In Youth Eternal - A Dark Secret

Chapter 18: Assault Part 2

Pinkie Pie zipped through the sculpture garden with ease, zig-zagging her way around the statues, leaving a trail of dust and a pink streak in her wake. Her pursuers attempted to keep up, but it was no easy task against a bubbly pink mare who could match speed with the fastest flier in Equestria, or possibly even exceed it by unknown factors of magnitude.

Pinkie Pie gave a confident backwards glance, having widened the gap between herself and the guards The mare pulled her Party Cannon out of seemingly nowhere once more. She excitedly hopped in a foot or two into the air as she slammed a hoof onto the button on top of the cannon. Hard candy and pastries exploded out of the barrel with a thunderous boom. The happy-go-lucky mare laughed the entire time, having the time of her life. Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie, despite the crisis at hoof.

The mare grabbed hold of her Party Canon with her front hooves and promptly shoved into an unknown pocket of space at her side. The guards, who were closing in on the mare were completely dumbfounded at her seemingly impossible antics. But they kept charging towards her none the less, attempting to tackle Pinkie Pie to the ground, and kill her if need be.

However, one after the other, Pinkie Pie hopped around, nonchalantly dodging armored pegasi as they harmlessly flew by, crashing into the ground behind her one at a time. Once again, she used her Pinkie Sense in the same fashion as before, making it nigh-impossible to hit her. On the other hoof, armored unicorns and earth pony guards surrounded the bubbly pink mare.

“We’ve got you surrounded!” an armored unicorn said. “Make it easy on yourself, and come with us quietly,” he ordered, glaring at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie, the entire time, had a simple smile on her face. She listened to the unicorn’s orders, but didn’t care. “Nope!” she chimed, bouncing up and down. The guards inched a little towards the mare, glaring at her. A few of them started grumbling. Despite this, Pinkie Pie still had a smile on her face.

The guard narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. “Why you little...”

“What is going on here?” a gruff voice interrupted as a number of hooves could be heard touching down on the ground.

Everypony turned towards the source of the voice, witnessing Captain Strong Wing, accompanied by his second-in-command, Wind Rider, and a number of other armored pegasi and unicorns arriving on the scene.

The Captain trotted towards the group of soldiers surrounding a pink mare. The guards in his way quickly stepped aside, revealing a familiar pink mare.

“Hi!” chimed Pinkie Pie, waving a hoof at the Captain.

Captain Strong Wing sighed and facehoofed upon seeing the pink mare, followed by shaking his head. Pinkie Pie just kept smiling. The Captain scowled at her once he put his hoof back down.

“It’s you again...” he said.

“You know this mare, Captain?” Wind Rider asked.

Strong Wing turned his head to face his second-in-command. “You could say that,” he replied.

“Now,” he began, turning back to Pinkie Pie, who was bouncing up and down in place. “If you’re here, I can only assume your friends aren’t far off. And given the commotion you’ve been causing...” he continued, pausing briefly. “I’d say you’re acting as a distraction to allow your friends to slip into the castle unnoticed. Am I correct?”

Pinkie Pie stopped bouncing and winced a little at how quickly he had figured out their little plan. The Captain took note of Pinkie’s reaction.

“Hmph. I thought so,” he said. A number of the soldiers turned to one another, discussing between themselves at the revelation of the Mane 5’s plan. Their voices mixed, making for an incoherent chatter.

“Enough,” said Strong Wing, giving a sweeping glance at all of the guards in the area. “I want all of you to return to the castle and locate Princess Celestia and Luna on the double! If you find any unauthorized ponies, capture them on the spot,” he ordered. “I will take care of this mare myself.”

The guards quickly did as they were told, and retreated back to the main entrance to enter the castle with haste. As this happened, Captain Strong Wing returned his gaze back to Pinkie, giving her a little grin. He spoke up once all the guards had left.

“It was a nice try. I’ll give you that,” he said to the bubbly pink mare. “But, I’m a bit too experienced to fall for such simple tactics,” he explained. His visage then returned to a more serious state.

“You had better not hurt my friends!” Pinkie Pie shouted, now somewhat angry at the Captain. She knew her friends would be in danger, now that the guards were returning to the castle. Pinkie had hoped to buy them more time before security tightened again.

“I promised that I would spare your lives. That is why I ordered for their capture,” explained Strong Wing, calmly and seemingly emotionless.

“Oh... well, still!” she shouted, taking up a defensive stance. The pink mare kicked up a little dirt as she scuffed the ground, ready to charge at the Captain full speed.

“Your name is Pinkie Pie, correct?” he inquired.

“Well duh," she replied. "But why do y-” Pinkie Pie was promptly interrupted.

“I’ll be honest with you, Pinkie Pie,” he began, keeping his cold gaze fixated on the mare. “You and your friends should not have come back. You should have crawled back to your homes and resumed your daily lives.” Pinkie Pie lowered her head, closing her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek. The mare dropped her defensive stance. A beat of silence became present before Pinkie thought of retort.

“Life without our best friend would never be the same again... Forever...” said Pinkie Pie, solemnly. “Twilight is an innocent pony who has her whole life ahead of her! She is there for her friends. She is a wonderful mare...” Her mane deflated, hanging flat and straight on her head, rather than the cotton candy like state it was usually in. Strong Wing arched a brow at the sight.

“Twilight is our best friend. Forever and always. I don’t care who it is... I will never forgive whoever would kill Twilight!” she ranted, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Her breathing became heavier. It was rare that Pinkie Pie would ever get like this. It only seemed to be the case at the prospect of losing a dear friend.

Captain Strong Wing closed his eyes in thought. “I see,” he calmly muttered. After a beat silence, his eyes opened again, fixating a cold gaze at Pinkie Pie. His thoughts raced in his mind, processing what Pinkie Pie’s point of view. He felt something from Pinkie Pie’s words, but convinced himself to stay focused.

 “I’m afraid I cannot let you take back Twilight Sparkle,” he insisted.

Pinkie Pie stared daggers at Captain Strong Wing. Feelings of unrest, anger, and sadness all bubbled within her heart at once. The pink mare wanted nothing more than to save Twilight Sparkle; the mare who had brought them all together.

Silence ensued between the two ponies, only staring into the each others eyes. Pinkie Pie’s were full of animosity. Meanwhile, the Captain’s eyes were calm, but serious. He intended to keep Pinkie Pie from accomplishing her goal.

A drop of water splashed onto Strong Wing’s nose. His eyes shifted up to see storm clouds having rolled in. It was probably scheduled by the Pegasi to rain at this time. Neither Pinkie nor the Captain had noticed however, as they were fixated on what they were doing. However, he did not bother to think much of it, returning his gaze back to the angered pink mare before him.

More drops of water descended from the grey skies above, more frequently with each passing second. Before long, full blown rain was present, quickly soaking everything below the clouds.

Pinkie Pie and Captain Strong Wing paid no attention to the cold drops of water that battered them, water running down their faces. Overhead, lightning brilliantly flashed, followed by the monstrous boom of thunder. Their gazes never broke, not even for a second despite the change in weather.

After a few more moments of silence, Strong Wing decided to speak up. “There is something you should know,” he began, his voice cold and gruff. “There is another reason you should not have come here.” Pinkie Pie perked up a bit with curiosity. “Even though I promised to spare your lives, Princess Celestia has... other plans.” The implication of what those plans would be were as plain as day. And that, was the breaking point.

In a fit of unrelenting fury, Pinkie Pie made the first move. The mare darted straight towards the Captain, leaving a brilliant streak of pink in her wake. The glare on her face did not let up. Her movement was swift and fierce, closing the distance in almost the blink of an eye. Such is expected of a pony who can keep up with the likes of Rainbow Dash. Although, the Captain would not know this.

Strong Wing’s eyes widened in shock as the pink blur closed in in what seemed to be the blink of an eye, although his visage remained adorned with a serious scowl. Time seemed to slow down as the pink mare before him shot a hoof out, aimed for his cheek. The Captain was taken by surprise at the pinke mare’s speed. Never in his life had he dreamed an earth pony could move so fast.

The Captain barely had any time to move. Unfortunately for the stallion, he could not move enough in time. Pinkie Pie’s hoof connected with his cheek, causing him to stumble backwards. The pink mare quickly continued, her hooves digging into the wet dirt as she kicked off. Pinkie Pie closed the small distance within the blink of an eye, striking Captain Strong Wing in his other cheek, followed by an uppercut from the mare, send him onto his backside.

His thoughts raced, his mind trying comprehend what was happening. He quickly found himself laying on his backside, his jaw aching with pain. Just as the Captain regained his thoughts, he saw Pinkie Pie descending from direct above him, with her hind legs outstretched to nail him in the stomach. Without hesitating, he pushed himself to the side with one of his wings.

Strong Wing, having narrowly dodged her attack, immediately jumped up and took on a defensive stance on his hind legs, his wings spread. His eyes narrowed themselves as a hind hoof slid back, bracing himself further. Pinkie Pie's attack struck the wet ground where he was moments ago.

The mare promptly jumped back, away from the Captain, bracing herself.

'This mare... I've never seen speed like that from an earth pony,' he thought as a scowl appeared on his features. 'She completely caught me off guard. I cannot drop my guard around this one, not even for a second.'

With that in mind, it was Captain Strong Wing who went on the offensive this time. His hind legs kicked off the ground, sending him into the air. His strong wings flapped, allowing him to maneuver through the air with great agility. His flight pattern including flying in confusing patterns to catch Pinkie Pie off guard. His speed quickly picked up, eventually creating after images of the Captain in several different places.

The pink mare, however, stood her ground on all fours; her eyes darting all around, following his movements. It would take more than a few tricky flight patterns to throw off a mare who had some degree of precognition.

His circling of Pinkie Pie gradually got closer to the mare before he suddenly broke from his maneuvers. His form swooped down towards Pinkie Pie, his speed rivaling that of Rainbow Dash. Pinkie had other plans, however.

At the last possible moment, Pinkie Pie quickly hopped into the air. Strong Wing had no time to maneuver to safety, finding himself passing underneath the livid pink mare. Her legs shot downwards, connecting with his backside. With a wet thud, the Captain was slammed into the ground.

This wouldn’t stop him though. Within moments, he flipped out of his vulnerable position and ascended into the air. Strong Wing hovered at a safe altitude, his wings flapping to keep him airborne. The stallion’s hardened eyes locked onto the pink mare, narrowing slightly.

‘She not only has speed, but good reaction time as well?’ he thought himself, unaware of the existence of her Pinkie Sense. The armored pegasus was admittedly impressed by her combat capabilities. With that, Strong Wing descended to the ground, and stood his ground in a defensive stance.

Pinkie Pie gave no hesitation before attacking again. The mare quickly leaped into the air towards the Captain, rearing her front hooves in preparation. Strong Wing simply side stepped at the last second, causing the attacking mare to strike the ground instead. The Captain wasted no time in raising a hoof above his head before slamming it down on Pinkie Pie’s spinal cord, only to strike thin air instead.

Despite seemingly not having seen his movements, Pinkie Pie’s hind legs suddenly kicked the ground, sending the mare successfully out of harm’s way. Pinkie Pie spun around in mid air to face the Captain. She shot him a nasty glare before dashing straight for him again. She was as quick as ever.

Suddenly, with tricky hoofsteps, Pinkie Pie snaked her way around Captain Strong Wing, suddenly appearing behind him. The mare's hind hooves shot outwards, bucking him in the back. Strong Wing stumbled forward, cringing from the pain of the earth pony's fierce buck. And yet, he did not allow himself to falter. He quickly spun around, still on his hind legs, to face Pinkie Pie, only to find her charging straight at him one more.

Captain Strong Wing, prepared for Pinkie’s speed this time, allowed himself to fall backwards as the mare closed the distance between them. He (somehow) caught Pinkie Pie’s front hooves with his own  as he rolled onto his back. The Captain shot his hind legs up, striking the angry pink mare in her stomach. Pinkie Pie yelped in pain as she was sent flying straight up.

Without hesitation, the Captain quickly rolled over onto his stomach and braced himself with all four legs. With full force, he pushed off the wet ground as his wings flapped furiously.

His form, appearing as a blur, shot up into the sky towards the stunned, flailing pink mare. His right hoof extended once the distance between the two had closed. Strong Wing (somehow) grabbed Pinkie Pie by her mane with his hoof. Following that, he shifted his flight pattern.

Strong Wing proceeded to (somehow) grab Pinkie Pie with his other hoof as well, holding her in front of him with both hooves. Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened as she let out a high pitched scream, seeing that she would soon be slammed into a castle wall at high speed.

Her fear soon came true, with Strong Wing violently driving her into the castle wall. The sturdy, stone wall was busted open, and collapsed with Pinkie Pie being driven inside the castle by the Captain.

She was dazed. She was injured. She nearly blacked out from the impact. The mare’s eyes slowly opened. Although dazed and hurting all over her body, Pinkie Pie tried to stand, but to avail. Then, she heard a hoofstep behind her in the corridor. The injured pink mare turned her head and shifted her eyes.

Looming ominously over her, was Captain Strong Wing. His emotionless eyes stared condescendingly down upon her. The mare felt his gaze pierce her soul.

“I will admit, I am impressed with how well you fight,” he suddenly spoke, his voice calm and stoic. "Somehow, at your age, you already outclass any earth pony in the Royal Guard. However...” The Captain briefly closing his eyes. A beat of silence ensued for a moment before his emotionless eyes revealed themselves once more. “Your inability to fly was your greatest disadvantage against me. You have lost.”

Pinkie Pie wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into the Captain. Despite her injuries, despite being to weak to get up on her hooves, she stared back at him with fury in her eyes. However, the Captain was in way intimidated.

“You... big... meanie...” she managed to blurt out, struggling to say the words due to her harsh injuries. The mare continued to struggle onto her hooves. A fiery determination burned in her eyes. She panted and huffed as she finally limped onto a her hooves.

Pinkie Pie could barely raise her hoof. It trembled in place due to her injuries before she drove it forward in an attempt to strike the Captain. However, it merely tapped against his body, harmlessly. The pink mare grunted in pain as she fell over from her failed attack.

In all his years, Captain Strong Wing had never seen such fierce determination. Even though Pinkie Pie was battered and bleeding, barely able to stand, she still tried to fight for Twilight. The armored pegasus’ eyes actually widened a little with surprise.

“Why?” he asked Pinkie, actually showing a little emotion in his voice. Pinkie Pie once again attempted to stand up and face him. “Why do you continue to fight? You have lost. You can barely stand,” he continued. The Captain was actually somewhat moved by Pinkie Pie’s determination.

Hearing his words, a smile crossed Pinkie’s bruised visage. “Because... Twilight is... my friend... We always... stick together...” she said before succumbing to her injuries. Pinkie Pie fell unconscious.

The Captain gazed down at Pinkie Pie’s unconscious body. He took a moment to reflect on what she told him; about her friendship with Twilight Sparkle. He observed the mare’s battered, bleeding body. She was only trying to save her friend from certain death. Strong Wing, admittedly, felt something once more. Something he hadn’t for a long time.

Regret.

Strong Wing’s eyes solemnly closed shut. He felt uncertain as to what he should do at this point. He had won his fight against Pinkie Pie, and yet, he did not feel any satisfaction in his victory.

Letting out a sigh, he spread his wings and scooped Pinkie Pie up his forelegs. His wings flapped as hovered in the air with the KO’d Pinkie Pie tucked safely in his hooves. “I... will take you to the infirmary for now,” he said. Although, his words fell upon deaf ears at the moment.

With that, his form took off down the corridor with haste, making his way towards the Castle Infirmary. He wasn’t going to leave Pinkie Pie there to die, as it would be... dishonorable.

*     *     *

Twilight Sparkle desperately rushed down the corridors, attempting to lose Princess Celestia. So far so good, the alicorn was no where in sight.

Eventually, the lavender unicorn decided to hide in one of the rooms. She saw an entrance way. Next to this entrance was a sign with the silhouette of a stallion. Twilight quickly concluded it was a restroom. A stallion’s restroom. The mare promptly trotted through the doorway, immediately turning a corner, followed by another corner, entering the restroom.

It was a rather nice restroom. The floor tiles made of brilliant marble, the sink bowls forged of pearl, adorned with golden water faucets. The toilet stalls had fancy designs carved into the mahogany wood of which they were made. Fortunately, nopony was using it, as Twilight observed not a single set of legs inside any of the closed stalls.

The mare quickly made her way to the farthest stall from the entrance, entered, and promptly closed it behind her. She hoisted herself on top of the toilet seat, not letting her legs touch the ground, which could make them visible to anypony who would check.

“Okay Twilight... Think think think... How can I beat Celestia?” she whispered to herself. A direct confrontation was suicide, given how badly she fared earlier. And Princess Celestia was going easy on her. To top it off, a traditional sneak attack wouldn’t work either. Princess Celestia had herself shielded. Twilight would need to get the jump on the sinister alicorn. Her thoughts raced as she tried to form a plan.

However, as she formulated a strategy in her head, Twilight proceeded to resume her recovery. Her horn was encased with a sparkling purple aura, which proceeded to engulf her entire body. Twilight was relieved as as she felt more of even more of pain subside. Slowly but surely, her wounds were healing themselves.

It was merely a matter of time, something she did not know how much she had.

*     *     *

Spike and the Mane 5, having entered the castle undetected, splitting up to find Twilight. From the entrance hall, Applejack and Rainbow Dash paired up to search the west wing of the castle, while Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike took to the east.

For the moment, most of the guards had left the castle to confront Pinkie Pie, although no pony knew how much time that would buy them. All they could do was rush through the castle, hoping to find where Twilight was.

Unbeknownst to the rescue party, however, mere minutes passed before the royal guard returned to the castle at the Captain’s orders, and they knew full well about the intruders now.

“Split up and search the castle!” a voice of authority called. Wind Rider, Strong Wing’s second-in-command, took charge of the search of Canterlot Castle, to hunt down Spike and the Mane 5.

Now, it was a race of who could find who first.

*     *     *

Princess Celestia huffed with frustration. The alicorn had lost Twilight’s trail. Corridors split off from one another into other corridors. She had no idea which one Twilight could have taken. Princess Celestia had to think for a moment about what Twilight would do in her situation.

A few moments passed, and then it had occurred to her; Twilight was likely using the healing spell to recover from her wounds while hiding. “Hmph,” she grunted.

Princess Celestia’s horn lit up as she closed her eyes in concentration. The spell she activated allow her to sense any magic activity nearby. To her fortune, Princess Celestia could feel a familiar source of magic nearby in the castle: Twilight Sparkle.

The alicorn deactivated her spell as a smirk crossed her face. “Found you,” she said ominously. Wasting no time, the regal alicorn was engulfed in a flash of golden light. The next thing she knew, she was present in a restroom. Celestia thought she heard a gasp of surprise.

Her sinister eyes scanned the room, not immediately seeing anypony. Although, she was quick to notice a purple light emanating from furthest stall from the entrance. A smirk crossed her face as she trotted in front of the closed stall door. With a quick glow of her horn, the stall door was ripped from its hinges.

There, inside the stall, was a shock Twilight Sparkle in the process of healing. Princess Celestia looked down at her protege with a sinister smirk. The alicorn could see the fear in the little unicorns eyes.

With that, Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth to speak.

“Oh crap...”