining gently nuzzled her.

"I'm sorry."

Trixie shrugged.

"Don't be. It's an old story, and I am over it."

She watched as he slowly retreated to the laying form of the Princess.

"I have other things on my mind," she whispered.

Ten minutes became twenty, and twenty became fourty. They realised that time was pressing if they wanted to hide; sunlight was only a few hours away. Fortunately Trixie still remembered the unused back alleys and the hidden shortcuts of Trottingham; they succesfully infiltrated the town without drawing any attention.

Their trek ended before a vacant lot; it was fenced off, but didn't contain anything apart from weeds and a dried-out tree. Luna stared intently at a point on the pavement.

"Impressive," she murmured. "You can barely feel the enchantment."

Rainbow followed her gaze, and saw... something. The pattern on the ground was distorted in a line, the two sides differing subtly from each other.

"Here goes nothing," Trixie said, activating her magic. Instead of a big wave, small threads of pink extended from her horn, going in a straight line... and at the same time, seemingly enveloping something. The threads branched further and further, magic nearly tasteable in the air—

—Only to disappear a moment later, leaving only an afterimage. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak—

—Before her eyes nearly imploded while trying to follow the extending sides of the line that suddenly became a square. What remained was a manor nearly as large as the ruined castle in the Everfree; giving off an ancient vibe similar to the former, too. It wasn't menacing,it was more like... proud. Rainbow felt that the message the architect wanted to convey was 'I'm here. I will not be forced to move. Come, if you think otherwise.'

Trixie was already trotting on the stone path when the novelty of the phenomenon wore off. They all marched inside, and when the last pony stepped inside the lot's border, Rainbow felt a tug in her stomach. She looked back, but nothing changed that she could discern.

The door had seen better days; the metalwork on the knob started to rust, and the wood was starting to look discoloured. Nevertheless, it opened without a sound.

The interior of the house was overwhelming. Nearly every surface was covered with wood, from the shoeracks to the walls. In stark contrast to the aforementioned door, everything seemed... perfect. Too perfect, in fact. Not a single speck of dust was to be found anywhere; the garderobe was stacked with clean and new-looking clothes, and there were candles, matches, and lamps placed conveniently everywhere.

"Uh, Trixie?" Rainbow shivered a little. "You sure that the place has been deserted?"

Trixie nodded.

"Yes. Locking charm was in place, illusion wasn't dispelled." She made a grandiose gesture. "Welcome to manor Lunamoon."

Rainbow still wasn't convinced.

"Yeah," she said, "I know you think nopony's been here, but look around! Hay, it's cleaner than my house, and that's cloud! It literally doesn't need cleaning!"

"There's a simple explanation for that," Trixie said. "We once had a maid, a unicorn, who was very talented in cleaning. One day, she went to my father, and told him she figured out a way to keep dust off surfaces. It turned out that she made a spell that would do just that. Indefinitely."

"So what did your father do?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, first he had her cast the spell everywhere in the house. Then he sacked all of our maids. Then he hired the maid as a private tutor in magic for me. With double the salary."

"That's... um..."

"Cold, but practical?" Trixie offered. Rainbow nodded half-heartedly.

The layout of the mansion wasn't too complicated. On the ground floor, servant quarters were on the left. Kitchen and dining room was on the right. A staircase lead from the entrance to the first floor, with a study facing the stairs. On the left, there were the bedrooms, and on the right, a grandiose living room. Trixie even showed them a half-hidden set of stairs, which led up to an observatory of sorts.

As the others were exploring the mansion, Trixie found herself in front of her father's study. Even after so many years, she hesitated to go in.

"It won't be better if you won't go in," a voice said from behind her. She spun around, and saw Rainbow and Shining.

"Maybe. I don't know. It would be like him to leave a message. Then again, why would he expect anypony to find the house?"

"Just go in," Rainbow nudged her. Trixie didn't budge.

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Shining asked. "I remember you pushing me to face my sorrow not that long ago. There's nothing in there that could make it worse."

"Oh, I have a few ideas," Trixie murmured. Nevertheless, she opened the door.

As soon as she set a hoof inside, Rainbow understood why Trixie disliked that place. While it wasn't cramped, the desk completely dominated the room. It was the type of desk that reminded Rainbow of her principal's, back in her high school days. The window was painted glass; it depicted a scene where Nightmare Moon and Celestia battled. By the looks of it, the artist viewed Celestia as some kind of monster; her features were much cruder than Nightmare Moon's, and her expression... well, let's just say Rainbow felt lunch could wait a little more.

Shining looked at the couches with a puzzled expression, while Trixie glanced around.

"This didn't change a bit," she said, kicking at the ground half-heartedly. "Seems like there are things that even death can't change."

She trotted over to the desk, brushing a hoof along it's side... then freezing when she noticed a letter primly placed on top of it. Only two words were written on the slightly yellow envelope.

To Beatrix

"So, what is—" said Rainbow, turning towards Trixie, "—that you're holding?"

"A letter," said Trixie hesitantly. "I... Should I?"

"It would be pointless not to, after coming this far," Shining pointed out. Trixie nodded nearly imperceptibly, and ripped the envelope open. She unfolded the letter, and began reading.

My dearest daughter Beatrix,

I cannot know for certain, but do hope that my letter finds you. By the time you are reading this... I suppose not only will you be alone, but resenting us for our choice.

I am sorry. You know that when I wrote this, I meant these words. You know me. And, at the same time, it seems that I do not know myself, or you.

You probably wonder about the reason. The reason we left you alone in the world. Certainly, the truth that what we worshipped was not the benefactor of our clan, but a monster twisting the will of the same was a revelation that nearly drove us to insanity. But the true horror came after the realisation: what our clan did from times of old was tarnishing our own name by aiding the cause of a revenant. A spectre of destruction.

Your mother died of a heart attack when she fully understood the consequences of all this. As I write this letter, her body lay upon the cold floor—for when I am finished, I shall join her soon. When I look back, the things I left you so far were unpleasant memories, and a tarnished name. I do realise that me leaving this world will probably cause pain to you again, but life has nothing left for me. My beliefs were shattered, my beloved wife has died, and most of all, in my hubris, I let you roam the world alone, thinking that you would return after you see how wrong you were.

But I was the one at fault. I cannot undo any of it, but I apologise. I apologise for all the times I forced on you my way of thinking, without listening to you. I apologise for criticising your choice of friends, and your dreams. I am sorry for sounding like I favoured your cousin over you.

I am sorry that I never told you that I loved you. I wish there was a time and a place to tell you this, but there isn't. I cannot make it up to you, but I can at least make your life easier. In the top drawer you will find my last will and testament, with four copies deposited in places noted within it.

The thought that you might never find this letter came to my mind. But I believe that you are smart, and find this letter. And should something befall you before you could do that... we will be waiting in whatever comes after.

Stay strong. Never compromise who you are. Make it so that you will be remembered for your own deeds, rather than our dirty name.

Farewell,

Aleister Lunamoon

To Rainbow and Shining, the only thing they could perceive was Trixie's back slightly trembling. Only when they stepped beside her could they see the tears. Shining took the letter from the responseless mare, and read it, with Rainbow struggling to see the words over his shoulder. When they looked up, Trixie was still staring at the floor.

"It's not fair," she suddenly spoke up. "He should have written a boasting letter about reuniting with the Nightmare in hell...Not this. Not this."

Her eye and muzzle were twitching slightly. Rainbow silently floated over her, and embraced her. After a moment's hesitation, Shining did so, too.

It felt like ages, but the trembling finally stopped. Trixie looked normal – if tired – and took a deep breath.

But no words came out. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words left her lips. Finally, she gestured to herself, then to the door.

"Now what?" Rainbow said as the sound of Trixie's hoofsteps died out. Shining neatly folded the letter, and put it in a drawer.

"Nothing," he said. "Let her have a moments rest."

"Then we'd better tell the others not to disturb her," said Rainbow with a sigh.

Vinyl peered inside the room. Nothing special could have been said about it, yet it was one of the most important places in the mansion.

It was Trixie's room.

Vinyl pondered how to approach her sullen compnion, but then shrugged, and stepped inside loudly.

"Hey, can I have your parents' room?" she said in a nonchalant tone. Trixie's head immediately popped up from her bedsheets.

"What," she said, more than asked.

"Well, at least you're up, dudette," Vinyl said with a grin. Trixie let her head drop back on to her pillow.

"What is it, Vinyl?" she said softly.

"Nothin' much. Thought I would check on you, I mean, you were gone, for at least two hours."

"Was I?" Trixie stared at the ceiling absent-mindedly. "But of course, what else would I do, but cause trouble for others? I'm sure Luna is eager to discuss a strategy, or two."

"Oh come on, it's not like that. We were worried about you. And I'm pretty sure she only came up with half a strategy."

"I don't know, Vinyl. All my life I've lived with the burden of being hated, but now, I have to live with somepony actually caring for me. It's worse. At least you don't have to be afraid of disappointing those who hate you."

Vinyl rolled her eyes.

"Well, you won't make things better by mopin' around, would you, dudette?"

"That depends," said Trixie, "is there anything I can screw up in a ten-mile radius?"

"I dunno about up, but there are three things I could list off the top of my head that need screwing. Although one might be taken already."

Trixie snorted half-heartedly, but gave a meaningful smile to Vinyl.

"Thanks. I mean, trying to cheer me up."

Vinyl stared for a long moment, but then plopped down on the end of the bed.

"Don't mention it. I don't like seeing ponies around me unhappy. Why do you think I became a musician?"

"Ungodly amount of bits, if fame hits in?" Trixie suggested. Vinyl laughed, then shook her head.

"Well, yeah, that's a bonus, but no. I was... like those dudes and dudettes, who accepted my proposition to do a joint performance. I mean, you couldn't tell if it would be popular, or a total bust. If they only cared about money, they surely wouldn't have agreed. But they did. And for a whole of ten minutes, I lived my dream. I was in the presence of the greatest, and they accepted me."

"Greatest? Sure, I remember you mentioning Octavia, but, um, the others weren't as famous, were they?"

Vinyl simply shrugged.

"To the common pony, maybe not. But take Lyra Heartstrings for example. She invented a new type of lacquer that preserved instruments better, and yet had no effect on their produced sounds. I heard she lived off it's royalties."

"Lacquer?" Trixie asked, shooting up an eyebrow.

"Dope? Enamel? Varnish?"

"Oh, varnish," Trixie nodded sagely. Vinyl grinned a little.

"I figured a nob like you would know the word dudette, but seems like I was wrong."

Trixie huffed with indignation.

"I'll let you know that I'm as amusical as it can be. I once broke a tuba by accident."

The giggle that followed completely destroyed the tension that the ex-showmare had. She took a deep breath.

"All right, all right, I get it. I'll be down in a few minutes, and we can talk about our situation."

"Actually, we were just going to have dinner. Buuuut, if you insist..."

"Ah, go away!" Trixie said, sticking out her tongue. As Vinyl left, a thought started to form in her mind. An idea about binding spells, and a way to uplift Vinyl's spirit, and fighting capabilities at the same time.

It was about time she did something for the others, too.

Interlude one: The confidant

"At ease," said Lightning Dust, signalling the guards to relax. Procedures were over, she was proven to be pony, not changeling, so she proceeded into the princess' room. Very few knew of her true state of being, and even fewer were let inside.

Dust politely waited until Celestia called out to her. The once calm and proud voice of hers now rang weak and tired. Even though her life was not in danger, she exhausted herself beyond belief. Dust saw the wasteland that was left after her rampage, and thought herself lucky to be under her protection. Of sorts. Currently it was more the other way around; Celestia was resting under the guard of her and Diamond Rose's watch.

Meanwhile, the princess stared at her, slow even at blinking. Her mind was in top shape, though. She asked her for frequent updates from the outside, usually twice a day. The current council in power was very diverse; but the absolute power was still held by Celestia, and her representative, Twilight Sparkle. She technically was the governor in her absence, but refused to be called such.

After Dust finished her brief summary, Celestia laid back, staring at the ceiling. Business was as usual: there were some ponies who'd try and make profit from the end of the world, not to mention the times of hardships and misery. Dust prepared to leave, when Celestia's voice called out to her.

"Thank you."

She turned back, surprised at the sudden exclamation.

"It's, uh, no problem, I mean, I just told you what happened." She caught herself at the last moment. "...Your Majesty."

"No, I meant bringing me here," Celestia whispered. "I would have perished had you not come to my rescue."

Dust rubbed the back of her neck, shifting her gaze away.

"Well, I mean, that's my duty, right?"

Celestia gave her a sideway glance, through half-squinted eyes.

"You would be surprised how many would think otherwise in the same situation." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I wish to know more about you. Tell me about yourself, please."

Dust blinked a few times before complying. She told her princess about her childhood, teenage rivalries, and such. She felt that this wasn't the place to show herself in a better light, so she told the truth about the Wonderbolts Academy fiasco. How she endangered everypony, and was a loner until she got her own team. She told her about her comrades, the quirky Raindrops, the noble Thunderlane, and the shy Blossomforth. She told her how the Wonderbolts seemed to get back on track, evolving from flashy showponies to the organisation of the best flyers, what it was created to be.

Celestia listened intently, and Dust had the feeling she understood things which she didn't even mention.

"I have another question," said the princess, "about your predecessor. How was she? Did she do her duty?"

"Um... Well, to be honest, she was kind of a jerk. She had only victory in sight, and once tried to get rid of Soarin for Rainbow. But if you ask about skill and professionalism, she also had those. In short, I think she was a self-serving bastard, but she did her job good...Your Majesty."

"Please, by any means, feel free to drop these honorifics," Celestia said. " You have already proven that you are loyal to Equestria, and to me, there is no greater accomplisment."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Dust said. The alicorn smiled a little.

"Stubborn, are you? Nevertheless, I am quite pleased with your performance. Keep going down further this road, and maybe I'll let you call me Celestia like Twilight."

"She calls you by your name?" Dust asked, thrown off track. "...Ma'am."

Celestia actually chuckled this time.

"Oh no, she absolutely refuses to refer to me by name only. I wouldn't mind, though."

She fell back to her pillow, closing her eyes.

"I think that's enough for now. I do not know how long it will take to replenish my strength, but I will rely on you for protection until then. Have a pleasant day."

Dust nodded, and left the room, taking caution not to make a noise. To her surprise, one of the guards was sleeping.

"Attention!" she said in a slightly raised tone, "You are hereby assigned to latrine duty for the rest of the month! One of you go and fetch somepony to stand guard instead of you! And if I catch any of you snoozing on duty..."

"Won't happen again, Ma'am!" the smarter guard shouted.

Dust nodded, then took off to stride along the corridor. There must have been a better way to organise the guards, but what? She wasn't smart enough for it, she had to admit. Maybe...

She stopped in her tracks. Sure, she hadn't really socialised with Twilight Sparkle, but protecting the princess should be her top priority too, right?

Lightning Dust made way towards Twilight's office. Even though it was assigned to her some time ago, it was still full of keepsakes from some long dead official, or paper-pusher. The only thing that has seemingly changed was the small plaquette reading 'Archmage Twilight Sparkle, Lord Regent of Equestria.' Dust heard that the unicorn wasn't quite satisfied with the title.

When she reached her office, she heard some voices from the inside. Seeing no better option, she knocked loudly on the door, causing a second of silence, before a tired 'Come in!' rang out. Inside was a very bemused Twilight Sparkle, and a smugly smiling Open Book.

"As I was saying, my dear Regent, think about my proposition." Book seemed to overflow with confidence. "Surely you see that control must be asserted by nobles over the various aspects of governing this kingdom."

"I do not wish to discuss this any further."

The stallion shrugged.

"Then our discussion is over... for now."

He marched out with a victorious expression, despite all that has been said. Lightning Dust waited patiently until Twilight bothered to look up to her.

"What do you want?"

"Actually, I came to ask for your help," Dust said, withholding the urge to say something acidic, "but I can see you're quite busy right now. I'll come back later."

"Wait!" Twilight called out as she turned around, "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit... tense nowadays. What do you need help with?"

"I need help with creating a proper guard schedule. Ponies need to be alert from night to day, and the current order is quite ineffective."

Twilight levitated a paper in front of her, as well as a quill and an inkwell. She primly waited until a big drop of ink fell from the quill, then pointed it's feathery end at Dust.

"I need you to tell me the exact composition of the guard."

"Sure," Dust said. "We have five unicorns, capable of identifying shapeshifters, of whom one must always be on duty. Three earth ponies, one bat pony, and eight pegasi."

Since she wasn't any good at reading upside-down, she could only catch Twilight pen down P1 through P8 on the page, before she got confused by the frantic scribbling the unicorn produced. After a few minutes, Twilight put down her quill, and studied the paper intently. She nodded – then she took out another parchment, and repeated the whole process. Thankfully, after checking that one, she simply levitated it to the mildly bemused Dust.

"Here. This should cover the shifts in a weekly basis. I'd advise you not to let them swap their assigned shifts, but bringing in an outsider to replace one of them completely could work."

Lightning glanced at the roster. It was simple, and she could use it as soon as she got back to her office. The other side, though was full of scribbles that made no sense to her; she swore she could read 'the inverse of the logarythm of the integral of the allotted free time,' but couldn't make heads or tails of it. Oh well, she never had interest in paperwork, anyway.

"Thanks," she said. Twilight made a dismissive gesture.

"Don't mention it. In fact, you could start not mentioning it outside. I have a lot of work to do."

Having no further reason to stay, Dust excused herself and set out to find Raindrops somewhere. Hopefully they could start using the new roster soon.

She had absolutely no idea that she was the topic of a heated discussion somewhere in the city. Influential ponies, who gathered with one Purpose; wishing to control the very core of Equestria itself.

"She's becoming very close to the Princess," one said.

"You do not suppose she will be her next pupil?" another asked. The others contemplated this.

"No, I don't think so," said a confident voice, "There would be no gain for the Princess to get close to her. I propose that she is merely a distraction from the Regent."

"I could ask for her hoof in marriage for one of my sons!" an elderly voice offered.

"Oh, of course you could," the confident voice purred, "I'm sure you have a perfect success on that front so far."

"What is your plan, then?" an irritated voice asked. The confident one smiled.

"I say that we disregard Lightning Dust. She probably has no real connection to the Princess. We should focus on getting the Regent on our side, rather."

"And how do you propose we do that?" one asked.

"It's simple. We cut her ties with her past. And to that end... I suggest that we hunt down a fugitive."

Interlude two: Griff off

Equestrians had plenty of existing preconceptions about griffons. They thought of griffon cities as mountainside fortresses with plenty of guards roaming around, decorative, but worthless towers lining the landscape, and houses made mostly of rocks. That was, of course, a meaningless prejudice.

It was a complete coincidence that the capital of the griffon nation looked exactly like that.

There was a single griffon overlooking the silent city from his quarters. His name was Sharptalon. He was also less than pleased.

The news of their crushing defeat reached back to their capital after only one day. All of the invading force, dead. All funding invested in them, gone. Equestria, unconquered.

But what irritated him most was the simple fact that he still did not receive permission to do as he pleased.

He was devilishly cunning. This was not arrogance, it was a fact. Every military action he had his claws in ended in complete and utter victory for the Griffon Empire. Yet the king has not given an order for him to act.

He turned away from the cityscape. Even when furious, he could keep his calm. In a way, that was the most dangerous thing about him.

His quarters had no guards positioned nearby. He would view it as an act of distrust, of course, and would act accordingly. Yet there was a very bored-looking griffon wearing guard uniform in the nearby plaza. His curiousity got the better of him, and he headed down to meet this lone guard.

Strangely enough, the guard didn’t seem to be panicked when he approached. He shifted into a somewhat more alert position, but he neither said or did anything else.

"What are you doing here, soldier?" he said, cutting to the chase. The griffon shrugged.

"Searching for some kind of a restaurant, sir. It's way past lunchtime."

"Is that so? Tell me, why did you think that the Iron District would contain anything related to that?"

The griffon scratched his head with a displeased look.

"I got lost again? Damn…"

Sharptalon raised an eyebrow.

"A city guard that gets lost in his own city? That's one for the jesters."

"I only got transferred here recently, sir," the griffon replied with a slightly annoyed expression. "Something about having problems about the number of griffonnel in the area."

That was true, as far as Sharptalon could tell. That moron brought not only the bulk of the military, but most of the civilian police force with him, too. And now that they've been all slaughtered, there were unfamiliar faces all over the city.

He came to a decision. The most powerful weapon in this case would be information. Information about Equestria, or the High King. Anything he could use to strengthen his position.

"I can offer you a light meal," he said with his least condescending smile. The soldier hesitated, but then nodded slowly.

He wordlessly showed the stranger the way to his strangely common diner. The guard's face made it clear that he expected something far more fancy. Sharptalon smiled inwardly, and signalled his butler to serve dinner.

"So tell me, son, what is your name?" he said while gesturing towards the seats. The soldier took a seat before replying.

"My name is Quiller Palefeather. I was born in the capital, but then we moved west to a smaller village. So technically I'm fairly lost around these streets, but I somehow manage. Nothing too interesting, sir."

Sharptalon gave him a good look. The soldier was a dark shade of brown, with grey feathers around his chest.

"You do not seem too pale, son."

Quiller grimaced in response.

"You should have seen my grandmother, sir. Pure white feathers."

In the meantime, two butlers arrived carrying a few plates of different dishes. Sharptalon immediately turned his attention towards his beefsteak. After all, you have to know what are the really important things in life.

Quiller seemed a bit overwhelmed by the choices, but then he took the plate with roast trout. A casual viewer would have thought of it as a peasant's dinner, but the roast was prepared with special spices that were marinated in olive oil. Adding in the fact that fish was hard to get by near the capital, and you had a dish that could truly be considered a sign of wealth.

For a while, neither of them said anything, but simply enjoyed their respective meals. But as everything, this came to an end, too.

"So tell me, son, why have you joined the military?"

Unlike Equestria, the griffons had a single force uniting the army, the Royal Guard, and a nominal police force. Anyone joining would be transferred to the needed roles immediately.

"I think it was because of my family," Quiller said. "My parents… well, let's just say that I've lived with my grandmother until recently."

He looked up at the High General, and he saw something deep within those eyes.

"I'm not going to let her come to harm," he said with a serious tone.

Sharptalon let out a hearty laugh.

"Well said, boy! At the same time, we're not really at the best position to do so."

"Why?" Quiller asked.

Why not tell him? he thought.

"It's simple my dear griffon. Thanks to that incompetent fool, our military is in ruins. We are ripe for the taking to any advanced nation around us. But to achieve true peace, we need to crush Equestria. They have a certain… knack for toppling empires."

The soldier's voice was full of disbelief.

"Crush Equestria? With what? Negative intentions?"

Sharptalon gave a condescending laugh.

"No, boy. I see no one has thought about this. Griffons view magic as something abominable, chastising the very few mages we were lucky to produce. I, on the other talon, have studied magic extensively. Whatever happened back in Equestria, I'm fairly sure Celestia did it. What little we could gather, I could also deduce that she is most likely recovering from the backlash. Therefore this is the prime opportunity to remove her from the picture."

"There's still one more alicorn alive." Quiller's voice was calm.

Sharptalon raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, banished to the moon. What is your point?"

"If things are truly as you say, wouldn't killing Celestia free her sister from her imprisonment? I mean, sooner or later... sir."

"Ah, but she was always the one to be influenced from the outside, yes? I will offer her a place befitting of her; the queen of an empire."

Clank.

Quiller paid no attention to the tableware he just sweeped to the floor, and instead glared at Sharptalon.

"Queen?! You mean, you would turn her against her own people?"

"Why not?" the High General asked calmly. "They never appreciated her anyway. With her on my side... I could become the next emperor."

"What?!" Quiller shouted. "That's treason!"

"I don't care," said Sharptalon. "No one can crush my ambition. I've worked hard to reach the place I am today, and I don't intend to stop here. I want to be a legend, with an empire worthy being called such! Too long have we bowed to those we should rule by right! And if that dim-witted 'Emperor' stands in my way, I'll just remove him by force!"

"You're insane!" Quiller spat. He frantically rushed out of the room, nearly pushing the two butlers over.

"Tsk, tsk," Sharptalon said. "It seems I require your services once again, Gorebeak."

The left butler bowed.

"Of course, sir."

The following day, he hummed a happy tune as he prepared for his regular audience with the king. Gorebeak never let him down. Sure, he'll have to do without his services for a few days, but after he erased every trace of that soldier, he'll be back with a polite nod to serve him again.

As usual, the High King made him wait a good ten minutes before calling him into the audience chamber. Sharptalon said nothing about his little power plays, but made a mental note of them everytime, to bring them up later, in a more... restrained environment.

"Sharptalon," the king said wryly as he entered the room. "It seems you have been accused of various misdeeds... as usual."

The High General flashed a cocky smile.

"Just so, Your Majesty, but I can assure you, it is but baseless rumour."

"... if that dim-witted 'Emperor' stands in my way, I'll just remove him by force!"

All colour left Sharptalon's face.

"Who? What...?"

The king looked at him as one would look at an insect.

"It is over, Sharptalon. This ridiculous game of cat and mouse I had to play with you for years had finally come to an end. Did you think I would just sit by while you try to dethrone me? Only your popularity kept you alive. If I executed you for no reason, a riot could have broken out. But now... this... this is exactly what I needed. Solid proof of your treason. It's over, Sharptalon. As of now, you have no one left on your side."

To the kings surprise, Sharptalon laughed manically.

"...Heh... Well done, boy, whereever you are."

...In a mountain a good day's flight from the griffon capital, a single griffon looked over the plains beginning at the root of the mountain.

He smirked to himself. To anyone he came into contact with, he would be known as 'Quiller.' He found it quite ironic that he chose a name that represented the core of him in the very nation's language he was infiltrating.

Of course, things had not gone according to plan. But, unlike a certain pony, he had much more success improvising.

For example, getting invited to the very house of the one he was spying on.

If he hadn't that magical object on him, there would have been trouble. Thankfully, griffons in general hadn't seen magical artifacts, and even Sharptalon couldn't decipher the purpose of it, provided he had the chance to spot it in the first place.

That artifact now laid in the talons of the High King, replaying every single word of their conversation at the push of a button.

Of course, there was the chance that he wouldn't spill a single valuable piece of information. That was overcame with a good sleight of the claw. Hidden in the sleeve of his uniform was a certain mixture that found its way into the melted wax of the burning candles. As they waned, most of it evaporated, causing the High General to become more... talkative.

He chuckled to himself again. Technically, he didn't tell a single lie. He simply didn't mention a few facts. For instance, his grandmother indeed had the purest white feathers you've ever seen.

Her mane and tail would have been a different matter, though.

Getting the artifact to the High King was easier than expected. As soon as he got rid of the butler, he was apprehended by royal guards. It seems he really kept a watchful eye on Sharptalon.

He shrugged, as if answering a question.

It wasn't as if he was prepared for the butler. As he jumped out of the shadows with two large scimitars, 'Quiller' nearly had a heart attack.

But that was behind him, and the butler was left in a dark alleyway charred, and smoking.

'Quiller' shook his wings. Blending in is fine, and such, but the fake wings he was disguised with still couldn't carry him. He spoke the word releasing the seal on his disguise.

The person standing on the mountain could no longer be called a griffon. He nonchalantly stood up on his two legs, and cracked his somewhat elongated neck.

"Seriously, it was really hard not to eat all those gemstones they paraded around with."

He brought a claw to scratch one of his purple scales. His next task laid in the Crystal Empire. He hoped for an easier job this time.

After all, he did save them from a bloodthirsty tyrant.

Chapter nine: Tales of Equestria (part 1)

There are some ponies who consider a silent day spent in bed a worthwhile pastime. Cloudchaser was not one of them. A week has passed since she regained consciousness, and it only caused her to thoroughly come to hate beds. She ached for the freedom of flight, or movement, at least. That day, she drew the line. Despite the protests of Zecora, she got out of bed, and went outside to get some mild exercise.

After a few careful stretches, she was very pleased to find out that her experiences had not dulled her athletic abilities. She started with a light jog, but soon switched to sit-ups, then finally she spread her wings, and ascended into the sky.

She could feel a part of her become more and more invigorated with each passing second in the air. Her elation had not eaten into her reason, though, and she'd kept her altitude low.

When she finally got tired of flying, she landed next to a barrel Zecora was using to gather rainwater. She punched and kicked it a few times, dissatisfied with the results.

Then, an image flashed in her mind.

The image of a certain stallion.

The things he'd done.

...She only came to her senses when she felt a stinging pain in her hindlegs. Looking back, she noticed not only that it was dripping wet, but a light wound ran along the back of it.

The barrel wasn't better off, either. One of its beams broke from the impact of her kick, and nearly all of the water spilt out.

"You hold back too much anger. I fear it puts you in danger."

She spun around, but relaxed when she saw Zecora lightly tilting her head to catch her gaze. The zebra stepped closer.

"Destruction is not the way, learn that, or be led astray."

Cloudchaser could feel the heat rise inside.

"It's not, is it? Then tell me, what should've been the fate of the bastard who raped me over and over again, and murdered my sister and best friend? Should I have showered him with flowers? Answer me!"

Zecora's expression became stiffer.

"I said that not, now calm your head! Let the dead be simply dead."

"Oooh, so I should forget about them because they are dead?" she asked in a mocking tone.

Zecora stomped with her hooves, startling Cloudchaser a little.

"No! Vengeful you must not be, to truly honor their memory. The world has not stopped, evil is afoot, but you must not do the things that they would. If the evil meet death in your wake, what sort of pony does that you make?"

The pegasus turned away her head.

"I don't need your lecture."

Zecora spoke no more, and Cloudchaser could hear her the sound of her hoofsteps fading.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself.

Sweet Apple Acres was... different from how Raindrops remembered it. The apple fields were still there, sure, and the barn and the farmhouse barely changed. Their surroundings, on the other hoof...

Several sheds and buildings used for storage were erected since the last time she visited the farm. A lot of farming equipment lay in order, waiting for their turn to be used. The most glaring difference, however, was the bustling. Ponies going about their business, reaping harvest, storing crops...

Raindrops knew that earth ponies had a nearly absurd affinity to grow crops, but this was ridiculous. They were so far into autumn that most of the trees had already turned brown, if not barren... yet the earth ponies still managed to grow an absurd amount of various crops and vegetables, amassing a respectable amount of food for the winter.

Which, coincidentally, was the very reason for her being here.

As she shuffled through the papers the other day, she noticed an article about Ponyville strengthening its position despite the nationwide stagnation. Since the Wonderbolts could care less about logistics, it fell to her, the vice-captain, to actually see if their deals were ideal, and most importantly, providing them with sustenance during the winter. Thankfully, she had asked Dust to have a little chat about the funding of the Wonderbolts with the Princess. (Since they were a part of the military, as state of things currently were, maintenance was fully paid by the government.)

The only thing to do was to locate a negotiator, or such, and haggle through a boring deal by sundown. Problem was, even though the company was named 'Apple Trust', that only meant that a member of the Apple family was the chairman... or so Raindrops figured. Still, the Ponyville coalition of farmers emerged sometime after Rainbow Dash's incarceration and escape, and they had a rough outline of an agreement with the Wonderbolts. Problem was, the food they offered was not nearly enough. That should be rectified soon, though.

She noticed Berry Punch trot out of a building, carrying a medium-sized barrel on her back. She swept in, hoping to get some pointers.

"Berry!" she said as she extended a hoof. The purple mare's face brightened up as she grabbed it.

"Drops! I haven't seen you in ages! How are things going?"

Raindrops did a vague gesture.

"Not bad, if you don't count a few unpleasant surprises. I'm actually vice-captain of the Wonderbolts now."

Berry Punch's eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as she stared at her dumbfounded.

"Wow..." she finally said, "that's quite an accomplishment. You're here for business, then?"

Raindrops nodded.

"Yes, that is correct. I wish to speak to the pony in charge of negotiating larger orders."

"You're looking for Mac, then," Berry said. "I think I saw him near the barn."

"Thanks Berry," said Raindrops. "Maybe we should gather for whiskey and cigars tonight?"

Berry gave out a short laugh.

"Yeah, right, 'cigars.' In all seriousness, though, I'm free tomorrow for a bit of a chat, or maybe a few shots of that whiskey you mentioned?" she added with a wink.

Raindrops chuckled, and waved goodbye as she headed for the barn. A few ponies passed her, but everypony was more interested in their own businesses than her. When she finally reached the barn, she immediately noticed the familiar stature of Mac conversing with a smaller, greyish white unicorn. She couldn't quite make out what they talked about, but as soon as Mac noticed her, he gestured the other pony to leave. He waited patiently for her to reach him, stretching his hooves.

"Howdy, Miss Raindrops," he said, while nodding.

"Hello, Macintosh. I understand you handle negotiations...?"

Mac motioned towards the farmhouse.

"Ah think we should sit down to discuss business."

Raindrops made no objection, and so they relocated to the Apple family house. Inside was a fairly large table set up very close to the door – something Raindrops remembered to be a bit different.

"Can Ah get you something to drink? Nothing alcoholic, though."

"... A cup of tea, then, thank you very much."

Mac nodded, and disappeared for a moment through a door, but came back nearly immediately. They both took a seat, and Raindrops decided not to beat around the bush.

"Mac, I'll be straight and blunt: I need provisions for the Wonderbolts. At the very least, for the winter, but I wouldn't oppose a continous contract either."

Mac eyed her with care.

"How many ponies are we talkin' about?"

"At the moment, one hundred and fifty-three, including recruits. Although normally we don't house and feed them, a change in the training regime means that we'll have to accomodate them for maximum efficiency."

At that remark, Pinkie Pie entered the room, balancing two cups in a tray on her head. She somehow managed to place both of them in front of them, not spilling a drop despite her broad and sudden movements.

"Sugar?" she asked in a cheery tone.

"Just one," Raindrops replied. "Also, a bit of milk, if you would be so kind."

"Sure!" said Pinkie, her grin cheerful as always. She put a spoon in the prepared tea, and grabbed the now empty tray. "See you later!"

She practically bounced out of the room, only stopping to give a small peck on the cheek to Mac. By the time Raindrops blinked in surprise, she was gone.

"I'm sorry, but... are you... are you involved?"

To her surprise, Mac sported a bit embarassed expression.

"It's a bit... more complicated than that..."

Raindrops waited for the continuation, but Mac seemed content with that much explanation. While part of her really wanted to hear some gossip on the topic, she focused on the more pressing matter.

"So... As I've said, provisions for 153 ponies, including grain, vegetables, and fruits, for the rest of autumn, and winter. Can you supply us with it, or not?"

A calculating expression returned to Mac's face.

"Theoretically, yes. On the other hoof, that is a reasonably big chunk of food, and we're tryin' to get our produce to areas where food production has dropped. You guys aren't exactly the poorest fellas around."

"We are prepared to pay double the price for everything in exchange for absolute priority over any other customers you might have."

Mac stared at the wall with a serious expression. He looked like he was thinking about something really complex, but finally turned back to face Raindrops.

"All right. Double the price, all orders take priority, an' Ah'll arrange the transportation, too. Am Ah right in thinkin' that ya prepared a contract?"

Raindrops flashed a smile.

"Why yes, of course. Here, read through, and sign at the bottom."

While Mac studied the paper, she took a sip from her tea. It wasn't the brand she liked, but at least it was black tea. When she finished her cup, the contract was sitting in front of her, signed.

"Pleasure doing business with you. Please send the first batch to us by next Tuesday. Oh, and thanks for the tea."

Mac watched silently as Raindrops left, not moving until he heard a voice from behind him.

"So, what's exactly your plan?"

Mac turned around, smiling confidently.

"Ya remember Glassbender's request for fundin'?"

"Yeah, a bunch of bits. The connection is...?"

"Well, he said that if we fund him, he can make greenhouses that can grow vegetables during the winter."

Braeburn raised an eyebrow.

"That's nice an' all, but you have to keep 'em warm during the night, too."

"Ah think he addressed that one, too. His plans made sense, an' you know that he's made wonders with the town hall's windows."

Braeburn sighed, but made no further comment. As if to a cue, the front door opened, and a rather scruffy-looking pegasus peeked in.

"Boss, there's somepony to see you."

"Ah'll be right there. Also, Ah told ya that ya don't need to call me 'boss'."

The stallion nodded.

"Sorry, boss."

Mac and Braeburn exchanged a quick glance, then both of them walked out to greet their guests.

Living in Trottingham proved to be easier than Rainbow anticipated. Regardless of Trixie's combat aptitude, her illusions were both convincing, and lasting. With a simple spell, and a trinket, which allowed the wielder to enter the manor, they were completely free to make trips into the town. Thankfully, Trottingham laid next to an important trade route, so it wasn't unusual for new ponies to show up daily. It also served as a source of valuable information; not only rumours, but states of the settlements of Equestria too.

The stallions chose to sleep in the servant's quarters, Luna moved into the observatory, Vinyl and Rainbow shared Trixie's room, and the changelings got the main bedroom, used long ago by Trixie's parents. As for Trixie, she theoratically slept in the same room as Rainbow and Vinyl, but she spent most evenings in her father's study, slumped out in the chair, with various papers of magical theory scattered about. It seemed like she had doubled the effort to converse with the victims' ghosts, because her own notes started growing to a respectable size. Unfortunately, most of them were red herrings; a suspicious pony from one testimony turning out to be a sewage specialist, as explained by other witnesses.

Still, she somehow seemed less hindered by all the false leads than before; since reading that letter, she mellowed out a little. She at least responded to small talk, though she would not initiate it.

Currently, though, Rainbow was mostly alone. 'Mostly', because she didn't really feel like talking to the changelings, but apart from them, nopony was available. Luna and Trixie were training, and the others had gone to town for supplies and info.

Feeling a bit lonely, Rainbow decided to sleep through the interim. She arranged her bed until it was perfect for a nap, laid down her head, and...

...signalled the others to follow her. They all arrived in the study, with an ominous-looking book laying on the table.

"Is this it?" Shining asked. Trixie's reply was a simple nod. Shining stepped closer, and began reading.

Everything stirred, and Rainbow could feel some time passing. The room was mainly the same, but Trixie now faced Vinyl. She seemed a bit nervous. Vinyl, however, raised an eyebrow.

"So dudette, you're saying that this is the original? How did you find it then?"

"I..." Trixie hesitated. "I found it in the house of – "

A wet, squishy sound could be heard. Trixie looked down, and saw a sword sticking out of her chest. She collapsed wordlessly.

"What the...?" Vinyl was unable to finish. Shining threw a whole cupboard at her, and a sickeningly loud crunch could be heard. Rainbow couldn't see her body anymore, but a pool of blood started to extend from under the debris.

Shining then started to scream. He ran back to the book, and stared at it, all while his face started to twitch. Rainbow was too scared to move.

Suddenly, Shining went silent. He frantically scanned the room, and finally stopped to pick up a letter opener. Slowly, he turned towards Rainbow, his movements irregular.

Rainbow froze. Her breathing stopped, and she could only stare in his eyes. She saw something in there... a strange glint...

Shining raised the knife...

...and stabbed it in his own throat.

Rainbow's eyes popped open. A sudden movement made her fall off her bed, but she couldn't care less.

"What... whatwhatwhatwhatwhaaaat?"

She got on her hooves, and circled around the room a few times to calm herself down. She only stopped when she heard the door opening.

"Are you all right?" the voice of the male changeling came. Rainbow relaxed her stance – she didn't even notice that she took up a fighting position.

"Yeah, it's nothing, um..."

"It's Mordant," he said with only the slightest hint of accusation in his voice. Rainbow sighed.

"Sorry, I'm a bit bad with names. Are Trixie and the princess still up in the attic?"

"Yes, they are upstairs, in the observatory," said Mordant. Rainbow paid him no further attention, and ran for the stairs as fast as she could. When she got close, she could catch Luna's voice explaining something to Trixie.

"... No, that wasn't right. At all. I am afraid I have to say that was absolutely useless."

"Yes, I think I got it the first time. Why aren't we practicing ice spells? Those seemed to work out."

"Trixie, you always stop at the point where things start to become difficult and complex. How do you hope to utilise your magic, if you only touch the surface of a subject?"

"You yourself told me that we need to improve my basics. That was not basic. At all."

"Indeed, but you need to—"

That was the exact moment that Rainbow arrived to the room. Both of them turned to her, having a questioning expression.

"Sorry to interrupt, but... I think you need to hear this."

Rainbow told them about her dream, not leaving out a detail. When she finished, she looked at Luna with a worried expression.

"So? What do you think, Princess?"

"This is... disturbing, at the very least," said Luna. "There is but one book I can think of that we would be interested in right now."

"I'm more curious as to why he went mad just because he took a glance at it."

"It might have been an enchantment. There might have been one put on it to prevent ponies from reading it... Although I know not what could be written inside that would warrant such measures. Maybe we should go over the basics of enchanting – most unicorns can create enchantments, and while the potency and longevity differs from person to person, they can give an important edge in every territory of life."

"Can you enchant something to have such potency as if you cast the spell right then?" said Trixie. Luna gave a nod.

"Yes, but usually it takes several times the magical output to do so. Unless it's a very specific spell, you are better off casting it normally."

"I see. Can they be undone? Can you stop enchantments with spells? Or spells with enchantments?"

"All in time, Trixie," Luna said while giving a vague gesture. "I think we should take a short break before resuming. I will get some refreshments, then I'll be right back."

Luna trotted down the stairs, leaving the two alone. Rainbow pawed at the ground weakly.

"Um... Would you mind if I stayed here? I don't feel really comfortable right now."

Trixie shrugged.

"Sure. If you don't mind me bumbling around and screwing up spells."

Rainbow shivered.

"No, really, anything would be better than remembering a madpony enchanting a book to keep it's contents hidden. I can't even imagine anypony now who would do such a thing."

"Well, there's the killer," Trixie pointed out. "Albeit... you might actually be right."

"Huh?"

"I'm saying that maybe it wasn't the current owner who enchanted the book... but the author themselves."

"What? What for?"

"That I don't know. It's just a hunch anyway, you don't need to pay too much attention to it."

As she watched Trixie's forced smile, Rainbow began to think that maybe this dream was a key to something she didn't really want to know about.

Far away, in a small town in the middle of the coutryside, many ponies were gathered inside a spacious building. All of them were wearing formal clothing, and were waiting for one pony.

Namely, the bride. The wedding proceeded so far without a hitch, but the groom's family requested a traditional ceremony, with priest and all. It proved to be a bit difficult to get one versed in marriage rites, but fortunately, they found one in time.

Said priest was dressed in a simple white garb, that left her cutie mark visible. The groom wondered what the point of connection was between a piece of jewellery and being a priest, but turned his gaze away quickly when the pink priest noticed his stares. She was a bit on the young side, too, come to think of it.

Finally, the door opened, and the bride marched in alone to solemn music. She walked up to the groom, and flashed him the sweetest smile he'd ever seen. The music died out, and they both turned to the priest.

"Right," she said, "let's get this over with."

The groom raised an eyebrow, but let it slip. The priest cleared her throat.

"Right. I now pronounce you dead and colt. You may not kill the groom."

Confusion swept through the room, ponies turning and whispering to each other. The priest continued on.

"Proper Stead, I ask you to stand down under accusations of marriage fraud, several times, if I might add, robbery, theft, and one case of attempted, and several cases of probable murder."

The bride's face distorted under her veil, and she bucked towards the priest, who could barely jump out of the way. She then turned around, throwing away her dress, and running straight for the exit.

Thwang.

The bride fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of her left shoulder. An eerily pleasant voice rang out in the room.

"Now, I'd advise you to stay down, because I get the same amount of bits, whether I bring you in dead, or alive. Got it, pal?"

A bulky, brown mare stood up from the crowd, pulling out a length of a rope from under her seat. She proceeded to unceremoniously tie up the bride, while the owner of the pleasant voice, a hooded mare, walked up to the priest, and helped her stand up. Afterwards, she turned to the stirring crowd. She pulled back her hood, revealing her white coat, and cropped pink-purplish mane. The most disturbing was the large scar across her face, however.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" she said, grabbing the attention of everyone, "I'm sorry for interrupting your ceremony, but we had to. Let me introduce ourselves. We are the DBS, professional headhunters. Now, some of you might say 'That's no reason to shoot a mare, is it?' and normally, they would be right. But, as you can see here..." A plain piece of paper with a pony's portrait flew out from under her robe. "...That mare is a criminal, suspected with killing quite a few stallions, and taking their fortunes." She turned to the dumbfounded groom. "Better luck next time, pal."

An angry pony trotted up to her, and snatched the paper from her. After a brief glance, his expression changed, and started looking at the members of the DBS differently. He finally nodded, and the three mares left the scene, leaving behind only a small pool of blood.

Later that day, the trio was back in their office, counting the money they got from delivering Proper Stead, the 'Black Widow'.

"That wasn't bad, for such a simple job," Babs said. Diamond Tiara snorted.

"Please. I've seen connoisseurs make more money."

"What's a can-o'-sir?" Babs asked, a bit confused. Sweetie paid them no mind. Hunting bounties actually profited quite well, and on the upside, they were making Equestria safer. If only something big came up...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a polite knock on their door. Without waitng for an answer, a slim, prim, middle-aged stallion entered the room.

"Excuse me. I wonder if I'm bothering you at the right moment?"

"We're not open. Your disappeared cat can wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, I'm not here about simple cats," the stallion said. Sweetie narrowed her eyes.

"We're not taking hit jobs. Only legal bounties, issued by the government."

The stallion seemed unfazed.

"I can assure you, it is completely legal. And, on the other side, it pays quite well."

Diamond snorted.

"Yes, I can imagine. You will offer us a thousand bits to take care of some business partner—"

"My employer is ready to pay a fifty thousand bits if you can hunt down the dangerous criminal known as Rainbow Dash."

The room froze.

"Speak." Sweetie's voice was cold.

"Thank you. My employers wish to see the fugitive brought to justice. As I've said, they are willing to pay fifty thousand for the dead body of Rainbow Dash. Additionally, she's known to have escaped with three ponies. Another twenty thousand is in for you, if you take care of the former guard captain, Shining Armor. The two accomplices that were last seen with them, will net you five thousand each... if the primary targets are dead."

"Sixty for Rainbow, and thirty for Shining," Sweetie said.

"Ya what?!" Babs shouted. Sweetie paid her no mind, instead fixating on the stallion. He didn't seem intimidated.

"The price is not negotiable, I'm afraid. If you do not accept our offer, I shall leave."

"We'll take it," Sweetie said. "Contract."

The stallion smiled slightly, and produced papers covered in fine print. Sweetie tossed them to Tiara, and she had a quick glance at them.

"Seems legit," she said. "I recognise this crest. Contract seems valid, too."

"All I needed to hear."

Without further ado, Sweetie signed at the bottom, and gave back one copy. The stallion smiled, and pulled out a dossier.

"This contains the results of the investigations conducted after their escape. It also contains reports of sightings, but I would take them with a cup of salt, mind you. I'm sure you don't need my guidance to do this."

"Damn right," said Sweetie. "Now, if you would excuse us, we have some discussing to do."

The stallion bowed slightly, and left. A certain brown mare ready to explode stayed, however.

"What the hay, Sweetie? Huntin' down Rainbow Dash? I expected somethin' like that from Diamond—"

"Thanks," Tiara said.

"—but not from ya! She was yer sister's best friend!"

"Was," Sweetie pointed out coolly. "Besides, I'm not interested in Rainbow Dash."

Babs wrinkled her nose.

"Then what?"

Sweetie's voice slowly distorted as she spoke.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm after the bastard who either killed, or let my sister die! I don't care what happens to Rainbow, but I'll have Shining Armor's head!"

She took a few deep breaths, then turned her attention back to the dossier.

"I hope that we'll find at least something useful in this."

Applejack fought in quite a few life-threatening situations, but none as dangerous as her own brother giving her a hug. She swore she could feel her bones creak as the stallion just grabbed her into the tightest situation of her life. Hearing Braeburn smirk from the sidelines didn't really help, either.

After what seemed a lifetime for her lungs, Mac loosened his grasp, and she not as much fell as melted to the ground. Being an Apple, however, she was back on her hooves in less than a second.

"Mac, Ah swear you've gotten stronger since last time," Applejack said. Mac shrugged.

"Ah have friendly wres'lin' matches with a bear."

"Ye... Ya...Yu... You what?" Applejack really hoped she'd misheard.

"Fluttershy says it's good fer both of us. Persn'ly, Ah don' really know if that's the case." Mac was as laid-back as ever. Applejack tried to read him, but she couldn't tell if he was serious or not. She finally shrugged, and turned to Braeburn.

"Nice to see you too, cousin."

Braeburn flashed her a smile.

"Likewise. Ah think Ah'll stay from huggin', for your sake."

"'Preciate it."

Mac cleared his throat.

"Say, AJ, I think Pinkie and Fluttershy wanted to talk to ya about somethin'. They're in the house right now."

Applejack glanced at her brother.

"Well, whaddaya know, I have this sudden urge to speak with them! See you later."

Mac waited until his sister disappeared from sight, then nodded to Braeburn. The cowboy took the hint, and quickly left. Mac turned to Redblood.

"Care for a little walk?"

The prince seemed unsure.

"Cer...tainly?"

Redblood followed Mac to what he supposed was a quite fresh sowing area. Some short fences were strewn around to obstruct ponies from going in between the crop lines, leaving spaces wide enough for a cart to pass through. Nopony seemed to be in the immediate vicinity.

"So Ah've heard ya've spent quite some time with my sister."

Redblood stopped. Mac's face was unreadable, not threatening, but there was something in his voice that made him wary.

"I will not deny it."

"Ah also heard that the first time ya've tried her cookin', ya said it was 'like country fair food', an' you've referred to her several times as a commoner."

"... I cannot deny that either," said Redblood. "I do would like to point out that I do not think of her that way anymore."

Mac raised an eyebrow.

"Really? What would change yer mind, o prince?"

Redblood took a deep breath.

"Do you know who was among the first ones to be arrested for being blue? My personal chef. Oh, the actual reason was different, charges of embezzlement, and such. But the underlying meaning was there. And things that start change... are things that affect you personally. I was dumbfounded. Then I was angry. When I heard the same propaganda from the council, too, I... started shouting. Then my aunt had to banish her sister again, for whose return she patiently waited a thousand years."

"Things like that... pushed me over the edge. I started to think about preconceptions, and... well, I came to the conclusion that maybe not everything I've been told was true..." He noticed Mac's expression. "Hey, I had to start somewhere!"

"Still," he continued, "I've started thinking, and that brought us to where we are now. I think that I've made plenty of mistakes judging ponies in general, but I'm getting better about it. Is this what you wanted to hear?"

"Actually, no," said Mac. "Ah was hoping ya'd drop some hints to yer attitude, to measure ya up... This was clearly more 'an that." He looked at Redblood shiftily. "So whaddaya think? 'Bout our family, Ah mean. Ah want the truth."

"Think?" Redblood seemed distant. "I don't really know what to think. I know what you do is important, more so since the starvation in some cities, but... I can't imagine myself doing the same. Even if my life depended on it. Even though I no longer think less of ponies involved in farmwork, I still think it's a taxing job without benefits."

"It is, in a way," Mac said. "The whole point in it is to create somethin' that's both needed an' tasty. And at the end of the day, Ah have mah pride for keepin' all this together."

Redblood kept silent for a while, but then burst out.

"All right, I've answered your questions, now tell me, what was the point of all this? Why are you so interested in me?"

Mac gave him a... certain type of look.

"Well, as the saying goes 'round they parts, 'pay attention to the colt who intends to fuck yer sister.'"

It was just as well that Redblood wasn't drinking anything, because he'd have been choking right there and then.

"Excuse me?" he said, trying to sound more indignant than panicky.

"Do you deny it?" Mac asked. He looked calm, but there was a certain edge to his voice. Somehow, it had the opposite effect on the unicorn, and he felt his temper rise.

"Why not?" he said. "I mean, if she's fine with it, I would be, too."

"Is that all?" Mac asked, his voice further losing warmth.

Redblood told him of the evening they spent together in Canterlot, in a not too posh, but somewhat still elegant restaurant, talking about each other, and their pasts; her mentioning an episode from her fillyhood, the time when she lived with her aunt and uncle; feelings and impressions of ponies close and far to her, and the perfect end to the evening, which may have included a kiss and nothing more... At least, he could have told him that.

Instead, he said, "If I wanted nothing but a cheap affair, I would have gone to Madam Beaver's Boarding house, or would have bedded one of the hangers-on that always show up, hoping to leech off me. I can't tell you my intentions, because... frankly, I'd rather be elaborating them to Applejack."

Mac's expression had only the hint of a smile.

"Well done. You might find me a bit overprotective, but—"

"BIG MACINTOSH APPLE!"

The voice that shouted with such righteous indignation caught both of them off-guard. They turned to the direction of the farmhouse, from where an orange blur stormed through the fields, followed by a pink, and a less pink streak, a heartbeat later. All said, Applejack could really storm. It was part of her job, after all.

Mac seemed to shrink a little as she got closer, but his stance remained firm and upright.

"So it begins," he muttered under his breath.

Applejack actually caused a small dust cloud to rise when she stopped in front of her brother. She took a deep breath, and spoke in a tone that the stallions filed under 'dangerously friendly.'

"Mac," she began, "ya remember that time when I said you'd be enough for two mares? I was joking!"

"Look, AJ—"

"Don't 'look' me, mister! I come home, have a chat with my friends, and they tell me you're swingin' both their barn doors?!"

"Um, Applejack... " Fluttershy began, but it was like trying to steer a boat with a spoon.

"What were you thinking? Is it some sort of reward for taking them in?!"

"No, actually..." A brick would've paid more attention.

"I mean, if there was something, but you weren't even flirting with anypony—"

"WE HAD DATES!" Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs, startling Applejack, and nearly giving a heart attack to Redblood. Applejack shifted her gaze to Fluttershy.

"Surely you mean the fruit?" she asked with suspicion. Fluttershy shook her head, and shrunk back under the sudden attention. Pinkie gave her a reassuring pat on the back, and the timid pegasus started speaking softly and slowly.

"Sometime after I helped out Mac when he lost his voice, he insisted we go somewhere so he could repay me. It... became a date. There were some more... but it ended..."

"Ended?" Applejack asked, unable to string some coherent thoughts together. Fluttershy nodded.

"Yes. It was because... because..."

"Because you were afraid to take it further," Mac said quietly. Wordlessly, Fluttershy nodded again.

"Okay, I think I get it. Old flame, new flame," Applejack said, desperately fighting the mental image. "But Pinkie, I don't remember you..."

Her voice trailed off, because Pinkie looked embarassed. Embarassed. Applejack wanted a wall that she could ram her head against until things started to make sense again.

"Weeeell... How should I say this?" Pinkie's expression was of one who never had to be tactful up to this point. "You know, I hop, skip and jump everywhere in Ponyville? But maybe I hopped, skipped and jumped around these parts a bit more frequently when you weren't around? Saying 'good day' to a friend I happened to bump into? Share a cupcake I accidentally brought with me? Making inappropriate remarks about farming equipment?"

"What remarks?"

The one who talked was Redblood, for whose face the word 'confusion' would not have done justice. Applejack suddenly found that her cheeks were burning.

"Eh...Uh... I guess you heard everything?"

"No, not a word. My question was entirely unrelated," he said, still bemused. Pinkie took a deep breath.

"Well, you know how ponies say that a pitchfork—"

"No! Please! Don't!" Applejack said hurriedly. She found that during her brief lapse of attention, her two friends stood beside Mac.

"It wasn't just that," Pinkie said. "When he came... he was like a hero of legends. It made me fall for him all over again."

"It was like that for me, too," Fluttershy added. "But the true reason was... his kindness that he showed me, and to my animal friends. I ... guess..." She trailed off. "theoldflamedidntexactlydieout..."

Applejack's gaze fluttered between the trio several times. After about a minute of this, she grabbed Pinkie's shoulder.

"Cider."

"Sure!" Pinkie beamed, and started hopping back to the house, followed by Applejack. Fluttershy gently nuzzled Mac, then hurried after them.

Redblood opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. His gaze met with Mac's, and to his surprise, the red stallion actually grinned.

"The irony, eh?"

Dinnertime came fast, even though watching Trixie practice wasn't really a fun way to pass time. Still, Rainbow found it oddly calming to watch her cast, screw up, and curse because of spells. She only stopped when Vinyl arrived back alone. As she explained, the stallions found something that they deemed important enough to investigate, but forgot to tell anything about it to her.

Luna stared at Vinyl just a little longer the latter was comfortable with.

"I hope we won't be regretting this later," she said finally.

"Dunno," Vinyl said, "I guess they know their stuff well enough to decide if it was worth it."

"The less said, the better," Trixie added. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. As for now... Can I ask you to leave? Except you, Vinyl."

In a few moments, the room was bare save the two unicorns. Vinyl raised an eyebrow.

"Dudette, you're being very mysterious and stuff right now."

"I didn't intend to be," said Trixie while placing two small onyx statuettes on the floor. "The truth is, I've been thinking about things that happened to you... and came to the conclusion that you might need some... closure."

Vinyl's raised eyebrow wrinkled back at once.

"What closure?"

Instead of replying, Trixie's horn lit up, and she pointed to the two statuettes. A small trail of bright, wispy white magic swiweled out of her horn, and slowly connected them. When the light subdued, only two floating figures remained.

Floating figures Vinyl knew well.

"Good evening," said Octavia.

Diamond Rose stood uneasy in Twilight's office. General Purpose was present, too, looking none too pleased. The fourth pony in the room was an older stallion, with a respectful, if uncaring expression.

"As I've said many times before, we need weapons and armor," said the general. "The current equipment is... less than satisfying."

"And as I've said just as many times before, we do not have the resources to do that."

The general's face began to redden at the sight of the completely calm stallion.

"For sun's sake, fool, look at our neighbours! They didn't spare funding to arm their troops!"

"Their countries don't have to deal with imminent starvation either," Twilight said silently, not even bothering to look up from a paper she was reading. The general walked up to her desk, and slammed down very hard.

"How in the nine blazes did it become starvation anyway? Get food and supplies from Azure City, and that's that!"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that, general."

Rose paid very close attention to Twilight Sparkle. She was practically in charge, with Celestia resting most of the time. Even so, her thought processes were very hard to follow. Still, when Rose heard her say 'Even I don't have access to Azure City,' next, she could perceive regret, and... anger? The general was not a stallion of finesse, so he could only feel the very sharp stare Twilight pointed at his hooves. He hurriedly took them off the desk, but did not back off.

"Still, you could stop supplies from going in! Don't spend our resources feeding criminals!"

"I am not," said Twilight coldly. "No shipments whatsoever enter Azure City."

The general looked taken aback.

"What, nothing at all?"

"Not even a cart of hay," Twilight said. "And thankfully, we've got a contract offer from a certain Green Soylent, who did charity in the Brideaux area. I've heard he'd distributed his brand of, well..." She ruffled through some papers, faster than an average pony could even perceive them. "...Everything," she finished curtly. "It seems to me that this one pony solves more of our problems than the entire military and police force combined."

Ah, there it is, Rose thought, the usual red-around-the-neck expression.

Indeed, the general looked liked he was ready to explode. Still, he opted to swallow back his cusswords, and stormed out of the office. The older stallion made a polite, if a bit archaic gesture, and left, too. Rose was left alone with the most powerful unicorn in the country – speaking in political terms, of course. Still, if she considered the fact that Twilight was the student of the princess, it would be wise to think she had a tremendous amount of magical power as well.

"So? What are you still waiting around for?"

Rose nearly flinched when the irritated voice reached her ears. She still managed to hide her surprise, though.

"I'm waiting for your approval to start training the new police recruits with the CCF."

Twilight laughed bitterly.

"Is that it? Seems like everypony wants something from me nowadays. Money, power, legal authority, matrimony... Why do you need my consent, anyway?"

Rose kept her expression neutral.

"Police needs to be legal. It holds up the law. I have confidence that you possess the acceptance of the princess."

Twilight sighed.

"Is that so? I envy you."

She snagged a paper from the pile, and ran through it quickly. After stamping it, she gave it to Diamond Rose.

"You are right. We need proper order. I'm leaving the details to you, but rest assured, I will check up on you later. Perhaps in the presence of Princess Celestia, too."

Rose nodded, and prepared to leave, but when she touched the handle of the door, Twilight spoke up.

"Do you know why is there a difference between our weaponry and the griffons' ? We didn't have to keep an army just to suppress dangerous elements in annexed territories."

Rose couldn't decide if she really heard the next sentence.

"Now we have an enemy in our own."

Chapter ten: Tales of Equestria (part 2)

Vinyl closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then peered at Trixie.

"I won't ask if I'm seeing what I'm seeing, because, I well, duh, see it. But don't you think dooming her eternal soul to suffering just because—"

"Oh, I asked her to arrange a meeting," said Octavia. Vinyl raised a hoof, then lowered it gently.

"Why exactly? I mean, I'm sorry, if I didn't—"

Octavia made a calming gesture.

"You misunderstand. I'm not here to fling guilt. Quite the opposite, actually. While I do admit dying was quite painful, and if possible, would have loved to evade it, there's more to the story than you ken."

"What exactly?" Vinyl asked. Octavia gave her a gentle smile.

"It was inevitable."

Vinyl waited, but Octavia seemed to have finished whatever she was going to say. Trixie shrugged when she met Vinyl's glance, suggesting it wasn't just her who didn't get a word of that.

"What exactly—" she began, but stopped immediately, because the second statue, with a bit of a glow, produced an irate ghost of a unicorn.

"Seriously! You didn't tell them half of it! And what the hell is ken, anyway?!"

Octavia covered her mouth with a hoof.

"You're right! I'm so daft!" She turned back towards Vinyl. "Indeed, I forgot to tell you one thing: I had little to bide, see?"

Vinyl ran that through her head.

"You were... going to die?" she risked. Octavia nodded.

"Aye. A few months ago, I went to a hospital after one of my performances, because I was feeling quite faint. One thing led to another, and, well, it turned out I had a perfectly documented, but just as well uncurable disease. My doctors gave me a year, at most."

Vinyl cast down her gaze.

"That doesn't excuse what I did to you."

"To us? In my understanding, the equipment could have been tampered with, and you most certainly didn't try to harm us in any way."

"That's the only logical explanation, you know," Trixie said in a nonchalant voice. "That mysterious purveyor could have slipped right back in with different clothes, and remove whatever they cast upon your stuff."

"Okay, I get it," said Vinyl. "You're not really angry, and I'm thankful for that. But you," she said, turning to the other ghost, "don't tell me you're not the least bit upset?"

"Oh I'm pissed all right," said Lyra. "Not at you, though. I'm pretty pissed, that I got offed just to justify sending you in prison. I mean, if someone killed me because they wanted my money, fine! But this? Anypony would have been fine for my killer... Which means he looks at my death as something of a chore."

Trixie perked up.

"He?"

"I can't be bothered with this 'they' nonsense," Lyra said, rolling her eyes. "I didn't see who did it, I just guessed it was a he."

"At any rate, we don't want to guilt-trip you," Octavia said. "Actually, we're here to help you."

Vinyl narrowed her eyes.

"How?"

"Remember how you said you weren't really combat-oriented?" said Trixie. "They can help you with that. Since you're a unicorn, you can try using reverse possession magic. Let me tell you the details."

"This isn't right," Twilight said. "Something must've happened, otherwise the griffons would be retaliating about now. Am I not right, General?"

"Indeed," said General Purpose. "Still, Sharptalon is a formidable fellow, perhaps he–"

The general was interrupted by an entering pony. He started to raise an eyebrow, but before he could even finish it, the intruder simply put a piece of paper in front of Diamond Rose, confusing her a bit. She picked it up, and read it, huffing a little.

"Well, my esteemed colleagues, it seems we have received a report from our spies. Although, to be honest, I have no idea why I received this paper instead of Regent Sparkle, but nevertheless, let me just summarize it shortly."

She paused, taking a deep breath for maximum effect.

"General Sharptalon has been executed for treason."

"What?" shouted Straight Purpose. "When? How?"

"Well, if this is correct, two days ago, and by beheading. Also, his head seems to have been put on a pike in the capital."

Twilight blinked slowly.

"Gentleponies, I hope you all realise what this means," she said finally.

The gathered ponies were the ones that Diamond Rose began to call 'the usual bunch.' Regent Sparkle, Applejack and Redblood from the CCF, Lightning Dust and Raindrops from the Wonderbolts, General Straight Purpose and last, but not least, Night Shade. Speaking of whom, he rose to speak.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but this should effectively mean that the invasion is over as of now."

"No, you are absolutely right," said the general, "since they lost not only most of their military force, but technically all of their high command, too. In this case, I shall withdraw all my request for funding, although I still think we're woefully underarmed for an actual war."

"Thank you, General," Twilight said, "but with the griffon army beaten, I doubt any creature would dare threaten our borders. Or was there something else...?"

All eyes turned to the two present CCF members. Applejack gestured to Redblood, who cleared his throat.

"Currently, there are no changeling sightings in Equestria. We're constantly training unicorns to be able to identify changelings, and dispatch them to various settlements. So far, since the fall of the last hive, there hasn't been any activity–"

The council was interrupted again, by the same pony as before, placing another paper in front of the increasingly confused Rose. Just as before, he disappeared before they could get a word in.

"I wonder if he's doing this on purpose," said Rose, reading the paper. This time however, she seemed to pale a little bit.

"I believe you are mistaken, Prince Redblood," she said. "This spy report claims they found a hive within Equestria."

Applejack slammed at the table.

"Right, we'll depart immediately–"

"–But it seems to be empty," Rose continued.

"Give that to me," said Twilight, perhaps in a slightly raised voice. She skimmed over the paper, furrowing her brow.

"The report actually says that though the hive is devoid of life, there seems to be a lot of changeling blood in the main chamber. Also, there seem to be a lot of pony hoofprints there as well. My theory is that somepony went into this hive, and somehow made them flee."

"Could it be this Mare-Do-Well figure?" Rose asked. She was taken aback by both Twilight and Applejack leaning forward suddenly.

"Mare-Do-Well?!" they asked in unison. Rose nodded uncertainly.

"Yes, I mean, haven't you read the papers?"

"Forgive me, if I was a bit preoccupied," Twilight snorted. Applejack gave a simple shrug.

"We seem to have a vigilante on our hooves. In the last month, there have been sightings all over Equestria, of a masked, costumed pony, whom one of the Ponyvilleans identified as Mare-Do-Well. She seems to target unsolvable crimes, or untouchable ponies. She gets damning evidence, and leaves it with the authorities."

"We can't condone vigilantism, no matter how noble the intent," said Twilight. Rose gestured towards everyone present.

"This is exactly why I've been suggesting a united police force. If anything, we need to keep up law and order now more than ever."

"I agree," General Purpose said. Rose was a bit surprised. She expected the general to oppose the thought the most.

"We simply don't have the ponysonnel," said Raindrops. "Think what you want, but we don't even have two hundred flyers. Detract any from them, and Equestria has no airforce, to speak of."

"Also, I'm afraid we'll have to burden the army with a request, General," Dust said. "As you are all painfully aware, Canter-Berry has been razed by the griffons. I've received an order from the princess to bury all dead locals that are still above ground, and I think I need more ponypower."

The general nodded.

"Certainly. A grim task, but it must be done."

Twilight stood up.

"Now hold on," she said slowly. "Why hasn't this been addressed–"

By this time, all eyes were on the intruding pony when he entered.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but–" Twilight began, but the pony simply bowed, leaving a third piece of paper in front of her. A muscle began to twitch under her nose, but nevertheless, she took the time to read it.

"...The rising enterpreneur Green Soylent keeps a secret where he gets his ingredients. Well, this was a waste of time, since he donates a lot of food to charity, and keeps his prices low when there wasn't even competition to begin with. Where were we?"

"First, we discussed Mare-Do-Well, then–"

"Ah, yes, I've been meaning to say: it's highly likely that this Mare-Do-Well impersonator is our little culprit of finding and exterminating that hive. Commendable, but illegal. We shall indeed capture her, when–"

She was ready this time. The moment the door opened, she lit up hear horn and started screaming.

"IF YOU TRY TO LEAVE ONCE AGAIN WITHOUT – oh."

The pony now trembling on his hooves was a royal guard, surprised by the sudden animosity. Behind him, though...

"Ah, Archmage Sparkle, how delightful to see you again."

Twilight was very close to spitting in Open Book's face. She still managed to grunt out a 'what now?!’, though.

"Oh, nothing, Your Eminence," said Book. "You see, I'm sorry I accused you last time, and I am fully confident in your innocence, but–"

Twilight buried her face in her hooves.

"They found another one of those stupid 'Sparkle' calling cards, didn't they? That's the fifth this month!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Eminence," Book purred, "but there are simply some in the council that wishes you to–"

"Fine, fine, let's get this over with – again." She turned back to the rest of the ponies. "Meeting's adjourned, for now, but mark my words, I'll have a job for one of you to catch a very impudent thief."

The Lunamoons kept a neat, and extensive library. From books about metalworking to magic theory, through romance and adventure, one could find a read for their tastes. Of course, since the manor was empty for years, the freshest book was quite dated. This didn't really bother Mordant; he was starved for literature, so to say. Sure, changelings hoarded a lot of pony stuff, but none as good as this very piece of heaven right there. He was so engrossed in browsing that he didn't notice Luna standing beside her.

"Anything worthwhile?"

Mordant spun around, but relaxed when he saw the princess smile.

"...Perhaps."

Luna stepped closer, gently sweeping the shelf with her wing.

"I see the clan still kept its old habits after so much time," she said.

Mordant remained silent, following her movement with his eyes.

"You know, young one, back in the day, it was really unusual to read," she continued." The Lunamoons were an exception amongst unicorns; they always sought out knowledge and understanding."

"Understanding."

The princess froze. Mordant wished he could take it back, but there was nothing he could do now. Luna lowered and gently shook her head.

"In a way, you are right to be skeptical. If you went out into any town, any city, you'd be greeted with fear and contempt. Long since have passed the days when the six races lived together."

"Six?" Mordant asked, interest piqued. Luna smiled at him.

"Yes. The six pony races: unicorns, earth ponies, pegasi, crystal ponies, bat ponies, and last, but not least, changelings."

"Us? Ponies?"

He eyed the princess with suspicion, but there wasn't a shed of dishonesty on her face. She was also very faintly fond of him. Changelings had a knack for sensing that.

"Yes. In times ancient, six ponies were chosen; each one from each race. The six ponies were granted the power to rule; but also the power to protect, and aid those who would require it. In those days, we needed not differentiate between any of the six races, because the chosen ones worked hard to spread unity and peace."

"But we're still like this," Mordant said, "and just as you said, there seems to be no goodwill towards us. What happened?"

Luna sighed.

"It is a terrible and ancient story; perhaps I'll have the chance to tell you one day, when you can afford to hear the events of several centuries. Let it be enough, that because of arrogance, greed, but most importantly contempt and carelessness, the races were divided." She sighed again, shaking her head. "Nothing that happened back then, could be called a proper resolution, but we made a promise to a dying friend: that we would not search for, or disturb the three races of the north, unless they wanted our help, or if they came with ill intent."

"Three races of the north?" Mordant asked.

"Changelings. Bat ponies. Pegasi."

Mordant furrowed his brow.

"Wait, pegasi? Aren't they here right now in Equestria? And what about crystal ponies? Aren't they north?"

Luna nodded.

"Yes, and no. I told you, those were different times... not necessarily better, but different. Still, there are some things worth bringing back."

Mordant stared at her in silence, trying to read her face. He finally spoke up.

"Why tell me this?"

Luna gestured at him with her hoof.

"You have followed me, my little changeling, when I offered my protection. You have lived with us peacefully, and worked hard everyday. Both of you."

Mordant seemed embarassed.

"I've merely applied what little I picked up about cooking. And Lacuna... She enjoys cleaning, and the like."

"Still, nopony said that you have to do that," a new voice said. They both turned to see Trixie limping towards them. "The fact that we gave you two shelter does not mean we expect servitude."

"There is a difference in being forced to serve, or choosing to help out," Mordant said slowly. "If you lived under Chrysalis, you'd know the difference."

"I suppose I should be grateful that I didn't" Trixie said. "Still, for someone supposed to be the queen of the changelings, she doesn't seem to be that popular with you."

Mordant shrugged.

"Her whole reign is one of blood. She took the throne by killing the previous queen; after that, her first order was to destroy the small pony settlement we lived near, and were feeding off carefully."

"That seems... counter-productive, to say the least," Trixie said.

"Well, her second order was to move out, and leave all of the sick, injured, and old behind. She also experimented a lot with hatching."

Trixie furrowed her brow.

"You mean like those gigantic drones with her?"

Mordant nodded, making a pained expression.

"They were bred to be extra obedient and powerful – to balance it out, they weren't able to exist without workers to take care of their needs."

"But enough of that," he continued in a different tone. "Dinner is nowhere near ready, and the stallions who are still not home were supposed to bring me ingredients."

"It's starting to worry me, too," Luna said. "I do understand that they sent Vinyl home to allleviate our worries, but hours have passed since then. I think I will go to the observatory, and take another look around."

Following her with their eyes, the two were silent until she was completely gone. Mordant was the first to speak up.

"Since I have nothing to do, I'll just go and check up on Lacuna."

"She's in my room, upstairs," Trixie said. The changeling narrowed his eyes.

"Why?"

"She was reading a picture book." Trixie paused, trying to sound normal. "She can't read, can she?"

"So what if she can't?" Mordant snapped.

"Nothing," Trixie said. "Provided we live through this, there will be plenty of time to teach her."

Mordant cast his gaze on the ground.

"She'll like that." He pawed at the ground, unsure. "Listen... I know I can be a bit... irritable when she is brought up, but... I just don't want anyling to think less of her. She's just a simple worker, like me; and neither of us wanted or needed this... conflict we were forced into...twice."

"I hope you'll believe me when I say I believe you," Trixie said. Mordant smiled.

"I think I will. You're a bit of an ass, but in a good way."

He trotted up the stairs, and quickly left Trixie's vision. The showmare grimaced, distorting her mouth.

"In a good way...?"

Well into the evening, Bon Bon was returning to Zecora’s place. She noticed a few Ponyville citizens frolicking around the edge of town, and decided to take it slowly and surely. Every speck of light, every treasonous branch was her enemy.

She wished she understood. What little she could see in the dark, didn’t really tell her what was going on. Ponies were looking confused, hopeful, and some were looking happy; one thing, however, was the same about them.

They all looked very determined. Bon Bon considered if they were looking for her, but seeing that most of them were going to or coming from the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, she dismissed the notion. With Mac on the case, many were inspired to work during the evening hours, or even later. Hard work did inspire a lot of ponies, it seemed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bon Bon managed to circumnavigate them. At times likes this, she considered if being a unicorn or a pegasus would’ve been more useful. Not for long, though, because she’d never seen a unicorn or a pegasus who was really good with their hooves.

When she was sure she wouldn’t be heard, she doubled her steps. Zecora’s hut was barely lit, as always, but even that small light seemed to have guided her, nevertheless. She considered asking if that’s zebra magic, but she didn’t want to seem rude. The important thing was that she never got lost when she followed the light.

She stopped for a moment, taking in her surroundings. The forest was by no means silent, buti t was quiet. Quiet, as in nothing out of the ordinary made a sound. That was a bit weird in itself.

Carefully appraching the hut, she failed to see anything different. One careful step after another, she got closer; the feeling of being watched ever growing.

She swore she heard the wind make a sound, and dodged left.

Something crashed into the place she was standing just a moment ago. Hurriedly, she took a stance, but relaxed as she saw Cloudchaser picking herself up from the ground.

"I… Why?" she asked.

"Look, I know you think I'm some damsel in need of rest and protection, but listen to me! I've rested more in these few weeks than anytime else in my life. I'm physically fit, not to mention a Wonderbolts trainee. I refuse to sit on my perfectly serviceable wings!"

Bon Bon took off her mask, and rubbed her temple.

"I didn't say anything to that effort," she said, "nor will I ever do. You were sick, wounded, and malnourished. I don't care how macho you are, you needed time to recover. If you're fine now, that's fine. End of discussion."

She pushed Cloudchaser aside, and tried to enter the hut, when the pegasus called out.

"Wait! Look, I… I just meant to say that I'm ready."

"For what?" Bon Bon asked, not turning around.

"Helping you. Look, I know what you're going to say, dangerous stuff, yada, yada. I don't care. No, I'm not suicidal," she added, seeing Bon Bon opening her mouth,"but I have perspective. That perspective being: 'Don't let this progress any further.' I can only do that if I help you out."

Bon Bon was still silent. Cloudchaser decided to press on.

"Look, you know how long I've been with the Wonderbolts, right? I don't claim to be the best, hay, not even one of the top ten. But that's just it. You're one pony. I don't blame you about what happened, but it shows! You can't do this alone."

The earth pony was still silent, unnerving Cloudchaser a little. When she finally spoke, it was relief like no other.

"If we get caught, the best we can expect is to get shipped into Azure City immediately. I've already made some ponies… quite anxious, if the newspapers are anything to go by. If you want to come with me, I need to know that you're on board. This is not personal vendetta. This is making sure the little ponies don't get the bottom of the cup, when this blows over."

"I understand. Help ponies. Simple."

"No!" Bon Bon yelled, finally turning around. "It's not simple! I'm asking you to trust me, and help me expose stuff that can't be done legally! Do you think I've done all this to satisfy my sense of justice? No! I did it, because the fact that ponies so corrupt, arrogant, and insane can exist in the same place some of the best ponies live make me vomit! And I want them out my muzzle, out of my country, and preferably, out of my reality, but that's not gonna happen by itself. So I ask you this: Will you follow my lead? Will you do what's needed to keep things sane?"

"Things are insane already, but yeah. I'm prepared to do whatever is needed to do this."

Bon Bon nodded.

"Good. We'll talk more later. Right now, I'm tired, and I'll have to figure out who is incorruptible enough to dump this evidence on," she said while waving a dossier.

As time passed on, the ponies left at Lunamoon manor grew increasingly worried. Night has fallen, and shopping for groceries most certainly did not call for that much time. Trixie was tapping a hoof on the dinner table in the dining room, watching Rainbow pace back and forth. Mordant, for his part, has prepared snacks, which were mostly gone by that time.

You could hear a pinprick drop when Trixie stopped. All of a sudden, both her and Luna became extremely focused; yet it was Luna, whose expression melted into a smile first.

"They're back."

True to her word, the door opened, and the three stallions marched in, looking tired, but otherwise unharmed. They proceeded to drop their saddlebags, which were immediately seized by Mordant.

"About time," he grumbled, disappearing into the kitchen. Lacuna soon followed, humming happily.

"Before you say anything," Shining began, "yes, we know we're late. We didn't expect… Well, all this."

"All what?" Rainbow asked, finally stopping. Fancypants produced a scroll, and unfurled it upon the table; pressing down the edges with weight.

"We've stumbled upon this by accident. Apparently, if you throw enough coins around, ponies invite you to secret gatherings."

Trixie narrowed her eyes, and took a look at the scroll. When she finished reading, she topped that with further furrowing her brow.

"Really? You just got this?"

"Well, yes," Soarin said. "The cover stories you had us go over a million times actually came hoofy. Everypony believed—"

There weren't many times that Luna lost her temper. Usually, it was something flippant Trixie said, but even when she was angry, she didn't raise her voice.

That was why they weren't expecting the stomp.

It wasn't particularly powerful, but it made a very loud, very threatening noise, prompting the changelings to peek back into the room. Everypony was silent, except for Luna, who at this point was bubbling with rage.

"This! THIS! This is the thing that I wanted to evade at any cost! Frontier justice! Lynch mobs!"

The rest were incoherent noises until Lacuna ran to her side, nuzzling her. Surprised by the changeling's sudden appearance, Luna deflated a bit, then patted her on the head.

"There, there. I apologise, my little changeling. I shouldn't have seethed in this manner. I am fine now."

"If you say so," Lacuna replied. This was the first time most of them heard her talk, and just like Trixie, they were amazed by her soothing, pleasant tone.

It was so distracting, in fact, that Rainbow had to clear her throat to get things back on track.

"Okay, I get something's up, but can't you tell the whole story? I'm kinda lost."

Shining looked at Fancypants, who gestured back at him, as if telling him to go ahead.

"To begin with, we didn't really plan on investigating all this stuff, but while Vinyl and Fancypants were browsing foodstuffs, I took a look around Trottigham's main plaza. There were some stragglers around, but nothing serious. Then, all of a sudden, there was some sort of rumble, and four ponies entered the shop."

"The problem with that was simple; they had concealed weapons. I shuffled back, while Soarin kept a lookout. Apparently, these ponies left their money home, because they couldn't pay, and were about to leave, but Fancypants stepped in, and paid for them."

"Ah, yes, I was meaning to ask," said Fancypants, "Was that a bad thing? I acted on the spur of the moment, but…"

Shining shook his head.

"No. I doubt they'd remember our faces, much less our voices or anything. So, anyway…"

"Um, thank you? What is this?"

Fancypants tried to read the scroll handed to him, but one of the ponies stopped him.

"Not here. Read it at a safe space," he said in a low tone. Out loud, he turned to the shopkeeper, going "Well, this nice fellow certainly saved our hides, ma'am. I wouldn't want to cause trouble, so I'll just withhold on the flakes, and get what this generous gentlepony just offered to pay for. Seriously, thank you very much."

"Oh, don't mention it, maybe you'll be in the same situation once. I know how annoying it is to have to go back home empty-hoofed."

With that said, he pulled back a little, pretending to check out a series of shelves containing cutlery. His mind was racing, though. Shining Armour said these ponies were trying to conceal weapons, which didn't really mash with their carefree, attention-grabbing behaviour. Maybe…

He pulled back a row further, making sure the cashier wasn't seeing him, and finally unfurled the scroll.

He was glad he checked it out without Vinyl seeing it, because when he saw the first sentence, he felt sure she'd have shouted. Clearly, he had to show this to the others, but…

He made a decision; swiping a pair of scissors, he went up to Vinyl, and gently nudged her.

"Darling? Sorry, but we'll have to come back later. I've forgot all about the meeting at five."

His heart nearly stopped when Vinyl returned a blank look with a simple "What?", but then nearly sighed in relief when she continued with "Seriously?! I told you I'd only go with you if you hurried it up, and we're already late?! Hah!"

She turned, grabbing the scissors, and placing it in front of the shopkeeper.

"At least we have this! When we get home, you'll get a reminder about punctuality, Mister!"

Fancypants was barely able to shoot an apologetic smile towards the shopkeeper, and put down a few bits, when he was grabbed by Vinyl, and dragged outside. Fortunately, there wasn't a single soul nearby, so they could pull into an alleyway close by.

"So what up, dude? Don't make me improv like that, I'm not that good at it."

"On the contrary, I believe you managed to fool that mare quite well. I swear I've heard her smirking. Where is Shining Armour, though?"

Vinyl gestured towards the plaze with a nod.

"I think he's at that apple stand over there. Seriously, is there something wrong?"

"I… I don't know yet," he admitted, "but if I'm wrong, I'm just making everypony worry for no reason. We should—"

"What's all this then?"

Fancypants felt his heart stop, and Vinyl seemed to share the sentiment, because she placed a moderately strong kick to the chest of the intruder.

"Soarin, I swear to Celestia, if you're sneaking up on me again, next time it will be your softer parts."

"Noted," Soarin said, looking no less worse for the wear. Apparently, Shining was with him this whole time, because he entered the alley, too.

"What are we doing? If we dally here much longer, ponies are bound to get suspicious."

"Well yes," Fancypants said, showing him the parchment, "I… came upon this just minutes ago."

"You could've cleaned it, dude."

Fancypants turned to Vinyl with a confused expression, but he heard Soarin snort behind him. Shining, for his part, shot a disapproving look at her, then returned to studying the parchment. His expression darkened, however, and he spun it right back.

"Vinyl, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, dude, hit me."

"How fast are you?"

"Err, I could use some exercise, I know, but…"

"All right. Fancypants, how's your stamina?"

"Canterlot Charity Marathon winner, three weeks ago."

Shining raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment.

"Okay, I had military training, and I don't think Soarin needs to be even considered. Vinyl, you're the one that has to go back, and tell the others we're going to be late. If this is nothing, we've wasted a few hours. If it is… We'll see."

"Uh, sure, dude."

They watched her take off, then after a short while, they left the alley, going the opposite direction.

"Okay, that's enough foreplay, get to the meat of it!"

The seven ponies present were surprised by the sudden appearance of Lyra, save for the two who actually knew about her. Shining opened his mouth, but Luna spoke first.

"Trixie?" she asked, in the tone of a schoolteacher inquiring about the rude drawings on the blackboard. The unicorn gave a smile that looked more like a pained grin than anything, but didn't answer.

Lyra, on the other hoof, was having none of it.

"Look, just how hard is it to frickin' say what this is all about? Wasn't this urgent or someting?"

Trixie rolled her eyes, and levitated the parchment in front of her. By reflex, she tried to grab it, but her body went through it.

"Oh. Right. Ghost."

She floated back, this time simply reading the parchment. The grimace that crept on her muzzle was completely devoid of good humour.

"Meeting? Justice? Hanging?! What the chocolate fudge-covered—"

"I'm sorry, what?" Octavia said, appearing, once again startling those who didn't know about them. Luna slowly turned her head towards Trixie, and held her gaze until the unicorn had the decency to look away.

"We will talk about this," Luna warned, then she turned back to the others. "While I do not mind a detailed report, perhaps Miss…"

"Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings."

"Yes, indeed, Ms. Hearthstrings is right." She paused, shooting a quick glance towards the ghost unicorn. "In a certain sense, at least. What this seems to suggest is that the town to settlements over has imprisoned a blue-coloured pony, and they intend to hold a…" She wrinkled her muzzle in disgust. "A trial, though I loathe to refer to it as such in any conceiveable way. What is clear is that without intervention, this could go very, very awry. Shining Armour, what can you confirm about this?"

"A lot, actually," he replied. "On the other hoof, I think time would be better spent gathering what we remember of the place."

"Wait, you actually went there?" Lyra asked.

"More like galloped as fast as we could, but yes."

"Right," Trixie said, gesturing owards the western hallway. "Third door on your left. Should have plenty of paper, ink, and a few… things to use."

Shining nodded, and the three stallions left for the room.

"Vinyl, what we talked about can be used during sleep, too. It might be useful to practice while you can."

"Sure, but… uuuh, dudette, aren't we moving out as soon as the colts draw up their battle plan and stuff?"

"No. Right now, it's about eleven o'clock, we have made no preparations, and we know of nothing of what awaits us. We're tired, out of juice – at least I know I am – and the… colts just ran the equivalent of a smaller marathon in record time, so the best thing you can do is to go to sleep, and be at your very best in the morning."

There was a hint of approval in Luna's nod.

"I agree. Since I cannot take a more active role, I shall aid in the preparations of any equipment, any spell you might deem useful. But make no mistake, Trixie, the conversation will happen sometime."

"Peh. As if I could forget," Trixie muttered, but quickly shut up when she saw Luna's disapproving expression. Everypony left, except for her and Rainbow. The pegasus seemed unusually contemplative.

"Hey… Trixie?" she spoke up slowly, "do… do you think this is…"

"How ponies are really? The cynic in me wants to say yes."

"Do you know about the wendigoes?" Rainbow asked. Trixie raised an eyebrow.

"Well yes, but – Oh. If your question is if this was their doing, I wouldn't think so. The story said disunity brought the wendigoes, not the other way around."

Rainbow hung her head.

"I know, it's just…"

"Anything's better than this being ponies' true face, huh?"

Silence was her only answer. Trixie sighed, and wrapped one of her forelegs around Rainbow's shoulder.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I think there's something going on in the background here. But, unless we find out exactly what, there is no reason to guess, okay?"

Her reward was a tentative smile.

"Yeah, I… I guess you're right. I'm… just gonna go to sleep. Tomorrow, we kick butts. And… Trixie?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Interlude three: Tea for three

The sun was shining, her friends were visiting, her belly was full, and Applejack never felt more lost in her whole life. It was as if purpose suddenly decided to exit her life.

"M-maybe you should elaborate?" Fluttershy said, pawing at the ground. Applejack sighed, and rubbed her temples.

"Look, it ain't… I mean, no, I'm pretty sure I'm not, but really, that's—"

"Aaand you lost me," Pinkie announced cheerfully, taking a sip of her tea. Applejack rubbed her temples harder.

"It's like a, a void, ya know? Like I know we're making progress, but it doesn't feel like it at all."

"Oh." Pinkie deflated, putting down her cup. "I know what you mean. Lately it's as if there's no way to make ponies happy, just, uh, less miserable?"

Fluttershy followed the conversation with her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Maybe it's just me," Applejack continued. "Maybe just the fact that I don't have anything to do right now, while Twilight is swarmed with those diddly-darn nobles trying to one-up her."

"Is it that Book crook again?" Pinkie asked. When she received a nod, she furrowed her brows. "Why does he keep nagging Twilight again?"

"It's 'bout this thief. He or she leaves a calling card at the scene of the crime. It always says 'Sparkle'."

"Huh. Wouldn't Twilight write her full name?" Pinkie asked. "That would be more of a Twilight thing to do."

"Yes, of course," Applejack waved dismissively. "Thing is, he's annoying the heck outta her, and she has to do all the organising stuff while the Princess is recuperatin'."

Applejack didn't miss the quick glance her friends exchanged, but decided not to bring it up. Fluttershy was barely talking, anyway. Not that it was much different from usual to an outsider, but Applejack could tell, being her friend. Friend. It gave her a pang of warmth all too rare nowadays.

"Besides," she continued, "I've no clue how to help her any more. Since the changeling situation died down, we're kinda just drifting around, checking up on stuff."

"D-died down? Goodness, you d-don't mean literally?"

If it was Pinkie that spoke, Applejack would've known to dismiss the question as a joke. Since it was Fluttershy who asked, she sighed, and got up from her seat.

"Just a sec," she said, trotting out the room. She entered Blueblood's study (why do ponies even need a separate room for studying, anyway?), and rummaged through the stack of correspondence on the mahagony desk until she found the one she was looking for. She grabbed it, and brought it back to her friends.

"Sorry, it was a bit buried there," she said, smoothing out the parchment in front of Fluttershy. "Apparently, this was the result of crossreferencing what we knew before to what we found now."

Fluttershy's expression barely changed, but even then it became somewhat steely. Upon the parchment, there were several diagrams detailing the dissection of changeling corpses found in the cleared hives. In the lower right corner, there was a depiction of a standard changeling drone and a warrior with several hastily scribbled comments under them.

"This doesn't make sense," Fluttershy said firmly. "I remember you saying you only found this new type of changeling guarding the hives, am I correct?"

"Yeah," Applejack said. "Somehow, only these super-aggressive soldiers were the only things we found."

"That's impossible!" Fluttershy said, slamming down slightly on the parchment. The sound brought her back from her concentration, and she shrunk when she realised the others were staring at her. "I-I mean…"

"S'alright, Shy, we don't bite," Pinkie said. Then, glancing at Applejack, "Well, at least I don't!"

There was only a slight murmur of 'that was one time and that jerk done deserved it.'

"S-see here," Fluttershy said, ponting at a diagram, "it says here that they have teeth like predators, and are larger, m-more aggressive, and stronger. Y-you also told us they were trying to bite the ponies as if they were hungry, r-right?"

"Yeah?" Applejack said, not quite catching her drift.

"B-but look here!" Fluttershy pointed at a very detailed (and gross) depiction of the creature's stomach. "It can't actually digest ponies! At least, not in a way to get proper nourishment from our meat! H-how would these even survive?" Fluttershy looked up, and seeing the utter confusion on Applejack's face, she stopped. "U-Um? D-did I say something wrong?"

"Holy moly, of course not, Fluttershy," Applejack said, scratching her head. "I just didn't expect ya to be so calm about all these gruesome details."

For her part, Fluttershy looked equal parts dumbfounded and offended.

"I don't mean to be rude, Applejack, but um, where did you think I got my knowledge to care for animals?"

"Uuuuuh, books?"

"That's right, do you know what kind of books?"

"Umm…"

"Anatomy books, Applejack," Fluttershy said, finding that small firmness in her voice she had before. "It was a long and ardous task to learn everything I could about my forest friends, but for their own sake, I had to learn how their bodies work, so I don't cause them pain, or discomfort. There's no easy way to give them what they need."

Applejack held her hooves in defeat.

"M'bad. I guess since I learned most of what I knew about our farm from family, I just… I dunno, I was kinda hasty. Sorry."

"N-no problem, I just got a teeny-tiny bit agitated," Fluttershy replied, trying and failing to cover up her blush with her hair."

"What do they eat, then?" Pinkie asked, looking at the parchment upside-down.

"I-if I'm correct, they have to be taken care of by the drones of the hive."

"But there were no – Oh. Oh darn. y'all saying they were starved?"

"I have a theory," Fluttershy said, poking at another diagram. "If this is correct, the nerves under their rear neckplate are constantly pressed between bone and plate. They probably feel incredible pain," she finished softly.

"A'ight, wait, wait, hold up." Applejack took a deep breath. "Are ya tryin' t' tell me these dang vermin are bred to be ill-tempered, aggressive and bloodthirsty? Did that blasted queen of theirs just up and made changelings that are constantly hungry, in pain, and can't even get food from the things they hunt? What in the fresh—"

Thankfully, a door opened, and Applejack perked up.

"Y'all stay put, Ah'm gunna tell this to Redblood. This ain't right!"

She hurried out with the grace and stealth of a heavily armored cavalry division. Pinki chuckled to herself.

"Did you notice she still slips back to her old way of speaking when she's upset?"

"Yes," Fluttershy said with a slight smile.

"Say, there's something I don't get," Pinkie said, turning back to the parchment. "You said these can't eat ponies. What can eat ponies?"

"Oh, predators, mostly," Fluttershy said, glancing at the picture. "At least, out of normal animals. Most monsters from the Everfree are probably able to chew on ponies without problems; if we're talking sentient, Dragons and griffons are mostly predatory, so if we dismiss moral concerns, they could easily eat ponies. Oh, and of course Changelings and ponies can eat ponies, too."

"Wait, what?" Pinkie asked, turning her head so fast that there was an audible creak.

"W-well, I mean, neither them or us could subsist on pony meat alone," Fluttershy said, slightly blushing. "Still, it would be feasible in emergencies, just not sustainable."

"Because everybody would eat each other," Pinkie interjected.

"Goodness, no, we're just not built to handle it."

Pinkie gave her the first grin of the day.

"You know, Shy, you're kind of like Twilight when you explain things."

"I-I guess she rubbed off on me," Fluttershy said, also failing to suppress a smile. It quickly faded, however. "I just wish we could help her somehow. I feel horrible as her friend that she has to shoulder every task while these nasty nobles only seek their own gain."

"I feel you, I really do," Pinkie sighed, spinning around one leg of her chair. "It's not like we can ask people from the starving areas to work on their local fields while we ship them relief food and estabilish a branch of our trust while simultaneously reestabilish local economy and infastructure to not only temporarily stave off the problem but actually solve it!"

"Pinkie," Fluttereshy said patiently.

"What?" Her brain caught up with her mouth, and her eyes widened. "Ohohoho! Maybe we should ask Mac about it?"

"Maybe we should," Fluttershy said, still smiling.